Detroit opens applications for Round 4 of the Detroit Legacy Business Project

• Applications open Aug. 24 for $310,000 in grants to Detroit businesses open 30 years or longer

• The program has awarded 76 legacy businesses nearly $1 million since its first round

• Round 4 includes one $50,000 citywide grant, 15 grants of $15,000 and seven $5,000 microgrants

• The Detroit Legacy Business Project is one of five DEGC programs distributing more than $1 million to Detroit entrepreneurs this year

• Applications close Oct. 5

August 24, 2026 (DETROIT) – Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) today announced that applications for Round 4 of the Detroit Legacy Business Project are now open, offering $310,000 in grants to businesses that have anchored Detroit neighborhoods for 30 years or more.

Since its first round, the program has awarded 76 legacy businesses nearly $1 million, funding equipment upgrades, façade improvements, marketing support and other projects that help longtime businesses stay open and competitive. Round 4 will add to that total with one $50,000 citywide grant, 15 grants of $15,000 (split between council districts and at-large winners) and seven $5,000 microgrants.

“Every dollar in this round goes to a business that has already proven it belongs in this city,” said Sheffield. “My administration is committed to standing behind the businesses that have sustained our neighborhood commercial corridors for decades, through every turmoil this city has faced. That’s what Rise Higher is about, meeting business owners where they are and giving them the resources to grow right here at home."

A track record built one storefront at a time

Past recipients include some of Detroit’s most recognizable names, among them Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, the world’s oldest continuously operating jazz club; American Coney Island, serving Coney dogs from the same downtown corner since 1917; and Henry the Hatter, the nation’s oldest hat retailer, founded in Detroit in 1893. The grants have also reached neighborhood fixtures less known outside their own corridors, from barbershops and pharmacies to tire shops and insurance agencies.

“Walk through the list of past recipients and you’re reading Detroit history,” said DEGC President and CEO Kevin Johnson. “Round 4 is our chance to add more names to it.”

What the grants fund

Grant dollars can go toward product inventory, equipment and machinery, building repairs, façade and signage improvements, and professional services including marketing, accounting, legal work and business consulting. Businesses must have operated in a physical Detroit location for at least 30 years and meet program eligibility requirements, including City of Detroit tax compliance.

“We designed this program around what actually keeps a legacy business open, not just what looks good on paper,” said Sean Gray, senior vice president of Small Business Services at the DEGC. “A façade grant or a new point-of-sale system might not sound exciting, but for a business owner who has been serving the same customers for three decades, it can be the difference between renewing the lease and closing the doors.”

Lauren Stovall, whose family operates Detroit’s oldest men’s clothier, Hot Sam’s, helped lay the groundwork for the Detroit Legacy Business Project through years of consulting work with legacy business owners across the city.

“These businesses built Detroit’s neighborhoods long before anyone talked about revitalizing them”" Stovall said. “Every round, we’re proving that Detroit doesn’t just celebrate its legacy businesses. It invests in them.”

How to apply

Applications for Round 4 of the Detroit Legacy Business Project open Aug. 24 and close Oct. 5. Eligible businesses must have operated in a physical Detroit commercial location for at least 30 years. Interested business owners can learn more at bit.ly/DEGCsmallbusiness.

The Detroit Legacy Business Project is one of five DEGC programs distributing more than $1 million in grants to Detroit entrepreneurs this year, alongside Green Grocer, NextUp313, the Detroit Startup Fund and Motor City Match. Together the programs support business owners at every stage, from first-time founders to businesses marking their 30th anniversary.

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Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC)

Detroit Economic Growth Corporation is a non-profit organization that serves as Detroit’s lead implementing agency for business retention, attraction and economic development. DEGC is led by a board comprised of business, civic and community leaders. Its staff provides services for key public authorities that facilitate incentives and other forms of financing for projects that bring new jobs and investment to the City. DEGC also manages important initiatives to support small businesses and grow neighborhood commercial corridors. DEGC is dedicated to inclusive development and access to economic opportunity.