Detroit Area Business Incentives

I am attaching a link to the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation's website that has information about financial incentives for Detroit area businesses who need to make capital improvements. 

http://www.degc.org/incentives.aspx

The range of incentives varies, depending on your location, the type of improvement you are making, and the type of business you are operating.  While there are certainly hoops to jump through, and demographics/geographics/scope of work requirements you have to meet, these incentives exist. 

As an example, the Smart Buildings program provides grant and loan dollars for certain new  windows, HVAC, certain plumbing, doors, and lighting where a 15% energy savings is anticipated to be gained (and can even benefit vacant buildings with no good track record of energy costs - through computerized benefits modeling).

The Creative Corridor incentive program is offering rent subsidies for "creative" tenants making interior improvements, and grant dollars for "creative" businesses making certain nonstructural interior improvements.

The Green Grocer program is funding grocery oriented initiatives in certain parts of the City.

Other important tax credits to know about include the "New Markets Credit"  (the big one Whole Foods is availing itself of in Detroit)  http://www.cdfifund.gov/what_we_do/programs_id.asp?programID=5 

And, the federal historic tax credit http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/tax/incentives/index.htm

I am not a tax credit or government funding expert, but I am attempting to learn about these credits and to spread the word about them, as I believe many people (myself included) are leaving tens of thousands of dollars on the table because accessing, understanding and navigating government financial assistance is intimidating.  Some of these programs may very well be scalable to help the average guy who is renovating a small building in the Detroit area - there are no dollar minimums (only maximums) that I saw in any of the programs I read about.

The best thing about these DEGC administered incentives is that the City of Detroit is NOT involved!  The programs are administered by the responsive and capable people at the Detroit Economic Growth Corp.