The Retail Access Grant provides local governments with resources to develop and implement cannabis retailer licensing programs. Up to $20 million total funding is available, distributed in two phases. A local jurisdiction (city or county) is eligible for funding if it both: Does not currently have a cannabis retail licensing program, andHas a plan to develop and implement a cannabis retail licensing programFunding can be used for: Support of equity applicants and licenseesEnvironmental reviewsPermitting expensesPersonnel costs By providing this assistance to cities and counties, the Retail Access Grant aims to: Provide consumers with reliable access to regulated, tested cannabis;Reduce demand in the illicit market;Establish enough cannabis retail stores statewide to meet existing consumer demand. Funding Rounds Funding will be distributed in two phases: Phase I: in June 2023, DCC announced awards of over $4 million in funding to 18 cities and counties to develop and implement local cannabis retail licensing programs. The Phase I application period closed on April 28, 2023. See the Phase I Grant Awards below.Phase II: awards funding to eligible cities and counties based on the number of local cannabis retail licenses that they issue. The Phase II application period will open in October.Over $15 million in total funding is available in Phase II. An eligible jurisdiction may apply for funding in Phase II even if it did not participate in Phase I. Priority Funding This grant program prioritizes funding to local jurisdictions that: Propose to assist cannabis equity businesses;Address gaps in consumer access to safe and regulated cannabis;Plan to permit cannabis retailers through existing business permitting processes; Local jurisdictions that meet these criteria will be eligible for priority points. Applications with priority points will be processed first.
