Sacramento is putting some serious fertilizer on its local business scene, opening applications for its Economic Gardening 2.0 program and dangling both executive-level market research and a matching grant for established companies that want to grow. Applications opened Monday and will stay live through April 20, 2026, with city officials framing the effort as a way to help firms scale up while keeping jobs and tax revenue anchored in Sacramento.
As reported by The Sacramento Bee, Project Manager Michael Young said the program will accept only 10 businesses, with a clear aim of boosting local companies while pulling new revenue into the city from firms that are already here. The Bee notes the package pairs high-level consulting with grant dollars so companies can turn research into real-world investments instead of letting it collect dust in a drawer.
What the program offers
According to the city’s program guidelines, each selected business gets 40 hours of research and advisory services from outside specialists. That work then unlocks eligibility for a 1:1 matching reimbursement grant of up to $50,000 to carry out recommended projects. Eligible uses include website and SEO upgrades, hiring and workforce development, equipment purchases and facility expansion, and the guidelines lay out the fine print on how grantees are reimbursed and what they must report back to the city.
How the research works
Specialists from the National Center for Economic Gardening tap corporate databases, GIS mapping and digital marketing audits to pinpoint new customers, sharpen competitive positioning and build lists of qualified sales leads. City materials say the consultations can surface quick wins, from better lead generation to cleaning up social media, as well as longer-term operational tweaks that may take more time to roll out.
Local results so far
City documents and earlier program rounds highlight what officials describe as measurable wins, with dozens of Sacramento firms participating since 2020 and some reporting bumps in revenue and hiring after putting the recommendations to work. For Executive Autopilots, a recent participant, co-owner Andrey Kalchenko said the data "helped us see where demand for modern avionics upgrades is growing," according to Sacramento City Express.
How to apply
Applications run from March 9 through April 20 and are filed through the city’s Economic Gardening portal. The City of Sacramento says it is targeting so-called second-stage companies that are ready to act on research, have growth on their minds and can put matching funds on the table.
The selection process is competitive, and grantees should be ready for reimbursement-based contracting, quarterly spending reports and follow-up progress updates once projects are underway. For established Sacramento businesses that clear the bar, the city is pitching Economic Gardening as a rare shot at high-end market intelligence plus money to turn those insights into local growth.
