Storefront Repair Fund
The Office of Economic Development is leveraging nearly $2 million in federal funding to support the economic recovery of small businesses who experienced property damage. Through the Storefront Repair Fund, small businesses can apply for $2,000 grants to help repair storefront property damages that occurred on or after January 1, 2021.
Storefront Repair Fund grants will help cover costs to repair current property damage or reimburse business owners for costs paid out of pocket for past damages. Eligible property damages include broken windows, broken doors, broken locks and etching on windows. This grant will not cover loss of stolen goods or damages such as graffiti.
OED will accept applications from small businesses on a continued basis until all funding has been spent. Applications will open on October 18, 2022.
Applicants are encouraged to review the eligibility, required documentation, selection process and additional information below before applying.
Applications will open on October 18, 2022. Online applications will be accepted, reviewed and processed on an ongoing basis until all funding is spent.
Applicants can also review this document with the application questions before applying online: Storefront Repair Fund Application Questions.
Eligible applicants will also need the following information to submit their application:
- Unified Business Identifier (UBI) number (nine digits).
- Businesses will receive a Unified Business Identifier number when they apply for their Washington state Business License. This can be done through the Department of Revenue online or by mail. Applicants can search for their Unified Business Identifier number online at wa.gov/businesses.
- City Business License number (six digits).
- Anyone doing business in Seattle must have a Seattle Business License tax certificate, also known as a City Business License number, City Customer number or general business license. Business owners must renew this certificate each year by Dec. 31.
- This City Business License number is separate from the Washington state business license. If businesses cannot find their number on the City Business License Find a Business search tool, they may only have a Washington state license.
- Businesses can apply for a City Business License and renew online at filelocal-wa.gov or by mail.
- Business and Occupation (B&O) taxes.
- Every business must file and report to the city, even if there was no activity or do not owe any tax. The Seattle business tax is not the same as the Washington state business tax; businesses must file Seattle taxes separately from state taxes.
- Businesses do not owe general Business and Occupation (B&O) tax if their annual taxable gross revenue is less than $100,000, but businesses still need to file.
- Businesses can file and report online at filelocal-wa.gov or by mail. For additional questions about these taxes, businesses can reach out to Seattle Finance at tax@seattle.gov.
- You will not need to submit copies of your taxes.
The Storefront Repair Fund application must be submitted online in English.
Translation or Interpretation Support
Bilingual staff are available to answer questions and help applicants complete their applications in the following languages: Amharic, Chinese, Korean, Somali, Spanish, Thai and Vietnamese. Support in additional languages is available through our language line.
To request translation or interpretation services, businesses can call (206) 684-8090 and note the following information in their voicemail: name, phone number, preferred language and the type of support needed.
Additional Application Assistance
In addition, OED provides technical assistance, disability accommodations, materials in alternate formats and accessibility information to support eligible applicants in completing this application. Businesses can access this support by calling (206) 684-8090 or emailing oed@seattle.gov.
Information Session
An information session was hosted, click here to view the recording.
To qualify for the Storefront Repair Fund, eligible businesses must:
- Have experienced physical damage to their storefront after January 1, 2021.
- Have experienced direct economic disruption because of COVID-19.
- Have an active City of Seattle Business License.
- Have City Business and Occupation (B&O) taxes paid in full.
- Be located in Seattle city limits.
- Be an independently owned, non-franchise, non-chain business.
- Be a for-profit business.
- Have no more than two (2) locations.
- Be currently open and active for business.
Additional criteria:
- No more than two applications may be submitted per business, business owner, EIN, SSN, UBI number, Business License number, home and/or business address. Each application must be for separate incidents and different dates.
- Business must be in operation for a minimum of 24 months (as of October 1, 2022).
- Business must operate from a physical location and/or mobile trucks that serves the general public.
Criteria by business size:
- Business can have no more than 50 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees as of January 1, 2021.
- Business must make more than $1,000 and NOT exceed $7,000,000 in annual net revenue as reported in Business and Occupation (B&O) taxes to the City of Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services in 2020 and 2021.
Businesses NOT eligible to apply for the Storefront Repair Fund include:
- Business located in unincorporated King County.
- “Adult entertainment” businesses regulated under Seattle Municipal Code 6.270.
- Cannabis shops, growers and dispensaries are ineligible.
- 501(c)(3), 501(c)(6) or 501(c)(19) nonprofit entities.
OED will accept and process applications on a first-come, first-served basis until all funding is spent. OED will evaluate eligibility to determine if an application is selected for funding as applications are received.
If selected for funding, grantees will need to provide the following information or documentation:
- Proof of property damage. Applicants will need two submit two out of three of the following documentation:
- Receipts for repairs completed and/or estimates for current damage.
- Police Report incident number.
- Photos of damages to storefront.
- Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number.
- As of April 2022, a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number is required to receive grants from federally funded programs. The Washington State Department of Commerce created this UEI Frequently Asked Questions list for how to apply for this number.
- Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Social Security Number (SSN).
- The City of Seattle is a Welcoming City. We value inclusion and equity. City employees do not ask about citizenship status and serve all residents regardless of immigration status.
- Complete a Form W-9.
- For information about the Form W-9, please visit this Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website.
1. Will the grants be limited to repairs of storefronts (for example, only to be used for replacing windows and doors)?
Funding can only be used for storefront damage repairs and reimbursement of these repairs. For example, broken windows and doors. This funding does not cover preventive measures, graffiti removal, painting, purchase of security cameras, or loss of stolen goods.
2. Grants to small businesses are $2,000. Will there be any chance of a grant exceeding that limit in special circumstances (such as excessive damage)?
We recognize that damage will exceed $2,000 for some businesses, however, grants will be capped at $2,000 to ensure the City can support as many impacted businesses as possible with the limited resources. Contingent upon available funding, OED will allow businesses to apply up to two times if they experience multiple incidents of storefront vandalism. The incidents must have occurred on different days to qualify for a second grant.
3. What type of businesses qualify for this funding?
Brick-and-mortar, ground floor businesses that serve the public as well as food trucks qualify for the Storefront Repair Fund. All applicants MUST have an up-to-date City of Seattle business license.
4. How will grant recipients be selected?
OED will review and process applications on a rolling basis until funding runs out. To support small businesses that are more likely to have experienced the greatest economic impacts, OED will ensure that priority is given to businesses from the following underserved communities:
- Small businesses owned by Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC).
- Woman-owned small business.
- Small businesses located in a highly distressed census tract with a minimum of 30% poverty or not exceeding 60% median income.
- Note: These areas meet the definition of “low-income communities” (LICs) by the federal Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Small Business Administration has prioritized low-income communities for COVID relief financing.
Note: OED staff will contact applicants via phone with an area code of 206 or email ending in @seattle.gov. Businesses can verify the identity of the staff by calling our office at (206) 684-8090 or visiting our staff directory page on our website.
5. How can businesses file a police report?
Businesses can file a police report by calling 911 or via the Online Crime Reporting website. Storefront Repair Fund applicants can provide their police report incident number during the application process as one of the required documents.
6. Do awardees need to pay the money back?
No, this is a grant and businesses are not required to pay the money back.
7. Do part-time employees count as employees?
Yes, any person on payroll counts as an employee.
8. What is the source of funding for the Storefront Repair Fund?
The Storefront Repair Fund is funded by the Coronavirus Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (CLFR) established under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
The Seattle Office of Economic Development is committed to building an equitable and inclusive economy that benefits the whole city by promoting access to economic opportunities for all of Seattle’s diverse communities.
The City of Seattle encourages everyone to participate in its programs and activities. For additional questions, translation or interpretation, technical assistance, disability accommodations, materials in alternate formats or accessibility information, please contact the Office of Economic Development at (206) 684-8090 or oed@seattle.gov.