City of Austin Grants and Funding
Open Relief Grants
Austin Legacy Business Relief Grant
Phase 1 Application Open: February 16, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. - March 17, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.
The Austin City Council established the $15 million Save Austin’s Vital Economic Sectors (SAVES) Fund through Ordinance No. 20201001-052 to support local industries. Through the SAVES Fund, Austin City Council adopted the final guidelines for the $5 million Austin Legacy Business Relief Grant via Resolution No. 20201203-012.
Phase 1: Emergency Funding
- Eligible applicants will receive a $20,000 grant, which PeopleFund will distribute in March 2021. Should program demand exceed available funding in the first phase, a scoring matrix will be used to select program participants.
- Phase 1 participants will be required to complete a Technical Assistance Evaluation and will have access to a series of business coaching and one-on-one technical assistance related to sustaining and growing their business. Read more about the Technical Assistance Evaluation.
Closed Relief Grants
The City of Austin is no longer accepting applications for the following grants:
- Austin Childcare Provider Relief Grant
- Austin Creative Space Disaster Relief Program
- Austin Creative Worker Relief Grant
- Austin Live Music Venue Preservation Fund
- Austin Music Disaster Relief Fund
- Austin Non-Profit Relief Grant
- Austin Small Business Relief Grant
Visit the City of Austin's ATXRecovers.com for resources to help businesses and individuals recover from the financial hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ongoing Funding Programs
Business Expansion Incentive Program
The City may award an incentive for expansion projects to companies who create new jobs plus provide access to employment and community benefits. Considerations include: middle-skill jobs at above-industry standard compensation, hiring populations facing economic and socio-economic hardships that pose as a barrier to employment, and realizable community benefits beyond tax revenue.
Cultural Arts Funding
Cultural Arts Funding provides cultural arts programs for the Austin community by contracting with arts organizations for specific services.
Film & Digital Media Production Incentives
Incentives and funding resources for filmmakers.
Heritage Grants
Heritage Grants serve to promote tourism through the preservation, restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings, sites or districts. Historic preservation is a successful economic development tool that creates jobs, spurs new business, and strengthens local economies.
City of Austin Loans
Open Loans:
Family Business Loan Program
The Family Business Loan Program is a public-private partnership between the City of Austin, HUD, and participating private lenders to offer low-interest loans to qualified small businesses that are expanding and creating jobs. Our mission to enable existing local businesses to expand and create jobs, revitalize communities, increase the tax base of the City of Austin, and enhance the overall quality of life for Austin residents.
Veteran Business Loan Initiative
The Veteran Business Loan is part of the Family Business Loan Program, a public-private partnership between the City of Austin Economic Development Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which offers a low-interest rate loan and low borrower equity requirements to help create or expand a business.
Closed Loans:
Austin Economic Injury Bridge Loan Program
The City of Austin is no longer accepting new inquiries for the Austin Economic Injury Bridge Loan Program. The deadline for submission expired on May 8, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. The Austin Economic Injury Bridge Loan Program is intended to “bridge the gap” between the time a major disaster hits until a business has secured recovery resources. The proposed loan program will work alongside the applicant’s request for federal assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Economic Injury Disaster Loan.