As of Thursday, Oct. 8, the Lake Worth Beach Community Redevelopment Agency is accepting commercial grant applications, with interior and facade grants of up to $55,000 each. The window opened Oct. 1, 2026, and runs through May 28, 2027. For owners and landlords inside the CRA district that is a long runway, but the money is matched, reimbursed after the work is done, and subject to staff review and Board approval.
This guide covers what the CRA’s commercial grants page publishes about its four programs, who may apply for each, how reimbursement works and how to ask for an application. It also states plainly what the page does not publish. Every figure below comes from the CRA site and a linked workshop presentation dated Jan. 18, 2024, all read again on Oct. 8, 2026. Where the older presentation and the 2026 page disagree, the page controls.
The Window and the Match
The CRA’s banner is direct: “THE CRA IS ACCEPTING GRANT APPLICATIONS,” it reads, for a window that runs from Oct. 1, 2026 to May 28, 2027. That is the controlling clock. Nothing on the page says applications are filed online, and nothing lists a cutoff inside that span.
Match rules sit next to the dollar caps. Interior and facade grants require a 50 percent match from the applicant, and signage requires at least a 50 percent match. The page does not publish a match rule for the public infrastructure grant. Three of the four programs use the same payment language: money is “reimbursed after an approved project is completed.” Signage is different, because funds are “directly reimbursed to the applicant’s chosen signage company at the completion of the project.”
Four Programs Side by Side
| Program | Ceiling | Match | Who the page names | How money is paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interior Improvement | Up to $55,000 | 50% | Property owners in the CRA District | Reimbursed after an approved project is completed |
| Commercial Facade | Up to $55,000 | 50% | Commercial property owners; new or existing structures | Reimbursed after an approved project is completed |
| Commercial Signage | Up to $5,000 | At least 50% | Property and business owners | Paid to the chosen signage company at completion |
| Public Infrastructure | Up to $250,000 | Not published | Property owners and developers; projects over $10,000,000 | Reimbursed after an approved project is completed |
Interior Improvement is framed for “significant and permanent interior improvements” meant to attract or retain businesses. Commercial Facade is framed as curb appeal for exterior work. Signage is a forgivable grant for “new, professionally designed, and installed permanent signage.” Public Infrastructure is limited to new large-scale commercial or mixed-use projects inside the district whose project value exceeds $10,000,000.
The Cash-Flow Math Before You Apply
Because three of the programs pay only after an approved project is finished, an owner should plan to carry the full cost of the work until the reimbursement arrives. That is the practical difference between a matched reimbursement grant and a check up front. Line up the cash, or the financing, for the whole job before you sign a contractor.
The page does not spell out how the 50 percent match is calculated. If it works as an even split of eligible costs, reaching the full $55,000 interior or facade ceiling would take a project of roughly $110,000, with the owner covering the other half. A $20,000 storefront refresh would, on the same reading, point to a grant of about $10,000. Treat those numbers as a planning sketch and ask the CRA how it computes the match before you budget around them.
Who Can Apply, and What the Page Does Not Say
Geography comes first. The grants page says the programs assist commercial property owners “within the CRA District.” The CRA’s Boundary Map page asks, “Is your property located within the Lake Worth CRA District?” and offers a map download plus links to the city’s GIS and planning maps. Confirm the folio before you spend a night on paperwork.
Ownership language differs by program. Interior and facade name property owners, signage names property and business owners, and public infrastructure names property owners and developers. The page does not publish a lease-length rule, a tenant path for interior or facade work, or a list of barred business types. Do not assume those filters exist or do not exist; ask the CRA.
Approval Before the Check, Not After the Work Alone
The page places staff and the Board between an idea and a payment. Eligible interior improvements “are based on the CRA’s Staff recommendations and direction from the CRA Board of Commissioners.” Signage requests “are reviewed by CRA Staff with recommendations and final approval from the CRA Board of Commissioners.” Public infrastructure and facade follow the same reimbursed-after-approved-project pattern.
That order matters for cash flow. You are planning a matched project that must win approval, then be finished, then be reimbursed. The page does not publish a scoring rubric, a decision calendar or a promise that every complete file is funded.
The workshop presentation linked from the page, dated Jan. 18, 2024, said funding would only cover work that had not yet begun, and that projects already in process or finished were not eligible. Those lines are useful context, but the presentation’s dollar caps and windows are older than the 2026 page. Confirm the current start-work rule when you request an application.
How to Get an Application
Applications are not posted as downloadable files on the grants page. The page says to request a copy by phone at 561-493-2550, by email, or through the interest form on the page. The form asks for your name, email, phone, the address of the proposed or existing business, whether you own the property and which program you are asking about.
The CRA offices are at 1121 Lucerne Avenue, Lake Worth Beach, FL 33460, inside the HATCH 1121 building. The general line is the same 561-493-2550, and the CRA’s general inbox is info@lakeworthcra.org. The grants page also links a video overview of the commercial grant programs and the Jan. 18, 2024 workshop presentation.
What the 2024 Workshop Presentation Adds
Treat the Jan. 18, 2024 presentation as background, not as the 2026 rulebook. Its facade and interior ceilings were $50,000, and its public infrastructure threshold was $3,000,000 with a $200,000 ceiling. The 2026 page raised interior and facade to $55,000 and set public infrastructure at $250,000 for projects over $10,000,000.
Still, it is the only detailed process document the page links. It said applicants should expect staff review, Board approval, at least a 50 percent owner match, two contractor quotes, a budget, plans or renderings, current photos, proof of ownership and city zoning approval. It said grant funds were paid after work was completed, permits and liens were satisfied and contractors were paid. It also said the programs were competitive and that submitting an application did not guarantee funding.
If any of that still applies in the 2026 cycle, the CRA will say so when it sends the current application. Until then, do not treat the 2024 document list or lien language as confirmed for this window.
Brownfields as a Sidebar
Below the four commercial grants, the page notes a Brownfields Assessment Grant and Revolving Loan Fund Program run with the Palm Beach County Department of Housing and Economic Development and the U.S. EPA. It offers environmental site assessments and reuse planning “at no charge” through the county’s environmental consultant. That is not one of the four CRA match grants. Call the CRA office if a contaminated or idle site is part of your plan.
How This Compares With Other Palm Beach County Programs
Neighboring cities run their own programs, and their caps and district lines do not carry over to a Lake Worth Beach property. For West Palm Beach, see our West Palm Beach CRA and DDA incentives guide. For Delray Beach, see our Delray Beach CRA funding guide. Boynton Beach’s small business grants open Oct. 15 on a separate city timeline, covered in our Boynton Beach small business grants guide. The wider index lives in the SoFla Business Grants and Incentives Guide.
What Is Not Published
| Question | What the CRA publishes |
|---|---|
| Is the window open as of Thursday, Oct. 8? | Yes. Oct. 1, 2026 through May 28, 2027. |
| Are application files posted online? | No. Call, email or use the interest form. |
| How is the 50 percent match calculated? | Not spelled out on the page. |
| Is there a lease-length or tenant rule for interior and facade? | Not published. |
| What expenses are eligible or ineligible? | Not listed on the 2026 page. |
| How are applications scored? | Not published. |
| How many awards were made last cycle? | Not published. |
| Does public infrastructure require a match? | Not published. |
| When does the Board hear grant items? | Not published on the grants page. |
Your Checklist for This Week
Confirm the property sits inside the CRA district on the Boundary Map page or the city’s GIS maps. Decide which of the four programs fits the work you actually plan to do, and whether you are applying as a property owner, a business owner (signage) or a developer (public infrastructure). Call 561-493-2550 or use the interest form for the current application, and ask how the match is calculated and whether work may begin only after a grant agreement is signed.
Then read the application before you hire a contractor. The 2026 page’s reimbursement and Board-approval language is enough reason not to start a matched build-out on hope alone. Keep your own copy of every quote, plan and photo you send.
Key Facts for Owners and Search
Is the Lake Worth Beach CRA accepting commercial grant applications right now?
Yes. As of Oct. 8, 2026, the CRA’s commercial grants page says it is accepting applications from Oct. 1, 2026 through May 28, 2027. Applications are requested by calling 561-493-2550, by email or through the interest form on the page. No online application portal is published, so ask the CRA how to submit the completed file.
How much can interior and facade grants pay?
Property owners inside the CRA District may qualify for up to $55,000 under the Interior Improvement Grant and up to $55,000 under the Commercial Facade Grant. Each requires a 50 percent match from the applicant, and both are reimbursed after an approved project is completed. Facade funds may be used for new or existing commercial structures and businesses.
What does the signage grant cover, and who may apply?
The Commercial Signage Grant offers up to $5,000 for new, professionally designed and installed permanent exterior signage. Property owners and business owners inside the CRA district may apply. The grant requires at least a 50 percent match and is described as forgivable. Funds are paid directly to the applicant’s chosen signage company when the project is completed.
What is the Public Infrastructure Grant?
It is intended for new large-scale commercial or mixed-use developments inside the CRA District whose project value exceeds $10,000,000. Applicants may qualify for up to $250,000, reimbursed after an approved project is completed. The page names property owners and developers as applicants. It does not publish a match percentage for this program, so ask the CRA before budgeting.
What should owners confirm before starting work?
Confirm the folio is inside the CRA district, request the current application and ask staff whether work may begin only after Board approval and a grant agreement. Ask how the match is calculated, since grants are reimbursed after completion. The page does not publish a scoring rubric, a document checklist or a lease-length rule for tenants.
Sources
These pages were opened on Oct. 8, 2026.
- Lake Worth Beach CRA, Commercial Grant Applications
- Lake Worth Beach CRA, Boundary Map
- Lake Worth Beach CRA, General Contact
- Lake Worth Beach CRA, Commercial Grant Workshop Presentation, Jan. 18, 2024 (PDF)
- City of Lake Worth Beach GIS Maps
Brian D’Antoni writes The Sundaze Gazette from Palm Beach County. He reports on business, film and technology for South Florida owners.
