(Washington, DC) Today, at the 2022 Small Business and Economic Development Summit, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Department of Small and Local Business Development (DSLBD) announced the opening of applications for the 2022 Robust Retail Citywide Grants. DSLBD intends to award up to $7,500 per business to approximately 78 businesses from the $588,000 in available funding for the Fiscal Year 2022. This grant will be operated as a reimbursement grant, awarded via lottery, to DC retail businesses that have met all eligibility requirements by the final deadline. Applications will be open until June 8, 2022, at 2 pm.
“Local businesses will continue to play a critical role in our comeback and our overall sense of community,” said Mayor Bowser. “DC is open, and we know that Washingtonians are eager to get out and support local businesses and we are too.”
Since the Robust Retail Grant Program launch in 2019, DSLBD has awarded more than $1.7 million to nearly 200 different retail establishments in Washington, DC, including the distribution of Citywide and Main Street Grant funds.
“Our local businesses have sacrificed so much during the pandemic, and we are committed to using every resource available to help them make it to the other side of this,” said Kristi C. Whitfield, DSLBD Director. “Through programs like Robust Retail, as well as many other assistance programs, Mayor Bowser has made supporting our small businesses a cornerstone of her work to create equity and build generational wealth across Washington, DC.”
DSLBD will allow grant funds for the reimbursement of the businesses’ expenses that cover employee wages and salaries, insurance, rent, utilities, inventory, cleaning supplies, among others. Grant notification announcements of selected awards will be made on or around June 13, 2022. Businesses that received a Robust Retail Citywide award in FY2021 are not eligible to apply.
Applicants are encouraged to read the full Request for Application. If you have any questions about this opportunity, please email [email protected]. For more information, please visit dslbd.dc.gov/2022-robust-retail-citywide-grants.
For more information on additional business funding opportunities and initiatives, visit obviouslydc.com.