DC Great Streets Retail Small Business Grant
DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED)
Up to $90,000 (FY26)
Researched for this program: 5 rejection traps · 5 required documentsWhat decides this award ↓
DC corridor storefront grant
An annual, competitive reimbursement grant from the District of Columbia to help small businesses along 13 designated 'Great Streets' commercial corridors make capital improvements to their storefronts and premises. The program supports for-profit retail and service-oriented businesses and nonprofit arts and humanities organizations physically located in a Great Streets corridor, with the goal of turning emerging corridors into thriving, walkable neighborhood centers. In FY26, DMPED planned to award roughly $2 million through the program with individual awards up to $90,000. Applicants verify their address falls within a corridor using DMPED's interactive mapping tool.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- Municipal
- Amount range
- Up to $90,000 (FY26)
- Realistic amount
- Most awards historically clustered at or below the prior ~$50,000 cap; FY26's higher $90,000 ceiling means stronger build-out projects can receive more, but typical awards remain in the tens of thousands tied to documented improvement costs.
- Deadline
- Annual cycle — the FY26 application opened December 12, 2025 and closed January 23, 2026. A new cycle typically opens each winter.
- Status
- between-intakes
- States
- Washington, D.C.
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- Business operates from a physical location within one of the 13 Great Streets commercial corridors
- For-profit retail or service-oriented business, or nonprofit arts and humanities organization
- Located in the District of Columbia
- Address verified via DMPED's Great Streets corridor mapping tool
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Storefront and facade improvements
- Interior tenant / capital improvements
- Permanent fixtures and build-out
- Equipment tied to the premises improvement
Ineligible expenses
- Working capital and payroll
- Inventory
- Improvements outside a Great Streets corridor
- Costs incurred outside the approved project scope
How to apply
-
1
Confirm corridor eligibility
Enter the business address in DMPED's interactive Great Streets mapping tool to confirm it sits within one of the 13 designated corridors.
~1 hrs
-
2
Scope the improvement project
Define the capital/storefront improvements, obtain contractor quotes, and assemble a project budget tied to eligible expenses.
~6 hrs
-
3
Submit the application during the RFA window
Complete the application and attachments in DMPED's grants management platform (Submittable / Wizehive) before the deadline.
~8 hrs
-
4
Award, improvements, and reimbursement
If awarded, complete the approved improvements and submit documentation for reimbursement of eligible costs.
~4 hrs
Confirm your address is inside a Great Streets corridor with the mapping tool before doing anything else — being one block off a corridor is the most common disqualifier. With FY26 lifting the per-award cap to $90,000 and $2M on the table, a fully-quoted, contractor-backed build-out budget competes far better than a rough estimate.
Deadline & timing
Released via an annual Request for Applications (RFA), usually opening in December with a January submission deadline through DMPED's grants platform. The FY26 round is closed; watch greatstreets.dc.gov for the next RFA.
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