Apply for a small business grant after you complete a training

• Business must operate and be registered in San Francisco
  • Registration is not required for licensed home-based childcare providers
• Business earned less than $5 million gross revenue from most recent tax return
• Business has less than 100 employees
• Businesses who received funding from Business Training Grant Phase 1 must complete an additional 12 hours of training, submit an updated business plan, and be applying for a higher* award amount.

*Businesses and business owners that already received funding through Business Training Grant Phase 1 are not eligible to reapply for the same grant award. Businesses who received the $15,000 Business Training Grant award are not eligible for the $10,000 or $25,000 awards below. Businesses and business owners cannot receive awards from both Business Training Phase 2 and Storefront Vacancy Grant. If you are uncertain of your eligibility, please email investsf@sfgov.org.

$5,000 - No Storefront

• Must not be operating from a storefront
• Home-based, office-based, and catering businesses are eligible
• Street vendors that have a street vending permit are eligible

$10,000 - Mobile Vending License

• Must have a mobile vending license at the time of application
• Must sell goods or provide services out of a vending unit such as a motor vehicle, cart, or trailer​ in San Francisco
• Mobile vending unit should be compliant with existing government codes
• Cannot be home-based or office-based

$10,000 - Shared Storefront

• Business sells retail products, prepared food, or services in a shared commercial storefront in San Francisco
• Business must submit a signed and executed lease agreement of at least one year for a shared commercial storefront at the time of application
• Caterers are eligible for this award as long as they have a lease agreement
• Cannot be home-based or office-based

$10,000 - Businesses with a current lease (less than 12 months) 

• If your commercial storefront lease is month-to-month or you have less than 12 months remaining at the time of application, you are eligible for a $10,000 award
• Submit a copy of their current signed and executed lease agreement at the time of application
• Cannot be home-based or office-based

$25,000 - Businesses with a current lease (12 months or more)

• Business must have at least 12 months remaining in their commercial storefront lease agreement at the time of application
• Submit a copy of their current signed and executed lease agreement at the time of application
• Cannot be home-based or office-based

$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 at the time of application
• Business signed a minimum 3-year* commercial lease for their additional storefront location in San Francisco on or after January 1, 2023. Must submit at time of application.
• The additional storefront must be at a different address
• Cannot be home-based or office-based
• 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 storefront grants, 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.

• Complete 12-hours of pre-qualified training after July 1, 2022 and receive a certificate of completion from the training provider before you apply
• Attend a 2-hour Small Business Resource Webinar before you apply 
• Download and complete this business plan. If you need help, contact the organization where you completed your training.

Before you apply, 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.
  • Licensed home-based childcare providers do not need to register their business or have a BAN to apply. 
• 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.
• If you have a storefront, your lease agreement(s)
• If you have a mobile vending unit, your mobile vending license
• If you are a street vendor, your street vending permit
• Certificate of completion after you complete a pre-qualified training
• A copy of your completed business plan

Applications for the Business Training Grant are now closed.

1. You will receive a confirmation email after you submit your application. We will notify you within 30 days if your application was approved or disqualified.

2. We will send you payment forms if your application is approved. You can expect to receive payment within 30 days of submitting the payment forms.