Jan 8 | Deadline to apply to apply for the Retail Bridge Fund
The Retail Bridge Fund aims to provide competitive grants to eligible retail establishments that have experienced significant economic distress due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Local brick-and-mortar retail establishments, such as bookstores, clothing stores, salons, massage establishments, fitness studios, art galleries, and dry cleaners are eligible to apply. The funds will support general operational expenses (rent/mortgage expense, payroll, insurance, and/or utilities), as well as operating expenses related to COVID-19.
The Retail Fund is a competitive grant program; grantees will be selected based on business viability, number of employees, and tenure. Additionally, 15% of the funds ($2.25M) will be set aside for businesses that are eligible to be both a Resident-Owned Business (ROB) and a Small Business Enterprise (SBE); and one of the following:
at least 51% owned by economically disadvantaged individuals; or
at least 51% woman-owned; or
or a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE).
How to Apply?
The application will open on December 14, 2020 and close on January 8, 2021 at 5 pm.
NOTE: To access the application form, you'll need to register your email address and create an account. Once you've created an account, you'll be able to save your progress and resume the application at a later time. You will only be allowed to submit ONE application per email address. If you have multiple businesses, you'll need to create multiple accounts with different email addresses.
For More Information
Retail Bridge Fund Ready Checklist - Chinese (中文); Korean (한국어); Spanish (Español); Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
Frequently Asked Questions - Korean (한국어); Spanish (Español); Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
For all other inquiries related to the Retail Bridge Fund, please contact retailbridgefund@dc.gov.