Mayor Announces New Initiatives to Support Nashville’s Small Businesses

Mayor Freddie O’Connell today announced legislation to establish a new Legacy Business Program, create a Workforce Advancement Incentive Program, and expand Metro’s existing Property Investment Incentive Program—all designed to help Nashville’s small businesses grow, invest, and thrive.

Announced in his State of Metro address, these initiatives build on the O’Connell Administration’s commitment to strengthen quality of life for residents, make Nashville more affordable, and support the local businesses that shape the city’s culture and economy.

“Small and legacy businesses are the backbone of our communities,” said Mayor Freddie O’Connell. “They’re places of friendship and fellowship. They make us feel like we belong here. They’ve helped build a Nashville for Nashvillians, and they should have the opportunity to remain a part of its future.”

Legacy Business Program

The newly created Legacy Business Program will support small businesses that have operated in Nashville for 15 years or more and have become fixtures of their communities as they contribute to their neighborhood’s identity.

Program grants will cover areas essential to running a successful legacy business, such as modernizing operational infrastructure, planning for sustainability and resilience, reducing operational costs, investing in marketing, and more—resources that are often prohibitively costly for small businesses.

More than $300,000 in funding will be available in the first-year pilot, with additional contributors expected to increase the total throughout the year.

Workforce Advancement Incentive Program

The Workforce Advancement Incentive Program will provide grants up to $10,000 to help small businesses recruit and retain talented employees by supporting continuing education for Nashville’s workforce.

Incentives will cover costs associated with a wide range of training programs that result in certifications awarded by both small business owners and accredited organizations.

"When businesses invest in their employees, opportunities expand, and the whole community benefits,” the Mayor said.

Expanded Property Investment Incentive Program

The Property Investment Incentive Program will now include commercial buildings valued at up to $2 million—doubling the previous threshold to create more community impact—and adds interior building improvements to the program, which before only covered exterior improvements.

Businesses can receive matching grants that reimburse 50 percent of construction or rehabilitation costs, up to $50,000.

“The age of a property shouldn’t be a barrier to a business’s success,” the Mayor said.

From the Unified Housing Strategy to Choose How You Move, the O’Connell Administration is focused on creating a city where everyone belongs— where all Nashvillians have housing they can afford, a neighborhood where they feel safe, a bus that arrives on time, a park they can walk to, and a job that pays the bills.

The mayor and his team are working to meet Nashville's growth by treating housing, transit, and opportunity as one connected strategy so that the city shapes its own future, rather than being shaped by it.

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