Champaign City Council Launches Downtown Refresh Grant Program

New initiative aims to revitalize downtown by incentivizing storefront renovations and new business openings.

Apr. 15, 2026 at 1:19am

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A highly polished, geometric sculpture made of brushed aluminum and glass, arranged elegantly on a clean, monochromatic background, conceptually representing urban renewal and economic revitalization.A sleek, modern sculpture symbolizes Champaign's efforts to revitalize its downtown through strategic investment and redevelopment.Champaign Today

The Champaign City Council has approved a new $500,000 grant program called 'Downtown Refresh' to help attract more people and businesses to the city's downtown area. The program will provide reimbursements of up to 75% of renovation costs for new businesses leasing vacant storefronts, and up to 50% for existing downtown businesses making exterior upgrades. The goal is to fill empty spaces, improve the look and feel of downtown, and ultimately drive more foot traffic to the area.

Why it matters

Champaign's downtown has faced challenges in recent years, with rising construction costs and declining food and beverage sales. The new Downtown Refresh program is an effort to revitalize the area by making it more visually appealing and welcoming to both new and existing businesses.

The details

The Downtown Refresh program will provide reimbursement grants to businesses for storefront renovations. For new businesses leasing vacant spaces, the city will cover 75% of renovation costs up to $50,000. For existing downtown businesses, the city will cover 50% of renovation costs for projects over $10,000, as long as half the money is spent on exterior improvements. The program will be funded through a 2025 food and beverage tax allocation and will have a competitive application process, as the city only has $500,000 to allocate.

  • The city plans to begin accepting grant applications for the Downtown Refresh program from May 5 to June 19, 2026.
  • The program will use a 2025 food and beverage tax allocation from the city.

The players

Dan Saphiere

Associate City Planner for Champaign, who presented the Downtown Refresh program to the City Council.

Paul Higgins

Co-owner of the Esquire Lounge, a downtown Champaign business who expressed support for the new grant program.

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What they’re saying

“Part of feeling safe is filling in more storefronts.”

— Dan Saphiere, Associate City Planner

“As a business you never want to leave money on the table. From our vantage point, it's always about kind of just making the pie bigger. The more people we can get downtown, whether they want to go to a nice fancy restaurant, whether they want to go to the Virginia [Theatre] or make some candles over at Fire Doll.”

— Paul Higgins, Co-owner, Esquire Lounge

What’s next

The city plans to begin accepting grant applications for the Downtown Refresh program from May 5 to June 19, 2026.

The takeaway

Champaign's new Downtown Refresh grant program represents a proactive effort by the city to revitalize its downtown core by providing financial incentives for businesses to invest in storefront renovations and fill vacant spaces. This initiative aims to make the downtown area more visually appealing and welcoming, ultimately drawing more foot traffic and economic activity to the heart of the city.