We work in collaboration with thousands of local partners and grassroots leaders across the nation who share our commitment to advancing shared prosperity, creating resilient economies, and improving quality of life.
Made up of small towns, mid-sized communities, and urban commercial districts, the thousands of organizations, individuals, volunteers, and local leaders that make up Main Street America™ represent the broad diversity that makes this country so unique.
Looking for strategies and tools to support you in your work? Delve into the Main Street Resource Center and explore a wide range of resources including our extensive Knowledge Hub, professional development opportunities, field service offerings, advocacy support, and more!
Join us in our work to advance shared prosperity, create strong economies, and improve quality of life in downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
T‑Mobile Funds 250 Communities Nationwide with $11 Million in Hometown Grants
This week, T-Mobile announced its latest round of Hometown Grant recipients, reaching 250 communities across 43 states and more than $11 million in funding since they kicked off the five-year commitment in April 2021.
Through Hometown Grants, people in small towns nationwide are kickstarting projects that make a real difference and help their communities thrive. With $25 million set aside through 2026 to support Hometown Grants, T-Mobile is investing in the power of community-driven initiatives to ensure small towns can connect, innovate, and grow together.
"With 250 recipients, we've officially hit the halfway mark with T-Mobile’s Hometown Grants, and the impact is astounding,” said Jon Freier, President, Consumer Group, T-Mobile. "This milestone isn’t just about communities revitalizing their towns … it's acknowledging the ripple effect — job creation and tens of thousands of volunteer hours sparking a profound wave of positive change throughout small town America — and I can’t wait to see what the next half brings."
T-Mobile works with Main Street America and Smart Growth America to select Hometown Grant recipients. These two organizations have decades of experience helping to build stronger, more prosperous small towns and rural communities. Application assessments are based on level of detail and completeness, potential community impact, project viability, and other factors.
Check out the next 25 Hometown Grant recipients and their projects:
• *Talladega, Ala.: Build Unity Playground, the first ever inclusive and ADA accessible public park in the city, complete with wheelchair ramps, sensory and inclusive play components. • Coalinga, Calif.: Transform a vacant downtown lot into the Coalinga Splash Park, a first-of-its-kind outdoor recreational facility in the area. • Paradise, Calif.: Install a Students of the Ridge handprint tile mural at Paradise Community Park to celebrate the community’s growth in the five years since the 2018 Camp Fire. • Soledad, Calif.: Build an inclusive performing arts stage at the Soledad Community Center, including updated stage lighting and ADA accessible lift for community youth performances. • *Smyrna, Del.: Commission murals by renowned muralist Michael Rosato, at two key downtown locations, highlighting the community’s natural beauty and diverse history, as part of ongoing downtown revitalization efforts. • *Darien, Ga.: Beautify Darien’s downtown district by adding wayfinding signage, upgraded lighting and new benches to establish the area as a destination and gathering space. • Woodbine, Ga.: Enhance the Cornelia Jackson Memorial Park by adding new playground equipment to improve community health and wellness and overall quality of life. • Eldora, Iowa: Complete the Eldora Trail, a nearly one-mile paved connector trail, to provide an accessible, scenic and safe 10.3-mile trail loop connecting the City of Eldora, Steamboat Rock and Pine Lake State Park. • *Augusta, Kan.: Rebuild the Castle Park Playground, covering over 11,000 square feet, utilizing sustainable materials to provide a safe, accessible environment for children to enjoy. • Magee, Miss.: Revitalize one of Magee’s most vital hubs, the Community House, by repairing the roof, flooring and HVAC system. • Hannibal, Mo.: Revitalize the Bluff City Theatre Auditorium, including improvements to seating, a new lighting controls system, updated lighting instruments, and improved sound system, to ensure the theatre can continue to provide free professional performances for Northwest Missouri and Western Illinois communities for years to come. • Hillsborough, N.J.: Launch the Arts in the Parks program at Ann Van Middlesworth Park, creating 15 sidewalk art panels with the collaboration of the community. • Las Vegas, N.M.: Install three decorative gateway entrances to Gallinas River Park, as a part of the City of Las Vegas’ downtown beautification project – which will serve as a welcoming destination point for visitors and iconic park landmark. • Chillicothe, Ohio: Install a wayfinding kiosk in the heart of Historic Downtown Chillicothe to promote local businesses, community events and increase local and visitor foot traffic. • *El Reno, Okla.: Renovate the Historic Fort Reno Visitor Center and Museum by replacing outdated windows to ensure it continues being enjoyed by frequent Route 66 travelers. • Kansas, Okla.: Restore Kansas Park, including ADA accessible upgrades to the children’s playgrounds, basketball courts and new trash receptacles to provide the community with a safe and fully functioning space for outdoor gatherings. • *Poteau, Okla.: Build the new Downtown Dewey District, beginning with the Pocket Park, to be used as a multipurpose event outdoor area. • *Baker City, Ore.: Install the Baker City Splash Pad at Central Park, providing an accessible outdoor recreational space for the community. • *Lebanon, Ore.: Revamp the existing Lebanon Chamber of Commerce building with the addition of an outdoor covered patio, to use as a networking space for the local business community. • York, Pa.: Begin the process of upgrading the York Area United Fire and Rescue Department’s existing fleet of staff response vehicles with hybrid-vehicle technology, providing improved fuel and cost efficiency while the department continues to provide community outreach services to three communities across 39 square miles. • *Kingstree, S.C.: Renovate the historic C. Williams Rush Museum of African American Arts and Culture building, by replacing the roof to continue to host future events for the community. • Rice, Texas: Install a new HVAC system as a part of the Rice Community Gym Project, providing a climate-controlled safe space to serve local and surrounding communities during emergency situations, as well as provide indoor recreational, educational, civic and entertainment activities for its citizens. • Bristol, Va.: Create the Bristol Mobile Minds Library, a mobile program aimed to bring library resources, including technology, makerspace workshops, and digital and print books on wheels to serve both Bristol communities in Virginia and Tennessee. • Smithfield, Va.: Restore the Station Bridge at Windsor Castle Park, improving the bridge’s structure and safety for daily park goers and tourists. • *Pullman, Wash.: Activate the heart of Main Street through new street furnishings and placemaking to create an inclusive, accessible, welcoming, people-centric atmosphere in the historic downtown.
T-Mobile partners with Main Street America and Smart Growth America to select Hometown Grant recipients and applications are judged by their level of detail, community impact, feasibility and other considerations. Each quarter, T-Mobile awards 25 Hometown Grants to small towns with populations of 50,000 or less. To apply for a Hometown Grant, click here.
Urban Impact Inc., harnesses strategic investments and collaborative efforts to foster a vibrant and sustainable future, from visionary adaptive reuse ventures to transformative development grants for small businesses and property owners in Birmingham, Alabama's historic 4th Avenue Black Business District.
Online registration and the regular rate are available through Friday, April 26. Download the conference mobile app, sign-up for the attendee webinar, grab some Shop Main Street merch, get recommendations, and more!
With just a little over a month to go until we convene in Birmingham, Alabama, for the 2024 Main Street Now Conference from May 6-8, we are excited to announce that the full schedule is available online and the mobile app is ready for download.
From budgets and staffing to programming priorities and the myriad of backgrounds that bring people to Main Street, the insights and key findings from this year's trends survey provide a snapshot of the state of the Main Street Movement.
REV Birmingham and Woodlawn United share how they work to reenergize spaces and places in Birmingham, Alabama, through civic infrastructure projects in the city’s historic commercial corridors.
With a specially priced registration rate of $199, tailored education track, free lunch & learn session, and abundant networking opportunities, Main Street Now 2024 is made for civic leaders passionate about community preservation and economic development in historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial corridors.
Opportunities to experience time-tested Main Street Approach techniques and creative solutions in action abound in Birmingham with these great excursions.
Starting in early 2024, we will engage in an intensive program assessment of MSAI. We look forward to bringing an enhanced Main Street professional development experience to the network later in the year.
Founded in 2003 and currently housed within the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Michigan Main Street (MMS) recently celebrated 20 years of impact across 41 communities.
This three-week live, online course will prepare local leaders to more effectively work with small business owners in their districts and create an environment that is supportive of entrepreneurship.
We are excited to share a recent collaboration with Spark! Places of Innovation, a traveling exhibition curated by the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program.
We are excited to welcome Jenice Contreras to the Main Street America Board of Directors. Jenice has a long record of leadership across community and economic development with deep experience with equitable growth, small-scale development, and cultural preservation.
Join Main Street America experts in Vancouver, Wash., to gain first-hand experience in harnessing transformation strategies to successfully revitalize your Main Street!
We are excited to announce that 862 Main Street programs across the country have earned Accredited status, Main Street America’s top level of recognition.
The MSARP credential is the highest level of achievement offered through the Main Street America Institute, requiring dedication to completing a rigorous curriculum of online courses, readings, assignments, workshops, and a challenging final exam.
Over the course of three days, nearly 1900 Main Streeters from near and far gathered for dynamic educational sessions, immersive mobile workshops, and network-building activities.
Check out our new shop featuring clothing and apparel, accessories, home and office goods, and kids’ and baby items inspired by the Main Street Movement.
Main Street America is proud to recognize John Bry, Program Coordinator at Main Street Oakland County (MSOC) in Michigan, as the 2023 Mary Means Leadership Award recipient.
We’re excited to announce a new suite of resources designed for Main Street! The Main Street Foundations Series provides an overview of each Point through four comprehensive introductory videos, one-page guides, materials from our resource center, and more.
From the ongoing pivots needed to meet changing community needs to the timeless power of place, these are the most popular blog posts we published this year.
At the Opening Plenary at the Main Street Now Conference in Richmond, Virginia, Patrice Frey shared lessons and reflections from her past nine years at Main Street.
Leverage NC, a partnership between North Carolina Main Street and the North Carolina League of Municipalities, hosted a four-part webinar series titled Better Community Planning & Economic Development led by Ed McMahon, Chair Emeritus of Main Street America and a leading national authority on land use policy and economic development.
A series of small, incremental improvements, when taken together, provide momentum for long-term economic transformation and improved quality of life in a community.
The National Main Street Center, Inc. announced the 2017 Great American Main Street Award (GAMSA) during its annual conference in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The National Main Street Center and the Brookings Institution have jointly authored a response to Mr. Hyman’s piece, The Reality of Main Street, that is featured on Brookings’ blog.
Michigan Main Street Center was the first Coordinating Program to implement the new Main Street approach on a large scale. In this article, they share their robust process and valuable lessons.
Fritz the dog has made his way into the hearts of the residents of LaBelle, Florida, and helped our Main Street Community find a way to make what we do more noticeable.
Back in October 2015, we introduced the three key components of the refreshed Main Street Approach: inputs, outputs and Community Transformation Strategies.
For a lucky few downtowns, greatness may happen effortlessly with a strong sense of place that seems to develop organically and simply sustain itself. For most places, success doesn’t happen by chance.
While there have been over $1.2 billion in public and private investment in Wisconsin Main Street communities over the past 27 years, what really makes it special are the people and places that have been involved.
Although a “beach town,” Rehoboth Beach is open 365 days a year, and with that has the unique challenge of catering to both year-round residents and tourists within a wide range of ages, interests and economic levels
In communities across the country, hardworking business owners and buy local advocates come together to foster an organized effort to reinvent and revitalize Main Streets and downtown districts.
The National Main Street Center is pleased to announce that Cape Girardeau, Mo., Montclair Center, N.J., and Rawlins, Wyo. were selected as the 2015 Great American Main Street Award® (GAMSA) winners.