Tacoma business owners can get money to fix windows or receive upgrades. Here’s how
Tacoma business owners can soon get help fixing broken windows, locks and doors thanks to a city grant program.
Tuesday, April 2 is the deadline to apply for small-business renewal grant funding via the city’s Community and Economic Development Department. Funding of $250,000 is available to split among small-business owners in need.
Mayor Victoria Woodards called homegrown businesses “the heartbeat of our city” in a news release announcing the grants earlier this month. Local establishments work to nurture community connections, mold the character of each neighborhood and propel economic growth, she said.
“These grants are targeted at specific needs that help to ensure our small businesses can continue to thrive and contribute to the livability of Tacoma,” Woodards added.
Storefront-damage grants can cover etching on windows, but graffiti-stricken facades and the “loss of stolen goods” do not qualify under the program.
Graffiti removal/paint isn’t eligible because the money comes from the American Rescue Plan Act, which is geared toward COVID-19/emergency response, Linda Robson with the city’s media and communications office said via email Tuesday. Other programs already home in on Tacoma graffiti cleanup.
The 2024 grants focus on repairing storefront damage and on “impact upgrades.” Examples of the latter include takeout windows, curbside seating and safety improvements, among other improvements.
Grantees can receive a one-time boost of up to $5,000 for storefront damage if the incident happened after Jan. 1, 2022. Up to $10,000 is available for those getting an impact upgrade.
“The City was awarded over 700 pandemic-related grants and loans, totaling over $8 million, and we anticipated our last grant to be in 2023,” Robson said. “However, City Council heard the needs of small businesses and allocated an additional $250,000 of the City’s limited ARPA funds for this grant.”
Storefront-damage grant recipients will be chosen through a lottery. Winners of impact upgrades will be selected following an evaluation. July 30 is the deadline to complete repairs or upgrades and to provide “eligibility verification paperwork with receipts,” according to the city’s website.
A total of $500,000 was up for grabs during last year’s small-business restoration program, The News Tribune reported at the time.
Forty-nine businesses got a boost from the 2023 restoration grants, Robson said Tuesday: 27 for market enhancement and 22 for property damage. All $500,000 was dispersed.
Diversity is key when it comes to this year’s grants.
“The City’s goal is to fund and grow a diversity of businesses and business owners throughout all of Tacoma, with priority to those that have not already received pandemic funding and those business[es] in our low equity opportunity areas, per Tacoma’s Equity Index map,” Robson said.
In addition, 31 nonprofits and 548 businesses benefited from more than $7.4 million in assistance that the city doled out amid the thick of the coronavirus crisis, according to KOMO News.
Details on eligibility for the 2024 Small Business Renewal grants can be found at makeittacoma.com. Online applications are available in multiple languages.
