Motor City Match Awards $330K to Five Detroit Small Businesses — 90% Minority-Owned, 88% Woman-Owned

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Mayor Mary Sheffield and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) announced $330,000 in grants to five Detroit small businesses through Round 32 of Motor City Match, bringing new commercial space to three of the city’s seven City Council districts .

The announcement was made at Vander Detroit, itself a Round 32 awardee, in its soon-to-be-renovated cafe. The five businesses will open or expand brick-and-mortar locations across the city, adding dining, grocery and creative space .

The Awardees: Five Neighborhood Businesses

Cash Only Bistro (ADH Ventures Holdings LLC) — $75,000
Owner Sharletta Hall brings a background in restaurant management and previously ran a build-your-own pasta bar catering business. The restaurant will open at 16215 E. Warren Ave. in Morningside, District 4 .

Calamansi (Fifty/50 LLC) — $60,000
Owner Marcee Sobredilla and her team bring more than 15 years of restaurant industry experience, with a concept built around Filipino hospitality. The Filipino restaurant will open at 4458 W. Vernor Highway in Central Southwest, District 6 .

La Altena Supermercado (La Altena LLC) — $85,000
Owner Joel Padilla has spent 25 years running his family’s Southwest Detroit restaurant, Taquería El Nacimiento. The full-service grocery store at 7843 W. Vernor Highway in Springwells, District 6, will feature produce, an in-house butcher shop, and baked goods and tortillas made on site .

The Creative Union (The Creative Union LLC) — $50,000
The media and cultural development hub will expand at 2937 E. Grand Blvd. in Milwaukee Junction, District 5, adding space for content production, education, entrepreneurship and creative collaboration .

Vander Cafe LLC — $60,000
The neighborhood café at 626 Harper Ave. in Medbury Park, District 5, will serve coffee by day and non-alcoholic cocktails into the evening. Its team brings experience from Rhythm Coffee pop-ups, private events and community activations .

The Impact: 90% Minority-Owned, 88% Woman-Owned

In Round 32, 90% of awardees are minority-owned, 88% are woman-owned and 70% are owned by Detroit residents .

“These five businesses are bringing fresh food to our communities, creating places for people to connect, giving new ways to build community – and more reasons to believe in our neighborhoods. Every dollar invested in these entrepreneurs is a vote of confidence in Detroit’s future.”
— Mayor Mary Sheffield

“Motor City Match is helping entrepreneurs turn proven experience and strong ideas into permanent brick-and-mortar businesses. A Southwest Detroit family with decades in the food industry and creatives building something new in Milwaukee Junction are indicators of what’s possible in our city. Motor City Match is investing in Detroit, and Detroit is investing right back.”
— Kevin Johnson, DEGC President and CEO

The Program: A Decade of Investment in Detroit Entrepreneurs

Motor City Match is a small business incubator program powered by a partnership between the City of Detroit, DEGC and the Economic Development Corporation of the City of Detroit . The program awards cash grants and provides planning, design and development support to entrepreneurs looking to open or expand a brick-and-mortar business in Detroit .

By the numbers (through 30+ rounds):

$21 million in cash grants awarded
203 businesses opened
2,236 businesses served
$111 million in leveraged investment
84% of awardees are minority-owned
72% are women-owned
70% are owned by Detroit residents

The program also supports entrepreneurs through its Plan, Develop and Design tracks, which provide business services, training and one-on-one advising to help entrepreneurs move from concept to launch. Round 32 awarded 15 businesses in the Plan track, 15 in Develop and five in Design, in addition to the five Cash awardees .

The Next Round: Applications Open Now

Round 33 of Motor City Match is currently accepting applications from September 1 to October 1, 2026 . The round will award $315,000 in grants, with an average grant size of $50,000, to new brick-and-mortar Detroit businesses .

The program connects entrepreneurs with vacant commercial space and fuels the small business growth visible on corridors across the city .

Why It Matters: The Blueprint in Action

These grants are the blueprint in action — direct capital, technical assistance, and brick-and-mortar investment flowing into urban neighborhoods. For Black and Brown entrepreneurs who face systemic barriers to traditional financing, programs like Motor City Match are how generational wealth gets built block by block.

“People who saw a gap in their neighborhoods decided to fill it… that’s what’s going to bring our city back to the place where we want it to be, which is the most vibrant and most outstanding place to start and grow a business.”
— Kevin Johnson, DEGC President

For urban communities across America, Detroit’s model offers a roadmap: invest in local entrepreneurs, prioritize minority- and women-owned businesses, and build the commercial corridors that sustain neighborhoods.

The question is not whether the blueprint works. The question is whether other cities will follow it.