Merchant Organizing Grants

The Merchant Organizing Grant is a specialized funding initiative managed by the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) through its Neighborhood Development Division. This program is part of the broader Strategic Impact Grants framework, which targets commercial revitalization across New York City's neighborhoods. The grant seeks to strengthen merchant organizing efforts, supporting nonprofit organizations in developing or revitalizing merchants associations within specific commercial corridors. The program aligns with SBS’s mission to promote thriving, community-rooted business environments throughout the city by engaging local stakeholders and fostering long-term commercial sustainability. Through the FY26 Merchant Organizing Grant, SBS offers awards of up to $100,000 per neighborhood to support projects running from July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. The initiative is tailored for place-based interventions, with preference given to neighborhoods lacking existing SBS investments or Business Improvement Districts. Funded projects should involve merchant outreach, relationship-building, and capacity development for ongoing collaboration. Applicants are required to propose at least one demonstration project—examples include business attraction, support and retention, district marketing, placemaking, and cleanliness or beautification—to visibly advance the organizing objectives. Eligible applicants must be incorporated nonprofit organizations authorized to operate in New York State and in compliance with all relevant city, state, and federal requirements. They must not owe unpaid taxes or be involved in litigation against the City, and must demonstrate integrity in managing public funds. The grant operates on a reimbursement basis, meaning expenses are reimbursed only after contract registration. Grantees must manage funds within clearly defined categories, such as personnel services, fringe, other than personnel services, and direct operating expenses. Applications are evaluated competitively based on organizational capacity, strength and feasibility of the proposal, and demonstrated community need. Reviewers from SBS will assess proposed timelines, deliverables, and budgets, as well as alignment with merchant organizing priorities and responsiveness to local merchant needs. Compliance with SBS procurement and reporting requirements is essential, including registration in systems such as PASSPort, PIP, and the Charities Bureau. Applications must be submitted online via SurveyMonkey Apply by 11:59 p.m. on April 20, 2025. No pre-application step is required. Awardees must participate in orientation, regular check-ins, and site visits and report on impact metrics. The grant is anticipated to recur on an annual basis, with subsequent cycles expected to begin in July of future years. For program-related inquiries, applicants should contact neighborhoods@sbs.nyc.gov.

Proposals should closely align with SBS's best practices for merchant associations; use of AI tools for application preparation is discouraged and may negatively impact evaluation