Applications are now open for the city of San Antonio’s COVID-19 construction recovery grant program.

According to a Feb. 13 news release, the program offers targeted relief to small businesses impacted by both COVID-19 and prolonged construction-related loss of revenues tied to specific city-initiated projects.

The release said qualifying businesses may receive up to $35,000 in grant funding to help offset demonstrated financial losses in 2022 compared to 2021.

City officials in January allocated $2.25 million to fund the program; grants are being administered in partnership with local organization LiftFund.

“These necessary upgrades will improve the infrastructure and accessibility of some of San Antonio’s key community and business centers, and we look forward to the completion of these projects in the near future,” City Manager Erik Walsh said in a statement.



The release said the targeted program is tied to 15 specific construction zones where road work started between Jan. 1, 2020, and June 30, 2022. Applications will be scored based on assessed need and will not be disbursed on a first-come, first-served basis, city officials said.

Eligible construction project areas include:

  • Broadway Street corridor (I-35 to East Houston Street)
  • Bulverde Road Phase 1 (Butterleigh Drive to north of Quiet Meadow Street)
  • Commerce Street (St. Mary’s Street to Santa Rosa Street)
  • Commerce Street (Frio Street to Santa Rosa Street)
  • Enrique Barrera Parkway Phase 1 (Old Hwy. 90 area)
  • Fredericksburg Road (North Flores Street to West Woodlawn Avenue)
  • Harry Wurzbach Road/Austin Highway connectors
  • North Main Avenue and Soledad Street (Pecan Street to Navarro Street)
  • North New Braunfels Avenue Phase 1 (East Houston Street to Burleson Street)
  • North St. Mary’s Street (East Mistletoe Avenue to West Josephine Street)
  • San Saba Street (Nueva Street to Martin Street)
  • Santa Rosa Street (César Chávez Boulevard to Martin Street)
  • The Alamo (area streets)
  • West Commerce Street (Frio Street to Colorado Street)
  • Maverick Plaza

A few certain types of organizations are excluded from grant consideration, including nonprofits, gambling/gaming businesses, franchisors, sexually oriented businesses, payday and auto loan providers, liquor stores, and businesses where a city employee or officer has a financial interest. Eligibility requirements include:

  • Having a minimum of $10,000 gross sales in 2021;
  • Being a retail or service business with a store front location that requires customer foot traffic for operations or demonstrating customers physically visit the business location;
  • Meeting the U.S. Small Business Administration size standard for a small business;
  • Demonstrating net profit/loss in 2021 that is at least $10,000 greater than net profit/loss in 2022;
  • Being in operation before Jan. 1, 2021;
  • Being currently in operation and not have filed for bankruptcy at time of application; and
  • Being located within an eligible construction zone and remaining for one year from the date of the grant award.

The release said money received through this program may be applied to any of these approved business expenses: working capital, machinery and equipment, payroll/health care benefits, contract labor, supplier payments, rent/lease/mortgage payments tied to business property, utility payments tied to business property, and costs incurred due to critical business operations.

Grant monies cannot be used to make distributions to owners/investors or to acquire new assets, the release said.

Applications close Feb. 28. For more information, call LiftFund at 800-923-9551, city officials said.