Apply for a grant if you want to open a new storefront

• Business earned less than $5 million gross revenue from most recent tax return
• Business has less than 100 employees
• Business must meet ONE of the following:
  • Business owner is from a low-income household
  • If the business owner is NOT from a low-income household, their proposed business address must fall within the purple boundaries on this map.
• Business feasibility (including rent and revenue) will be considered when awarding grants

*Businesses and business owners that already received storefront funding through Business Training Grant (Phase 1) are not eligible to reapply for the same grant award. Businesses and business owners cannot receive awards from both Business Training Grant (Phase 2) and Storefront Opportunity Grant. If you are uncertain of your eligibility, please email investsf@sfgov.org. 

$25,000 - First Commercial Storefront

• The business owner does not have a lease agreement for the commercial storefront they are applying for at time of application
• Business must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed by the tenant and property owner for the desired storefront with their application
• Once we approve the application, the business must sign and submit a minimum 3-year* continuous commercial lease in San Francisco. The lease should be signed and dated after the date the application was submitted.
• Businesses who are currently home or office-based, caterers looking to open a restaurant, or local vendors looking to move into a commercial storefront are eligible for this award
• If you currently share a lease with other businesses and want to open your first independent commercial storefront in San Francisco, you qualify for the $25,000 grant
• If you currently have a storefront outside of San Francisco and want to open your first storefront in San Francisco, you qualify for the $25,000 grant

*A commercial storefront must be ground floor, open to the public during regular business hours, and commercially zoned.
**The lease must be for a minimum of 3-continuous years. Leases that are less than three years with the option for renewal do not qualify for any of the grants above.

$50,000 - Additional Commercial Storefront Expansion 

• Business has at least 12 months remaining on one or more of their current commercial lease agreements in San Francisco for the business they want to expand at time of application
• Business wants to open an additional commercial* storefront in San Francisco
• Business must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed by the tenant and property owner for the additional commercial storefront with their application
• Once we approve the application, the business must sign and submit a minimum 3-year* continuous commercial lease in San Francisco. The lease for the new space must be signed and dated after the date the application was submitted.
• The additional storefront must have a different address
• Cannot be home-based or office-based

*The storefront must be ground floor, open to the public during regular business hours, and commercially zoned.
**The lease must be for a minimum of 3-continuous years. Leases that are less than three years with the option for renewal do not qualify for any of the grants above.

• Attend a Commercial Lease Negotiation Webinar hosted by SF BAR. The final webinar will take place on March 7, 2024.
• Download and complete this business plan
• Businesses must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed by you and the property owner.
• Once we approve your application, you will be required to submit a fully signed and executed lease agreement by May 30, 2024 to receive payment. The lease should be signed and dated after the date you submitted your application.
• The commercial storefront you plan to lease must meet the permitting/zoning requirements for the type of business you plan to operate.

*Businesses that want additional support can work with the Office of Small Business and SF Permit Center. The SF Bar Association can help businesses negotiate a Letter of Intent and lease. 

To complete the application, you will need:

• Your Business Account Number (BAN). If you don't know it, you can look it up. If you don’t have a BAN yet, you can register your business to receive one.
• Your completed business plan
• Your family size and household income. We will use this to determine if your household is low-income
  • Family size: We will ask you how many people are in your family. A family is a single person or a group of people who live together.
  • Family income: We will also ask you about the income for all adults in your family. Use your 2022 tax return if you have filed, or estimate your total income for the last 12 months.

Applications for the Storefront Opportunity Grant program are now closed.

• You will receive a confirmation email after you submit your application. We will notify you within 21 days if your application was accepted or denied.
• You will have until May 31, 2024 to submit a signed and executed lease agreement. Your lease must be signed and executed on or after the date you submitted your application to the Storefront Opportunity Grant.
• Once we approve your signed and executed lease agreement, you can expect to receive payment within 30 days.*

*You must submit a signed and executed lease agreement in order to receive your grant award.