EDGERTON, Kan. – Making improvements to a home or business is often a costly endeavor, especially with higher inflation and rising labor costs. In 2023, ElevateEdgerton! awarded almost $10,000 in grants to homeowners and business owners in Edgerton through the EDGE grant program. EDGE Grants provide up to 50% reimbursement with a maximum of $500 for beautification projects on homes and businesses and up to $2,500 to small businesses that would like to expand or move to Edgerton.
This year’s awards spanned a wide range of projects, including assistance for a new daycare that plans to open in early 2024. The New City Church Early Learning Academy, located on Morgan Street in Edgerton, qualified for the Small Business Attraction and Retention Grant and used the funding to set up their new classrooms.
“We were able to use the funds to purchase matching furniture for the classroom, new clear buckets for display, and look at indoor large motor equipment for the classroom for those cold season months. This [grant] also helped for the additional updates to the exterior to include a camera in classroom and parent codes for entry,” said Brandy Peterson, Director of New City Church Early Learning Academy. “We are excited to open the classroom in 2024 to children ages 3-4! They will be provided with plenty of learning through play opportunities, social emotional development, and kindergarten readiness.”
Funding for the EDGE Grant program is provided entirely by private funds from ElevateEdgerton!, the lead economic development organization for the City of Edgerton.
“We believe that empowering small businesses is not just an investment in their success but a catalyst for economic growth for our whole community,” says James Oltman, President of ElevateEdgerton! “The EDGE Grant Program reflects our dedication to building a resilient and thriving business community here in Edgerton.”
Changes are coming to the EDGE grant program in 2024. The City of Edgerton plans to launch an expanded residential beautification grant program. Details of the new grant program have not been released yet.
“We’re very appreciative of what this program has done to help the community through partnerships between private individuals and businesses,” says Edgerton Mayor Donald Roberts. “We look forward to the future.”
ElevateEdgerton! will continue to offer the Small Business Attraction and Expansion Grant program, as well as a commercial beautification grant program. Applications for the 2024 EDGE Grant will open in the spring.
