In a bit of financial salvage operations, the city is rolling out another $1.45 million in grants to help local small businesses cope with the fiscal pains of ongoing construction. The funding is a lifeline to shops struggling with decreased foot traffic and income as the jackhammers roar and the dust clouds billow. Lucinda Simmons, owner of Don Roman, stepped into the Maestro Entrepreneur Center to finalize her grant application and was one of the few who availed themselves of the support programs on offer, according to San Antonio Report.
The city's benevolence isn't boundless, however, as these grants range from $5,000 up to $35,000 and come with strings attached. To qualify, businesses need to furnish tax returns showing a drop in revenue from 2022 to 2023. The tighter purse reins this time around mean that corridors enduring the longest construction stints, like Alamo Street and the Broadway area—both embroiled in revision since 2020—and businesses with the starkest revenue nosedives get priority. The application process is a race against the clock, with a July 15 closing date.
While the financial support is crucial for some, others like Linda Torres of Unique Cuts discover that they don't make the cut due to insufficient loss earnings, as San Antonio Report illustrates. Mario Cardenas, on the flip side, learned that his sports complex project, Funtown, is currently ineligible — the place isn't yet up and running, so, no grant money there. Both, however, were introduced to other supports provided by the Maestro Entrepreneur Center, which they were previously unaware of.
To reach the small business owners preoccupied with daily survival, the nonprofit's executive director, Geremy Landín, and Ruby Chapa, the only other staffer, took to the streets to personally inform entrepreneurs about the grant initiative. Channeling their inner door-to-door salespeople, Landín and Chapa walked under the shyaken sun, spreading the word one shop at a time. Many owners, like the one at Frank's Trophies & Sports, would "try to come in," but work demands weighed heavily. Simultaneously, city staffers have also been canvassing business districts, pushing flyers and hosting virtual information sessions ― an all-hands-on-deck outreach effort.
Historically, the city has spread $29.5 million to "micro" businesses in 2020, $13 million in hospitality grants in early 2021, and another $15 million in Covid-impact grants the following year, with a previous batch of construction mitigation grants totaling $2.45 million, the report delineates. An additional $400,000 spent on "construction toolkit" aided businesses in staying visible amidst construction chaos. With federal funds drying up, the city's looking at launching a standing construction mitigation fund, with discussions already on the City Council's agenda, as it gears up to vote on the fiscal year 2025 budget this coming September.
