Opelousas Downtown Building Improvement Grant (BIG)
Opelousas Downtown Development District (with the City of Opelousas and Opelousas Main Street)
$500 to $10,000 (1:1 match, reimbursed)
Matching reimbursement grant of $500 to $10,000 for building improvements in downtown Opelousas, Louisiana. The 2026 round closed May 30.
A dollar-for-dollar matching reimbursement grant for business owners, tenants and commercial property owners inside the Opelousas Downtown Development District, Louisiana. Applicants may ask for $500 to $10,000 for tangible, permanent building work such as roof, masonry, windows, doors and exterior or interior restoration, and must spend at least the same amount. The 2026 round was the seventh, offered $100,000 in total, and closed May 30, 2026 after a deadline extension. Existing businesses get preference. The next round has not been announced.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Municipal
- Amount range
- $500 – $10,000
- Realistic amount
- $500 to $10,000, reimbursed after completion
- Deadline
- The 2026 round closed May 30, 2026. The district has run seven rounds; the next window has not been announced.
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- LA
Who qualifies
- Business owner or commercial property owner (or tenant with the owner's permission) of a commercial building in the Opelousas Downtown Development District
- Must currently own or lease the property when applying
- Dollar-for-dollar match required from the recipient
- Ad valorem tax assessments must be current
- ODDD members are not eligible
- One grant per applicant per fiscal year; one distribution per business address per year
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Restoration or renovation of the building
- Awnings without signage
- Brick cleaning and re-pointing
- Accent lighting
- Window restoration
- Door replacement
- Restoration of original architectural features
- Interior ceiling, electrical and plumbing work
- Roofs, cornices, gutters and downspouts
- Cleaning, preparation and painting of walls and trim
Ineligible expenses
- Labor by the applicant
- Billboards, advertising and signage
- Parking lots
- Temporary, portable or non-permanent improvements
- Property acquisition
- Improvements in progress or completed before approval
How to apply
-
1
Confirm the building is in the district
Check the ODDD map; buildings in the Main Street and Historic District get preference.
~30 min
-
2
Get contractor estimates and write the narrative
Itemised scope of work with signed, dated contractor estimates, plus a typed narrative answering the form's questions (project, need and impact, building history).
~6 hrs
-
3
Submit by the deadline
In person, by mail or by email to the district; sign the application (and owner signature if you lease).
~30 min
-
4
Do the work after your Letter of Commitment
Work started before the letter disqualifies the project. Pay, document and request reimbursement.
~40 hrs
The narrative is heavily weighted in scoring and an application without one is disqualified, so write all of it and attach signed contractor estimates for every line of the scope of work.
Deadline & timing
"Completed applications are due May 30, 2026." The deadline was extended from April 30, 2026 (guidelines still print April 30). Recipients were announced in May; all projects must be finished and invoiced by December 31, 2026. Mail must be postmarked by April 30, 2026 per the city page.
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Required documents
- Completed application form (project cost, category of work, building details)
- Scope of work with dollar amounts and signed, dated contractor estimates
- Typed narrative answering the form's questions
- Applicant signature page (plus building owner's signature if the applicant leases)
- After approval: Letter of Appropriateness if in the Historic District, permits and inspections, proof of payment, 3 to 5 photos of completed work
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