Release Date: August 4,2025
Mayor Malik Announces $400,000 Investment in Neighborhood Business Districts Through Two 2025 Great Streets Grant Programs
Akron, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2025 — The City of Akron is announcing that starting today, businesses in Great Streets Neighborhood Business Districts can apply for the 2025 Micro Enterprise Business Improvement Grant and the 2025 Façade/Building Improvement Grant. The Great Streets Akron mission is to support and build walkable, vibrant neighborhoods through investments in the built environment, public realm and locally owned businesses. Since the inception of the Great Streets program in 2018, Akron has awarded over $2 million to support local businesses. Visit the Great Streets Akron website at www.akronohio.gov/greatstreets to apply.
The City of Akron has been awarded Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Through these grant funds, Great Streets programming will expand in 2025 to support micro enterprise business growth and façade related building improvements. Akron has received $300,000 for the 2025 Façade/Building Improvement Grant and another $100,000 to support the 2025 Micro Enterprise Business Improvement Grant.
Mayor Shammas Malik stated, “Investing in our neighborhoods and small businesses is a key component in both the Working Together and Living Together strategies of my administration. Providing support for new small businesses and also investing in the architecture that houses those businesses provides two different paths for supporting neighborhoods and the entire Akron economy.”
2025 Micro Enterprise Business Improvement Grant
The 2025 Micro Enterprise Business Improvement Grant is intended to support general operations and business development for entrepreneurs who own their own businesses with five or fewer employees in Great Street Neighborhood Business Districts. This grant of up to $5,000 will be paired with connections to existing Akron area business assistance providers to help build business acumen and support ensuring the entrepreneur is building on strong fundamentals.
“We are committed to not only providing Great Street businesses with funding but also ensuring they have dedicated time to connect with valuable resource providers for sustained growth,” stated City Small Business Administrator Isaiah Young. “Working with a professional advisor early on can lead to greater success in the long run. We want to help businesses connect with the professionals who can provide that guidance.”
A strong ecosystem of small business assistance is available to Akron businesses of many sizes and stages. Many of those providers can be found on the resources tab of the Great Streets Akron webpage, and also through the Greater Akron Business Navigator. The 2025 Micro-Enterprise Business Improvement Grant will open for applications today, August 4th. Applications should be submitted by September 30th. The application for the grant is available here.
2025 Façade/Building Improvement Grant
The 2025 Façade/Building Improvement Grant is for exterior improvements and/or site improvements of businesses located in Great Street Neighborhood Business Districts. Eligible business may access up to $20,000 matching grant funds through the grant.
Eligible items include, but are not limited to: facade renovation, brick and masonry cleaning, installation of new doors and windows, and signage improvements. Suggested projects can be found here.
Applications are open now and can be submitted through the website by September 30th.
Great Streets Akron
The Great Streets Akron Initiative is a program that ensures the continual support of our neighborhood business districts and locally owned businesses therein. Neighborhood Business Districts provide a backbone of density where storefront businesses can help build walkability, improve neighborhood health outcomes, build sociability, increase community pride, improve safety, create job opportunities and, through co-location, increase business viability while contributing to the local economy. There are 13 Neighborhood Business Districts including: Copley East, Ellet, Firestone/Aster Ave, Goodyear Heights, Kenmore, Maple Valley, Merriman Valley, Middlebury, North Hill, South Arlington, Sherbondy Hill, Wallhaven, and West Hill. Maps of the districts themselves are available here on the Great Streets Website.
Questions about the grants can be sent via email to Small Business Administrator, Isaiah Young at kyoung@akronohio.gov.