Robust Retail Citywide Grant Program 2025 (United States)

Deadline: 31 March 2025

The District of Columbia (“DC,” “D.C.,” or the “District”) Department of Small and Local Business Development (“DSLBD” or the “Department”) is excited to announce that it will begin accepting applications for the Robust Retail Grant Program 2025.

A robust retail sector is critical to maintaining their neighborhoods’ vibrancy, but many retail businesses are currently under threat of decline and closure due to the market realities of years past. DSLBD created the Robust Retail initiative created to assist pre-existing DC-based retail businesses with the maintenance of their business operations and viability during the ongoing small business crisis.

Funding Information

DSLBD intends to award a maximum of fifty-seven (57) grants with $570,000 in total funding available for FY25. More information about each grant opportunity is listed below:
- 2025 Robust Retail: Citywide (“Citywide”):
  - These awards are open to all retail businesses in the District.
  - For this grant program, DSLBD will use a randomized lottery system to award forty-eight (48) eligible businesses grants up to $10,000 from $480,000 in available funding for FY25.
- 2025 Robust Retail: North Capital Main Street Corridor (“North Capitol”):
  - These awards are open to retail businesses located along the North Capital Main Street Corridor.
  - For this grant program, DSLBD will use a randomized lottery system to award nine (9) eligible businesses up to $10,000 from $90,0000 in available funding for FY25.
All business expenses reimbursed by the FY 25 Robust Retail Grant Program must have occurred between October 1, 2024 through March 31, 2025. All receipts must be dated during this period to be eligible for reimbursement with applicable grant funds.

Eligible Fund Uses

Grant funds must be expended solely for carrying out allowable uses related to the maintenance of the awardee’s business operations and viability. Such uses are dictated below and in the applicable Notice of Grant Award (“NOGA”):
- Administrative – examples of eligible costs below:
  - Rent
  - Office Equipment
  - Wages and Payroll
  - Debt Service
  - Insurance
- Software and Technology – examples of eligible costs below:
  - Point of Sale System
  - Business Software or Upgrades
- Utilities – examples of eligible costs below:
  - DC Water
  - Washington Gas
  - Pepco
- Inventory – examples of eligible costs below:
  - Raw Materials (components used to produce goods sold by business)
  - Cost of Goods for Sale
  - Packing and Packaging Materials

Prohibited Fund Uses

Grant funds may not reimburse the following:
- Expenses incurred before October 1, 2024 or after March 31, 2025
- Expenses that are reimbursed by a different grant from DC government and/or DSLBD
- Any interior or exterior construction not permitted by DC or federal law or applicable building codes
- Costs incurred to bring legal charges against, or to lobby or influence, DC or federal government
- Costs incurred in connection with any criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding (including the filing of a false certification) commenced by DC government, federal government, or another State, local government, or foreign government, or joined by the Federal Government (including a proceeding under the False Claims Act), against the awardee
- Any expense undocumented by awardee
- Donations or other forms of charitable giving to non-profit organizations
- Vehicle purchase(s) or lease(s)
- Real estate purchase(s)
- Any activity, goods, or products deemed illegal by DC government
- Any activity, goods, or products deemed ineligible by DSLBD in its sole discretion

Eligibility Criteria

An applicant for a FY25 Robust Retail Citywide Grant must be:
- A District-based retail business;
- Physically located in a brick-and-mortar commercial retail space in DC;
- A for-profit, public-facing, and independent business that is a seller of legal goods and services;
- A business with fewer than twenty-five (25) full-time employees (“FTE”);
- An eligible business type as listed in Appendix A – Eligible Business Types of the RFA;
- Not among the ineligible business types listed in Appendix A.
- For the Citywide Grant Program, applicants cannot be a FY24 Citywide awardee. DSLBD will review applications and cross-reference them against the FY24 awardee list, disqualifying any applicants that were awarded an FY24 Citywide grant. Depending on location, applicants may still be eligible for the North Capitol funding pool.
- Actively licensed with the Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (“DLCP”);
- A business or business owned by an entity that has not been subject to termination of a grant agreement from any DSLBD grant program for any reason within the past five (5) years. DSLBD will not solicit offers from award grants to, renew, extend grant agreements with or subcontracts to entities that have been terminated during this timeframe.