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Incentives

Downtown Eatonton is a great place to do business!

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LOCAL INCENTIVES

  • Façade Grants: Are you making some improvements to the exterior of your building? Eatonton Main Street offers up to a 50% match on improvements to your building façade! Click here for more information.

  • Weekly emails on Mondays with “Merchant Only” information.

  • Access to the closed Facebook group only for downtown business owners.

  • Business listing on www.DowntownEatonton.com.

  • Business advertisement on the Downtown Eatonton social media.

  • Business advertisement in the Public’s weekly newsletter.

  • Ability to take part in the Arts & Entertainment District, if your business is located within the Arts & Entertainment District.

  • Free booth space at any of the Eatonton Main Street events, except for the Scarecrow Contest & Showcase.

 

STATE INCENTIVES

  • Rural Zone Tax Credits: The Rural Zone program targets rural downtown areas that have been adversely impacted by local economic conditions by creating Rural Zones and offering economic development incentives.  Click here for more information.

  • Downtown Development Revolving Loan Fund: The purpose of the Downtown Development Revolving Loan Fund (DD RLF) is to assist cities, counties and development authorities in their efforts to revitalize and enhance downtown areas by providing below-market rate financing to fund capital projects in core historic downtown areas and adjacent historic neighborhoods where DD RLF will spur commercial redevelopment.  Click here for more information.

  • Georgia Heritage Grant Program: Offers matching funds on a statewide competitive basis to local governments and nonprofit organizations (except for churches and other religious organizations) for the preservation of Georgia Register and National Register-eligible historic properties. The program provides matching grants for development and predevelopment projects. Program funding is provided by historic preservation license plate fees.  

  • State Historic Preservation Tax Incentives:  The Georgia State Income Tax Credit Program for Rehabilitated Historic Property allows eligible participants to apply for a state income tax credit equaling 25% of qualifying rehabilitation expenses capped at $100,000 for personal, residential properties, and $300,000 for income-producing properties. The credit is a dollar for dollar reduction in taxes owed to the State of Georgia and is meant to serve as an incentive to those who own historic properties and wish to complete a rehabilitation.  The Georgia Preferential Property Tax Assessment Program for Rehabilitated Historic Property allows eligible participants to apply for an 8-year property tax assessment freeze. This incentive program is designed to encourage rehabilitation of both residential and commercial historic buildings by freezing property tax assessments for eight and one-half years. Click here for more information.

  • Georgia Cities Foundation: The Georgia Cities Foundation, established in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) organization, is a non-profit subsidiary of the Georgia Municipal Association. The mission of the Foundation is to assist cities in their efforts to revitalize and enhance downtown areas by serving as a partner and facilitator in funding capital projects through a revolving loan fund.   For information on the Revolving Loan Fund, click here.  For information the Green Communities Fund, click here.

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FEDERAL INCENTIVES

  • Federal New Markets Tax Credit:  This tax credit is available to investors in Community Development Entities (CDEs) for qualifying investment the CDEs make in those businesses that are located in low-income communities. Click here for more information.

  • Rural Business Development Grant: The Rural Business Development Grant is a competitive grant designed to support targeted technical assistance, training and other activities leading to the development or expansion of small and emerging private businesses in rural areas that have fewer than 50 employees and less than $1 million in gross revenues. Programmatic activities are separated into enterprise or opportunity type grant activities. For information on the Rural Business Development Grant, click here.

  • Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives: Available for costs incurred when rehabilitating historic buildings for income-producing uses.  Click here for more information.

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More Incentives Available

In addition to the above incentives, the Putnam Development Authority (PDA) and the Eatonton-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce may have information on county and state level incentives.

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