Three downtown buildings will get some much-needed maintenance thanks to grants issued by the Downtown Development Investment Fund.

In total, five grants were issued for projects at 5 Cleveland Ave., 31 S. Main St. and 26-1/2 N. Main St.

The DDIF was approved in August after $325,000 was pooled for the grant program. Funds were provided by The Beer Cheese Festival, City of Winchester, Clark County Community Foundation, Clark County Fiscal Court, Main Street Winchester, Winchester-Clark County Industrial Authority and an anonymous donor.

Main Street Winchester Executive Director Rachel Alexander said the grant program is fully-funded for three years, at which time the committee, which is comprised of representatives from each of the funding bodies, will review if the program needs to continue.

The DDIF was a recommendation made in the Downtown Winchester Development Master Plan as a method to “facilitate building maintenance, decrease  vacancy rates and increase private investment within the downtown district,” according to the DDIF website.

There are four types of grants available through DDIF: facade, upper story residential, roof stabilization and new business.

The Cleveland Avenue property, owned by DAM Holdings, was awarded grants for facade repairs, which includes replacing 10 front-face windows; roof stabilization and work to renovate the second floor for residential properties.

The building at 31 S. Main St. was awarded a grant for roof stabilization, and the property at 26-1/2 N. Main St. was awarded a grant for upper-story residential renovations. Both properties are owned by Lara and Chris Thornbury.

Alexander said the DDIF program will incentivize people to make investments in downtown.

“One of the things we identified through the master plan was that we have a beautiful, historic downtown,” Alexander said. “It’s more intact than most downtowns in the state, which really sets us apart. But not all our buildings are in great shape. When investors are looking at downtown and buying property, they are often unable to make the numbers work with the state of the properties. They need some help with funding that gap. The DDIF makes it possible for them to bring their investment to downtown and for it to be profitable for them to do that.

“And because downtown is a community asset, we felt it was really important for us to provide this opportunity for people to invest in our community.”

For more information about the grant program, visit downtownwinchesterky.org/ddifgrants.