Complete the application before spending down funds on community engagement activities.

Please complete the application before beginning to spend down the funds.  All applications must be approved before funds are used.

The People Energizing Places (PEP) Grant and the Strategic Teams Engaging Places (STEP) Grant were created to meet the growing need for advanced training and assistance within Missouri Main Street communities. Recognizing the challenges faced by Main Street organizations, these grants aim to provide structured support to elevate local revitalization efforts.

PEP Grant: This two-year grant offers comprehensive services with a 75/25 matching structure, where the community contributes 25% of the total cost, amounting to $9,600. The grant focuses on advanced training and development, positioning Missouri Main Street Connection (MMSC) as a vital partner in advancing your Main Street program.

STEP Grant: This one-year grant emphasizes sustainable revitalization through expert guidance and individualized training. Like the PEP Grant, it operates on a 75/25 matching basis, with the community responsible for 25% of the costs, totaling $5,000. The program is designed to enhance downtown development and strategic initiatives.

By applying for either grant, your organization will partner with Missouri Main Street Connection to achieve greater effectiveness and impact, ensuring continued success in your Main Street endeavors.

The Missouri Main Street program does sometimes offer financial grants to designated Main Street programs in Missouri, but that is not part of either the People Energizing Places or Strategic Teams Engaging People Grant participants. As noted in application document, extensive technical assistance and training will be provided by MMSC as its share of the Matching Grant and contracted downtown revitalization consultants may be brought in to assist with training and paid for by MMSC. 

This interface is intended to assist you in reporting on the development of your Active Transportation Plan to WalkWorks. It will document your work and the way the grants funds are being applied.

For subsequent submissions, to the extent that any one of the activities has been completed and reflected in an earlier report or is not relevant to the period on which you are reporting, there is no need to address it again. 

  The Pennsylvania Downtown Center is seeking session proposals for the 2026 Statewide Active Transportation Summit | Slow Down in Town: Streets Are For Everyone, which will be held in Harrisburg, PA on June 4, 2026, from 8:30 to 4pm. The morning will consist of plenary sessions. Breakout sessions, including tours and workshops, will take place after lunch. Between 8 and 12 breakouts will be offered. Participation in breakouts is expected to be for between 15 and 30 people.

      The Statewide Active Transportation Summit will return again in 2026 and is expected to attract a mix of road safety and bike/ped/ADA advocates, community leaders, educators, state agency representatives, and planning and transportation professionals. It is expected that attendees will be include people from small towns, midsized cities, and urban neighborhoods, as well as more suburban and rural townships.

 ABOUT THE THEME

      Slow Down in Town: Streets Are For Everyone offers an opportunity for sharing best practices and success stories related to the process of improving road safety and public health through infrastructure design, municipal policy, and cultural/educational programs. We strive to inspire and inform leaders to be bold and to implement critical changes in their communities. Our hope is that attendees apply what they learn from one another and bring back a gameplan to transform their communities. 

  We are looking primarily for 45 minute sessions but will also consider proposals for 60, 75, or 90 minute sessions a few of which could be incorporated into the schedule. In addition to proposals that bolster the 2026 theme, we welcome submissions that touch on a variety of topics. The following ideas are key areas of Active Transportation interest:   

• Walking
• Biking
• ADA Accessibility
• Transit
• Infrastructure Design
• Policy -- Zoning and Codes
• Education
• Funding Strategies
• Mode Shift
• Legislative Advocacy
• Adaptive Cycling
• Health
• Economic Development
• Connections to Housing, Land Use, Parking, etc.
• Mapping/Analysis
• Planning Process
• Partnerships
• Rural Options
• Suburban Solutions

Proposals must be submitted by 5:00pm on February 27, 2026 via Submittable (sign-in required).

The Townie Awards celebrate both the community and the work done by Main and Elm Street Managers across the Commonwealth. Please refer to these guidelines to see where your community projects fit within the Main Street approach and the Townie Guidelines. Categories include Organizational Excellence, Physical Improvements & Design, Asset Enhancement, Anchor Building, Safe Clean & Green, Volunteer of the Year and other prestigious awards. 

Two new categories have been added this year. The For-Profit Partner of the Year and the Community Innovative Award.

Please read through the guidelines and note the Lifetime Achievement Award must be first submitted to PDC's Executive Director, Julie Fitzpatrick. 

Deadline to submit is March 27, 2026 at midnight. Contact Conference Coordinator, Virginia Mauk at virginiamauk@padowntown.org with questions.