Restaurant & Retail Stabilization Grant

Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Restaurant & Retail Stabilization Grant is a District of Columbia small business assistance initiative administered through the Nourish DC Collaborative and Capital Impact Partners. The program is designed to provide direct financial stabilization support to independently operated restaurant and retail businesses located within the District of Columbia that experienced financial hardship during 2025. The broader Nourish DC initiative was launched in partnership with the Government of the District of Columbia to strengthen neighborhood food ecosystems, support economic prosperity, and sustain locally owned businesses that contribute to healthy and vibrant communities. Through this initiative, Capital Impact Partners and partner organizations provide grants, loans, and technical assistance to food-related businesses and neighborhood-serving enterprises throughout Washington, DC. The Restaurant & Retail Stabilization Grant offers up to $3,875,000 in total available funding with individual grant awards of up to $50,000 per eligible business. Grant funds are intended specifically for occupancy costs and payroll expenses to help businesses remain operational and financially stable. The grant period extends for six months after grant funds are received, and the anticipated disbursement period for awards is during the third quarter of 2026. The funding opportunity emphasizes support for small, brick-and-mortar businesses that have experienced measurable declines in revenue and that contribute positively to local economic activity and neighborhood vitality. Eligible applicants must be for-profit small businesses operating from a physical brick-and-mortar location within the District of Columbia. Mobile businesses and home-based businesses are not eligible. Applicants must have been established before June 1, 2024 and must demonstrate a decline in gross revenue between January 1, 2025 and December 31, 2025. Eligible businesses must also report a minimum annual gross revenue of $100,000 and a maximum average annual revenue of $5,000,000 across 2023, 2024, and 2025, or since launch if established on June 1, 2024. Franchise businesses are eligible only if independently owned and operated. Applicants may submit only one application for a single business location within the District of Columbia. The program identifies a range of eligible restaurant and retail business categories including restaurants, bakeries, bars or taverns, bookstores, convenience stores, florists with on-site retail, art galleries, laundromats, dry cleaners, clothing and specialty apparel stores, jewelry stores, and other neighborhood-serving retailers. Numerous categories of businesses are specifically excluded from eligibility, including nonprofits, online-only businesses, ghost kitchens, hotels, gyms, pharmacies, hardware stores, child care providers, cannabis businesses, professional services firms, banks and financial service providers, and businesses engaged in real estate development or property management. Preference in the review process will be given to businesses demonstrating at least a 10 percent revenue decline during 2025, businesses that did not previously receive Department of Housing and Economic Development funding in 2023 through 2025, businesses with positive neighborhood impact, and businesses that purchase food, goods, or services from the local DC, Maryland, and Virginia economy. The application process opens on May 5, 2026 and closes on June 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Applications are submitted through the Nourish DC portal hosted by Capital Impact Partners at capitalimpact.org/nourish-dc. The source materials do not describe a letter of intent, concept paper, or separate pre-application phase, and no cost sharing or matching requirement is identified. In addition to the application itself, the program provides informational support opportunities including webinars, in-person office hours, and virtual office hours to assist applicants with understanding eligibility requirements and completing submissions. Informational webinars are scheduled for May 13, May 20, and May 28, 2026. In-person office hours are scheduled at the MLK Memorial Library on May 11, May 26, and June 2, 2026, while virtual office hours are offered on May 18, 2026. The source materials do not provide a detailed scoring rubric or formal evaluation criteria, but they clearly identify preference considerations that are likely to influence funding decisions. Businesses with stronger demonstrated revenue declines, greater neighborhood impact, and stronger integration into the regional supply chain may receive favorable consideration. Applicants are encouraged to provide evidence of financial hardship and operational need as part of their submission materials. The materials also emphasize local economic impact and community-serving business operations as important program priorities. Questions regarding the grant may be directed to nourishdc@capitalimpact.org or to Alison Powers at 703-647-2369. Spanish-language application assistance is available through Leo Hernandez at the Latino Economic Development Corporation via leo.hernandez@ledcmetro.org or 202-540-7414. The Restaurant & Retail Stabilization Grant appears to function as a recurring District small business stabilization initiative associated with the Nourish DC Collaborative, although the materials do not explicitly state that the grant is annual. Because the program is issued under a named yearly cycle and tied to ongoing Nourish DC economic development programming, a future funding cycle is reasonably anticipated. The source materials indicate that grant funds will be distributed during the third quarter of 2026 and that grant activities may continue for six months after receipt of funds. The grant opportunity forms part of a broader ecosystem of technical assistance, financing, and economic development resources intended to strengthen local business ownership and neighborhood-serving commercial corridors across Washington, DC.

Demonstrate clear revenue decline during 2025; Emphasize neighborhood impact and community-serving business activities; Highlight local purchasing within DC Maryland and Virginia; Explain why stabilization funding is necessary to maintain operations