Boston small business grants and support come from several places, and the main hubs are the city’s Office of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion (OEOI) and the Boston Main Streets network of neighborhood business districts. This guide lays out what the City of Boston says each one does, based on the city’s own pages, so owners know where to start. Program details and deadlines change, so confirm current terms on the OEOI page before applying.
Boston Small Business Grants: What the City Lists
The city’s funding opportunities listing for the OEOI describes a range of programs. Each entry below uses the city’s own short description:
- Boston Contracting Opportunity Fund: grants for small, local businesses to build operational capacity, focused on historically disadvantaged businesses interested in City contracts.
- Cannabis Equity Program: grants for business needs, prioritizing applicants and licensees from backgrounds and neighborhoods most affected by the War on Drugs.
- Child Care Entrepreneur Fund: business training for family child care providers.
- Legacy Business Support Grants: grants for nonprofit organizations that already work with small businesses across Boston.
- Re-Fresh: grants for small food businesses, restaurants, taverns and bars that are brick-and-mortar micro businesses affected by COVID-19.
- SPACE Grants: grants for small business owners most affected by COVID-19 to secure new storefront space or expand into one.
- Storefront Improvements: grants for sign and storefront improvements.
Several of these were created with pandemic-era funds, so a program on the list is not necessarily open for applications today. The SPACE program is one example. When the city announced its first 24 SPACE recipients, it said $2.83 million went out in that round, 75 percent of the businesses were minority-owned and more than 60 percent were women-owned, and $9 million had been budgeted for the program overall. That announcement dates from an earlier funding round, so check the OEOI page for current status.
Summer 2026 Grants Tied to the World Cup
In June, Mayor Michelle Wu joined Airbnb and The Boston Foundation to announce a new $200,000 investment in neighborhood economic development tied to the FIFA World Cup 2026, according to the City of Boston. The money comes from Airbnb and is administered by The Boston Foundation, which will award grants to neighborhood economic development organizations.
The grants are meant to support small business pop-up activations, preparations by business corridors to welcome visitors, and neighborhood watch parties. The city said the program builds on its Small Business Month Activation Grants, which support business-serving nonprofits in staging events that connect entrepreneurs with resources. Interim Chief of Economic Opportunity and Inclusion Donald Wright said the summer’s economic impact is “enormous.” The city tied the effort to a busy stretch of events that also includes Sail Boston and Boston 250.
Boston Main Streets: Neighborhood Support
Boston Main Streets is a network of independent nonprofit organizations. According to the city’s Main Streets page, the program began in Boston in 1983 with the creation of Roslindale Village Main Street, and the Office of Small Business uses what it calls a comprehensive revitalization approach to create, build and sustain healthy commercial districts.
The city’s directory lists 17 Main Streets districts: Allston Village, Bowdoin Geneva, Brighton, Chinatown, Egleston Square, Fields Corner, Four Corners, East Boston Gateway, Greater Ashmont, Greater Grove Hall, Hyde Park, JP Centre/South, Mattapan Square, Mission Hill, Roslindale Village, Upham’s Corner and West Roxbury. Each has an executive director and a local office. Owners in those districts can start by contacting their district organization, and the city lists a program contact for general questions at 617-635-0313.
Boston Main Streets has also announced its 2026 Awards Celebration for Monday, Oct. 26, at Artists for Humanity, recognizing businesses and volunteers of the year, according to a post by the organization.
Our Take: Start Local, Then Check the Fine Print
This section is The Boston Report’s analysis, separate from the sourced reporting above.
For a neighborhood shop owner, the Main Streets district office is probably the lowest-friction first call, because it is local and knows which city programs are live. Before spending time on an application, confirm that the program is accepting applicants, because some listed programs began as one-time funding. Owners weighing a larger move can also read our coverage of the Amazon Seaport sublease for a sense of how commercial space is shifting in the city.