The city of Phoenix is extending its small business help to small companies along the South Central light rail extension.

Those businesses have until March 31 to apply for Small Business Financial Assistance Program and up to $9,000 in grant funding. Businesses who have received funding through previous grant cycles and first-timers are encouraged to apply, according to a city press release.

The funding is to help offset potential challenges caused by the construction of light rail along Central Avenue south of downtown Phoenix. To be eligible for a grant, businesses must:

• Be located on the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub light rail extension;
• Have 15 or fewer employees and annual revenue less than $750,000;
• Have been in operation prior to the June 2019 start of construction;
• Demonstrate loss in revenue as compared to before construction.

The first grant program, one that offered businesses up to $4,500 per grant, has been fully dispersed. Since it launched in 2021, the grant program has distributed $1.58 million to more than 270 small and micro businesses along the construction route

To view all eligibility requirements and apply, visit https://prestamoscdfi.org/vm2025.