April 07, 2025 - Philadelphia, PA
Governor Josh Shapiro announced that his Administration is investing in 81 community projects across Pennsylvania through the Main Street Matters program, fulfilling a key promise he made to help revitalize downtowns, support small businesses, and strengthen local economies. This historic investment in Pennsylvania's Main Streets follows Governor Shapiro's work to create the new Main Street Matters initiative and secure $20 million for it in the 2024-25 bipartisan budget. Governor Shapiro made the announcement at the 2025 National Main Street Now Conference in Philadelphia, a national gathering that brings together 1,500 community and neighborhood development professionals, local leaders and volunteers from across the country to share best practices for revitalizing main streets. Main Street Matters, administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), received more than 200 applications requesting over $43 million underscoring the demand for strategic investments in Main Streets across Pennsylvania. The Governor's 2025-26 budget proposal includes another $20 million for this successful initiative. "Every community in our Commonwealth rural, urban, or suburban has a Main Street, and I've seen firsthand how critical they are to local economies." said Governor Shapiro. "Our Main Streets are the beating hearts of our communities and the economic strength of our towns and cities is directly tied to the success of small businesses and our Main Streets. That's why my Administration has made investing in our Main Streets a priority, and today we're delivering a historic amount of support for dozens of projects across the Commonwealth. Every Main Street matters and I'll continue bringing people together to invest in and improve our communities." List of Speakers:DCED Rick Secretary SigerGovernor Josh Shapiro
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