Downtown Richmond Arts District Broad Street Tenant Recruitment Grants

12/20/21

Ten $10,000 grants available by May 15, 2022

Venture Richmond was awarded a grant from the Virginia Department of Housing & Community Development to help recruit ten new tenants to Broad Street in Downtown Richmond. Each new tenant will get a $10,000 grant for moving in and opening no earlier than January 1, 2022 and no later than May 15, 2022. The program is not intended nor available for building owners.

Venture Richmond is partnering with the Metropolitan Business League (MBL) to help recruit existing small, women, and minority (SWaM) and immigrant-owned businesses to fill vacancies on Broad St.

The new businesses will join many galleries, retailers, restaurants, and small businesses who already call Broad Street home, as well as businesses that attract thousands of out of town visitors annually like Quirk Hotel, Richmond Marriott, the Hilton Hotel, and the Convention Center. Gather, co-working space, has a location in the area. A popular neighborhood happening is RVA First Fridays Artwalk which is a monthly celebration of the arts and galleries along and around Broad St. This section of Broad Street is also a part of Richmond’s Arts District and adjacent to Jackson Ward, near the VCU Monroe Park Campus and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) to the west and City and State offices and VCU Health to the east.

The criteria for eligibility includes the following:

Eligible once the business has opened for business and moved into the Broad St. space no earlier than January 1, 2022 and no later than May 15, 2022
Verified 1-year minimum lease
Lease street-level space on Broad Street between Belvidere and 5th streets
New business to Downtown, not the relocation of existing business in the Downtown General District, as shown in red on the map of the district on the back of this flyer.
Existing businesses in the Downtown General District, who want to open an additional location on Broad Street.
Existing businesses located outside of the Downtown General District, who want to open another location on Broad Street.
Types of qualifying businesses include retailers, restaurants, makers, entrepreneurs, startups, and any type allowed under the City of Richmond zoning for the area.
One $10,000 reimbursement grant per storefront, if a group of small businesses wanted to share space there would only be one grant available for the group.
Only eligible once
Availability based on first come first served basis