Brownsville opens up to $30,000 in storefront grants for District 2 businesses

Small businesses in Brownsville’s District 2 can now apply for up to $30,000 to improve their storefronts through the Brownsville Community Improvement Corporation’s BIG LIFT grant program.

District 2 covers much of eastern Brownsville, including the area around Brownsville South Padre Island International Airport and portions of the Boca Chica Boulevard corridor.

Applications opened Sept. 1 and will remain open through Oct. 9.

The program provides one-time reimbursement grants covering 80% of approved project costs for investments of up to $30,000. Businesses are responsible for the remaining 20% and must pay the full project cost upfront before receiving reimbursement from BCIC.

Eligible improvements include façade painting and restoration, signs, doors, windows, awnings, exterior lighting, parking lot resurfacing and striping, drought-tolerant landscaping, outdoor seating, and murals or public art by local artists.

Projects must cost at least $2,000, and work cannot begin before BCIC issues a Notice to Proceed.

To qualify, businesses must be for-profit, locally owned, have operated within Brownsville city limits for at least two years, and employ fewer than 20 people. Property owners can apply, as can tenants who meet lease and property-owner authorization requirements.

The District 2 application period follows the program’s first round in District 1, where 15 businesses submitted complete applications and collectively requested nearly three times the funding available. Most requested the maximum $30,000.

Funding is competitive. 

BCIC staff will score applications before they are presented to the corporation’s board of directors for final approval.

The grant will open to District 3 businesses from Dec. 1 through Jan. 15, 2027, followed by District 4 from March 1 through April 19.

District 2 businesses can review requirements and apply in English or Spanish through the BIG LIFT application page.