Motor City Match awards first-ever $1 million round of grants
- Twenty Round 20 entrepreneurs awarded grants to help bring their dreams of opening a business to reality
- Recently-approved ARPA funding doubles grants provided by program that already has helped 138 entrepreneurs open their brick-and-mortar businesses
- Round 20 winners include and array of restaurants and coffee/tea/juice shops, apparel shops and a popular farm and cider mill in the city
- Round 21 applications open today at motorcitymatch.com
The expanded impact was made possible by $15 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding approved recently by Detroit City Council.
“Motor City Match has unleashed the incredible entrepreneurial talent that has always existed in Detroit and is bringing a range of wonderful new businesses to neighborhoods across the city,” said Mayor Duggan. “Thanks to this additional ARPA funding, the program will have twice the impact on the revitalization of our neighborhood commercial corridors.”
Among the businesses receiving grants are an African-themed metaphysics shop, high-end and custom apparel shops, a party supply rental shop, a community laundromat and a host of new neighborhood-based coffee, tea, juice and ice cream shops among many more.
In addition to grants, the program confirmed awards to 45 additional businesses in its Business Plan, Develop, and Design Tracks. These awards offer technical assistance, business services, classes and workshops, and one-on-one consulting for Detroit businesses still developing their projects. Round 20 Awardees represent all 7 council districts and more than 13 Detroit neighborhoods.
“The beauty of the Motor City Match program is that it continues providing valuable tools and resources for awardees throughout their entire journey from idea to open,” said Kevin Johnson, president and CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation. “This program helps to ensure that once open, those doors stay open and these businesses remain essential.”
Since 2015, Motor City Match has made awards to more than 1,600 businesses. Those awards, both cash grants and services, have resulted in 138 new brick & mortar businesses currently operating throughout the city. Starting with Round 20, the program will leverage an infusion of federal funding from the city’s ARPA allocation to increase both the amount of grants and scope of services available. The quarterly grant pool will increase to $1,000,000 for new businesses and offer a $250,000 in grants to existing business that have been operating in the city for at least one year.
Integrating ARPA funding into the program represents a continuation of the city’s efforts to support businesses in combatting the negative economic impact of the pandemic. The DEGC administered over $15 million in Covid relief grants between March 2020 and March 2021 and introduced the Detroit Means Business platform to provide wrap-around services for Detroit businesses. ARPA funding will allow Motor City Match and the DEGC to continue those efforts and target support to underserved Detroit entrepreneurs.
Motor City Match continues to grow Detroit’s small-business landscape
Combined with its other small business programming, DEGC is creating a sustainable small business environment that nurtures new concepts and ideas. Motor City Match offers business owners a wide range of assistance in four tracks Plan, Develop, Design, and Cash. The program helps Detroit entrepreneurs plan, formalize, and launch their business by providing business planning classes, site-selection assistance, financial planning, legal aid, design services, and gap funding.
Through 20 rounds of the program:
- 85 percent are minority-owned businesses
- 74 percent are women-owned businesses
- 68 percent are businesses owned by Detroit residents
- 1,606 total business served
- Total cash grants: $10.1 million
- Total leveraged investment: $60 million
- Total business open: 138
- Total businesses under construction: 64
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