The City of Hercules has allocated $100,000 to assist certain types of desired eating and drinking businesses with move-in costs.

This grant program is focused on assisting certain types of desired new retail businesses with move-in costs associated with occupying vacant storefront spaces in Hercules. It aims to attract eating and drinking establishments that increase vibrancy and provide amenities, such as sit-down or fast casual restaurants, breweries and taprooms, wine bars, and craft distilleries, to locate in Hercules.

Basic Criteria:

• The business is a brick-and-mortar, for-profit, sales tax-generating businesses in one of the following categories:

• Restaurant
• Café (Refer to application website for further details)
• Wine bar
• Brewery or taproom
• Craft distillery

• The business must lease/rent their commercial property directly from a landlord.
• The space must be vacant and available for lease as of the start date of the program.
• The business is either independently owned/operated or a locally owned franchisee (i.e., local outlets of chains or franchises that are headquartered outside of the nine-county Bay Area and/or have more than six locations are not eligible)
• The business must provide a matching move-in expenditure equal to or greater than the grant amount.

Grant Amount: Grants of $5,000 (minimum) to $25,000 (maximum) per qualified business are available. The grant amount must be matched by the applicant.

To access the application and detailed program criteria, please click here.