DC Great Streets Retail Grant Program

Funder: District of Columbia: Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development

The DC Great Streets Retail Grant Program aims to enhance commercial corridors by supporting projects that promote sustainability, create jobs, and improve essential services. Designed for brick-and-mortar businesses and select non-profits, the program offers up to $85,000 in funding, including a $20,000 innovation top-up for creative business expansions. This initiative encourages local businesses to innovate and adapt, ensuring vital retail areas thrive in the community.

Purpose:
The Program takes a forward-thinking approach, emphasizing retention and innovation within commercially underserved corridors. It supports projects that foster the long-term sustainability of essential goods and services in these vital retail areas.
Objectives of the Program are to fund businesses that are proposing the following:
Increasing full-time positions.Providing an essential amenity (necessary goods or service) to an emerging neighborhood.Attracting and retaining customers through expanded products and services.Supporting business expansion and retention through capital improvements.
The Program is for businesses in permanent, street-facing, brick-and-mortar locations and select non-profits. The Program encourages existing and new neighborhood-based retail-oriented businesses that seek access to capital to improve their place of business and reimagine their service approach by expanding services and making capital improvements.
The standard maximum request for this grant is $65,000. The applicant has the option of submitting an additional request of $20,000 under the “innovation top-up”. This additional pool of funds is for projects proposing a creative expansion of their business to include a new theme or experiential retail component that represents a new approach to the services or products offered. The maximum request per application is $85,000.