Guymon Offers Business Improvement Grant Reimbursing Up to $5,000 for Businesses

Guymon’s Business Improvement Grant, created in 2022, reimburses local for-profit businesses for up to 50% of eligible exterior, structural, signage, landscaping and compliance-related improvement costs, with a maximum award of $5,000. Since the program began, more than $52,000 in grants have been approved across 12 businesses, leveraging over $157,000 in total community improvements.

The program targets visible, safety and code-related upgrades that can make storefronts more inviting and help businesses meet regulatory requirements. Examples of projects supported include fresh coats of paint, new signage, safer and more compliant structures, and other storefront enhancements that officials say are actively shaping the look and feel of Guymon’s business corridors.

Economic Development Director Sheila Martin, who serves as the point of contact for the grant, said, "The Business Improvement Grant was designed to empower our local businesses with the tools they need to grow, reinvest, and improve our downtown landscape. It’s incredibly rewarding to see it working just as intended - and even more exciting to see the creative transformations our business owners are bringing to life." Martin has led promotion efforts to make the program accessible to every eligible business in Guymon.

For small business owners the financial structure is straightforward: applicants pay project costs up front and receive reimbursement for up to half of eligible expenses, capped at $5,000 per award. The program’s cumulative numbers show modest direct fiscal outlays by the city have produced larger private-sector investment in building upgrades, suggesting a multiplying effect on downtown appearance and compliance.

City officials frame the grant as one element of a broader economic push in Guymon and Texas County. Separately, federal Economic Development Administration funding includes a $1,000,000 Public Works award matched by $2,552,700 in local investment to fund construction improvements to the city’s wastewater system. That EDA-supported project is intended to support the industrial park, retain existing businesses, enable expansion, and is estimated by the grantee to help create 60 jobs and leverage $100,000,000 in private investment. Those infrastructure investments operate alongside local programs like the Business Improvement Grant but are administered independently.

What this means for residents is a cleaner, safer downtown and potential long-term gains in property and business activity as façade and compliance work draws customers and supports retention. Businesses interested in applying or learning more should contact Economic Development Director Sheila Martin at the City of Guymon for application details and guidance on eligible projects.