Kansas has opened a $1.5 million grant round for converting vacant or underused downtown buildings into businesses, housing and community facilities, with applications due Nov. 20 and awards expected in January.
The seventh round of the Historic Economic Asset Lifeline program, known as HEAL, began accepting applications Sept. 21. The Kansas Department of Commerce announced the new funding Wednesday, saying $750,000 may be directed to communities of at least 50,000 people when the proposed downtown property is in a distressed census tract. The balance is intended to keep serving smaller communities, and the program says the pool will be split evenly between urban and rural projects unless one side lacks enough qualifying applications.
Applicants must supply a dollar-for-dollar match from the building owner and show that the property can become an economic driver with a tenant in place when the project is complete. The state’s HEAL 7.0 guidance sets maximum awards of $100,000 for full building rehabilitation and $40,000 for façade work. Only one project may receive an award in each city.
The grants can pay for physical construction such as masonry, roofs, windows, electrical systems, plumbing, heating and cooling, fire suppression and accessibility work. They cannot pay for property acquisition, leases or professional design and engineering fees. Applicants must submit preliminary drawings, contractor bids, a simple business plan and proof of the private match. Businesses may apply with a local organization serving as fiscal agent.
The program also sets a long execution timetable with fixed checkpoints. Construction must begin by July 1, 2027, reach completion by July 1, 2029, and have a tenant in place by Dec. 31, 2029. Projects on historic registers or in historic districts must follow preservation standards and secure the required state review. The National Park Service’s rehabilitation standards, which Kansas recommends, emphasize retaining a property’s historic character while allowing compatible new uses.
HEAL’s recent awards show the range of projects the state considers. In May, Commerce awarded more than $1.3 million to 15 rural projects, including grocery stores, apartments, restaurants, office space and community venues. Those grants were paired with nearly $3.9 million in local contributions, for about $5.2 million in combined investment. A 2025 award round put more than $1.5 million into 19 projects backed by more than $6.4 million locally.
Commerce says the program has awarded $8.2 million to more than 120 projects since 2021 and leveraged $45 million in local matching funds. Those totals describe committed investment, not a guarantee that every project will deliver its planned tenant or economic return. The milestone payments, quarterly documentation and site visits built into HEAL 7.0 are intended to make progress verifiable.
Communities that received a HEAL award in 2025 are not eligible in this round. For other prospective applicants, the immediate deadline is 5 p.m. Nov. 20; Commerce plans site visits in December before announcing awards in January 2027.
