San Francisco offers grants to Chinese-speaking business owners citywide who fill vacant storefronts

SAN FRANCISCO — With a goal to continue reducing the number of vacant storefronts in the City, San Francisco announced a business grant program specifically benefiting Chinese-speaking business owners and invited them to submit applications.

The deadline for the newly-announced Chinese Language Training and Launch Storefront Grant is 5 p.m. on May 29, 2026, or when the funds are exhausted. More information about the grant program can be found online: https://www.sf.gov/chinese-language-training-and-launch-storefront-grant.

The City's Office of Economic & Workforce Development (OEWD) administers the Chinese Language Training and Launch Storefront Grant program in partnership with the Self-Help for the Elderly.

This grant program uniquely includes an in-language small business training session that applicants must participate in and complete as a requirement to receive the grants.

"The program is specifically designed to help Chinese‑speaking entrepreneurs open or expand their brick‑and‑mortar businesses. Eligible applicants may receive up to $15,000 to support business planning, securing a storefront, and covering early startup costs," said Mikayla Carter, Senior Communications Specialist of the OEWD.

"For many entrepreneurs, the combination of limited Chinese‑language business support and the complexities of leases, permitting, and early startup expenses has created barriers to opening a physical storefront," Carter continued.

"This grant program is a direct response to those needs. By pairing funding with Chinese‑language training and hands‑on support, we aim to reduce language barriers, minimize financial risk, and help more entrepreneurs bring vibrancy to San Francisco’s commercial corridors," Carter added.

The program offers two grants of $7,500 or $15,000 to eligible business owners who need to launch a three-month pop-up business or establish a longer-term lease at the storefronts which have been vacated, non-operative, for over three months.

The $7,500 grants are for pop-up storefront businesses with a minimum of 3-month operation. The $15,000 grants are designed for longer-term businesses with a minimum of an operation of 6 months.

The program also focuses on supporting small businesses who must have $5 million or less in gross business revenue on the most recent tax return provided.

The businesses are required to have 100 or fewer employees and have not previously received any similar grants offered by the OEWD.

Eligible businesses must have signed a commercial lease or storefront agreement with the property owners with a commencement occupancy date of January 1, 2026 or later.

The nature of the businesses must be in retail or service industries and open for the public. Office spaces and childcare services do not qualify for the grants.

The grant applications will be processed by the Self Help for the Elderly. Business owners who are interested in applying for this grant program can reach out to Self Help for the Elderly’s Small Business and Economic Development Team at 415-699-1350 or email to smallbiz@selfhelpelderly.org.