Locally owned Nashville businesses open 10 years or more can apply for grants of up to $10,000 until Dec. 4. Metro will fund the top 30 applications.
Small Nashville businesses that have been open at least 10 years can now apply for Metro grants of up to $10,000. Applications for the new Legacy Business Program close Friday, Dec. 4.
The Mayor’s Office of Economic and Community Development opened the program on Nov. 6, along with a new grant for staff training. More than $300,000 is available in the first year, the office said, and it expects other contributors to add to that.
“Since we announced these programs, we’ve received immense interest in the Legacy Business Program and other new incentives,” Mayor Freddie O’Connell said.
Who can apply
The program handbook says a business must be:
- for profit, with fewer than 100 employees
- independently and locally owned
- open for at least 10 years in a row in Davidson County
- run from a physical location, not a home
- able to show it has contributed to its neighborhood’s culture, history or identity
Some businesses are ruled out. They include national franchises, businesses with overdue property taxes and those whose majority owners live outside the Nashville metro area. Banned business types include hotels, nightclubs, pawnshops, tattoo parlors, auto sales and repair, title loan stores and shops that mainly sell nicotine, CBD or THC products.
What the money can pay for
Grants can buy tools, equipment, software, technology, professional services and technical help. The handbook says the aim is to modernize, cut costs and make the business more competitive. A business can apply more than once but can win only one Legacy Business grant.
To apply, a business sends the application form as a PDF to the economic development staff named in the handbook. It must include:
- a copy of the business license
- a certificate of existence or good standing from the Tennessee secretary of state
- a 12-month cash flow statement or profit and loss statement
How winners are picked
A panel will score each application out of 100 points, and the top 30 will be funded. Nearly half the points go to what the business means to its community. Age counts too: a business open 36 years or more earns the full 15 points for years in operation, against three points for one open 10 to 15 years.
The handbook’s timeline, which it calls approximate:
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| Applications close | Dec. 4, 2026 |
| Paperwork review | December 2026 |
| Panel scoring | January 2027 |
| Top 30 announced | February 2027 |
| Grants paid | March 2027 |
Each award must also be approved by the Industrial Development Board. Winners file an expense report with itemized invoices within 45 days of the end of the grant period, and unspent money goes back to Metro.
The other grants
The same legislation created the Workforce Advancement Incentive. It pays $1,000 per employee for training that leads to a recognized credential, for up to 10 employees, so a maximum of $10,000. A business needs at least five employees to qualify, according to Metro’s small business incentives page.
It also widened the Property Investment Incentive. Buildings worth up to $2 million now qualify, double the old limit, and inside work now counts as well as outside work. That grant repays 50% of the cost, up to $50,000, on a project of at least $10,000 in an eligible census tract.
What it means for you
- Own a longtime local business? You have until Friday, Dec. 4. Gather your business license, good standing certificate and a year of financial statements now.
- Make the community case. Community presence is worth 45 of the 100 points, more than any other category.
- Questions or a paper form? Metro’s small business incentives page lists contacts for each program and a request form for an emailed application.
- Starting a business instead? See our list of new businesses and our directory of local businesses.
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