On March 19, the San Antonio City Council received a briefing from the Economic Development Department on the proposed Construction Mitigation Grant program, which will provide relief for small businesses affected by construction.

The overview

According to city documents, the program that will assist small businesses in select commercial corridors affected by city-related construction projects.

Development of the program will be funded by $1.4 million that City Council earmarked in the FY 2024-25 General Fund Budget.

Based upon feedback from stakeholders, the EDD proposed that the program be divided into three categories, which will target six construction corridors in San Antonio.


Three categories of the program:
  • The Stabilization Construction Grant will be available for businesses impacted by city-initiated construction projects for 12 months or longer and have more than 10 small businesses located within the corridor
  • The Mitigation Construction Grant is designed to help prepare small businesses that will be affected by future construction projects
  • The Accelerate Recovery Construction Grant is designed to support small businesses who were impacted by city-initiated construction projects for 12 months or longer
Additionally, businesses that fall into specific categories cannot apply. Excluded categories include nonprofits, gambling/gaming businesses, franchisors, sexually oriented businesses, payday and auto loan providers, vape shops, liquor stores and businesses that a city employee or officer has a financial interest in.
If approved, the program will be administered by LiftFund, which will receive an administration fee of $185,000, or approximately 13% of the earmarked funds, to cover expenses.

The details

According to city documents, each of the three grant types involves a unique set of criteria and focuses on specific corridors throughout the city.

Stabilization Construction Grant criteria:
  • Must be located in an identified eligible construction zone
  • Must be established in current location as of Jan. 1, 2023
  • Must have a minimum of $10,000 in gross sales in 2023
  • Must have experienced $5,000 reduction in net revenues in 2024 compared to 2023
  • Must be a retail or service business that requires customer foot traffic
  • Must meet U.S. Small Business Administration’s size standards for small businesses
  • Must be in operation and not have filed for bankruptcy at the time of application
  • Grant applicant must be majority owner of business


Applicants for the Stabilization Construction Grant will be scored according to their assessed need. The allocated budget is $1 million and qualified businesses will be eligible for up to $35,000 in grant funding.

If approved, grant funds can be used for business-related expenses, such as payroll, healthcare benefits, contract labor, working capital, business rent or mortgage payments, supplier payments, machinery and equipment, critical operating expenses and utility payments.

Mitigation Construction Grant and Accelerate Construction Grant criteria:
  • Must be located in the identified eligible construction corridor
  • Business must be registered and in good standing with the Secretary of State of Texas
  • Must be a retail or service business that requires foot traffic for operations
  • Meet the U.S. Small Business Administration’s size standards for a small business
  • Must be in operation in eligible corridor and not filed for bankruptcy at time of application
  • Grant application must be majority owner


Funds for both programs will be disbursed on a first come, first serve basis.


The budget for the Mitigation Construction Grant program is $80,000 and will disburse grants of $2,000 per approved business. Eligible use of funds include social media marketing, signage, marketing services, marketing consultants, marketing products and online delivery service.

The budget for the Accelerate Construction Grant program is $120,000, and will disburse grants of $5,000 to approved businesses. Eligible uses of the funds include exterior painting, exterior power washing, signage repair installation, outdoor seating, exterior or interior lighting, landscaping and floor cleaning or replacement.

Stay tuned

On March 27, the City Council will vote on the agreement with LiftFund for the program's administration.