TOPEKA (KSNT) — A new round of funding totaling $1.5 million is going towards a grant program which aims to revitalize downtown buildings in small Kansas towns.

The Historic Economic Asset Lifeline (HEAL) program started back in 2021 and is offered by the Kansas Department of Commerce. The grants help fund renovation projects for old downtown buildings in rural Kansas, turning them into businesses such as restaurants, hotels, museums and more.

Now, the program is receiving a sixth round of funding and is currently accepting new applications.

“We’ve helped save 108 buildings now across the state of Kansas in towns as small as 15 people,” said Trisha Purdon with the KDC. “It helps revitalize these towns and gives the community hope that they can be the next growing community.”

We spoke with Matt Hoover, who received a HEAL grant back in 2022. He runs a brewery in Junction City called the Highwind Brewery. You wouldn’t know it, but the building he operates out of had sat completely abandoned for about 25 years.

“The previous owners didn’t care for the building, so we had lots of mold, mildew, the roof was open,” Hoover said.

After receiving a $100,000 HEAL grant, Hoover was able to open his business in 2024. What was once an eyesore in the middle of town is now a lively business.

There are hundreds of similar projects throughout the state in towns such as Bonner Springs, Winfield and Colby. The HEAL grant program has received a total of about $7 million dollars for these projects so far, and it’s estimated the grants have generated more than $37 million in private investment for Kansas communities.

“We want to welcome the ugliest buildings in Kansas to apply for this program,” Purdon said. “We welcome the dreamers, the ones who have a vision for this gorgeous building but don’t know where to start. We just really want to see those buildings be restored. The uglier, the better.”

To keep the program going, the Kansas Legislature puts $1.5 million dollars in state funding towards the HEAL grant program every year. You can learn more about the HEAL program by clicking here.

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SALINA, Kan. (KWCH) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly visited Salina Thursday night to kick off what she’s calling “The People’s Budget Tour,” which is designed to give Kansans input on the state budget ahead of the 2026 Legislative session.

After giving some remarks to the audience, Gov. Kelly took questions on a variety of topics, from tag office problems to funding the arts. Several people asked questions about funding for public education.

There were also questions about problems with tag offices in Salina. The issue of tag office problems is also a major topic of discussion in Sedgwick County with people waiting weeks to get their tags and plates renewed.

Kelly said this is an issue she’s heard from people in counties across the state.

“…We will be having conversations with our departments and others that are interested in this particular issue to understand what is causing the problem and what we can do to resolve it,” the governor said.

Thursday night in Salina was the first of eight locations Kelly plans to hit on her listening tour. The next stop is Oct. 29 in Hays.

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