Great Streets small business grants competition opens September 20th

Release Date:  September 6, 2019
RFA Release Date: September 20, 2019
Submission Deadline: October 24, 2019 

All applications must be submitted electronically. Hand delivered or mailed applications will not be accepted. Adherence to the deadline is essential. Incomplete applications or those submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) welcomes submissions from eligible small businesses seeking to improve their place of business through this capital improvement grant program. 

Purpose: 
The purpose of the Great Streets Initiative is to transform certain designated emerging commercial corridors into thriving, walkable, shoppable and inviting neighborhood experiences. The Great Streets Initiative does this by supporting existing businesses, attracting new businesses, increasing the District’s tax base, and creating new job opportunities for District residents.

Background Information: 
The Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) invites the submission of applications for Great Streets Retail Small Business Grants. Pursuant to the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Limited Grant-Making Authority Amendment Act 2016, effective October 8, 2016 (D.C. Law 21-160; D.C. Official Code § 1-328.04); and from the Economic Development Special Account pursuant to D.C. Official Code §2-1225.21.

Award: 
DMPED will award up $3,000,000.00 total in grants. Maximum request per application is $50,000.00.

Eligible businesses: 
A new or existing small business owner whose business location is either within, and/or plans to move to a Great Street Corridor are eligible (see map at: http://ht.ly/m90F30cM0bz ).

Ineligible businesses:
Adult Entertainment, Auto Body Shops, Financial Institutions, Construction/General Contracting, Home-Based Businesses, Non-Profit Child Development Centers, Hotels, Phone Stores, and Real Estate Development/Property Management Realtor.

Great Street Corridors (Retail Priority Areas): Grants are offered to small businesses located in the following Great Street Corridors:

  • 7th Street NW

  • 14th & U Streets NW (including Adams Morgan and Columbia Heights)

  • Connecticut Avenue NW

  • Georgia Ave NW

  • H Street/Bladensburg Road NE

  • Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue/South Capitol Street SE/SW

  • Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road NE

  • Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue NE

  • New York Avenue SE

  • North Capitol Street NW/NE

  • Pennsylvania Avenue SE

  • Rhode Island Avenue NE

  • Wisconsin Avenue NW

Prospective applicants can verify their location eligibility via the interactive mapping tool found here.

Grant Information Sessions:
DMPED will host multiple information and live web chat sessions on the Great Streets Corridors. Once confirmed, details about the information sessions will be posted on the Great Streets website at www.greatstreets.dc.gov.

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