Downtown remains a vital engine for DC’s economic growth. The District continues to collectively Run Through the Tape with the FY26 budget. The programs and funding below intend to continue supporting a mixed-use, 24/7 Downtown with more housing, people, activity, and vibrancy than ever before.  

Below are a list of investments and programs the District is making in Downtown DC. 

 Incentivizing Business Attraction and Retention

Vitality Fund: This fund is DC’s primary corporate attraction tool, offering grants to incentivize companies to relocate to or expand within the District, primarily in high-growth sectors like tech, life sciences, and business services.  Learn more  here: https://dmped.dc.gov/page/vitalityfund 




Growth Fund: The Growth Fund supports startups and small businesses committed to growing and hiring in DC. It is a key tool for helping local innovators scale while keeping them rooted in the District. Learn more here: https://dmped.dc.gov/page/growthfund 





Chinatown Long Term Lease Grant Program: The Program will provide up to $125,000 in total grant funding to eligible businesses to offset the costs of rent. More information can be found here: https://dmped.dc.gov/page/FY25-Chinatown-Lease-Incentive-Grant-Program



 

DC Tech Ecosystem Fund: The DC Technology Ecosystem Fund will invest in business accelerators and incubators that support the growth of technology start-up companies in DC.


 

 

Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) The Partnership is a nonprofit public–private organization that drives inclusive economic development in Washington, DC. It connects businesses with resources, supports site selection and market research, and promotes the District as a global destination for investment and growth. 



 

Safe Commercial Corridor Grants: This program is designed to promote public safety and public health through evidence-based activities for residents, workers, and visitors within the District. More information can be found here: https://dmpsj.dc.gov/page/safe-commercial-corridors-grant-program  

Transforming Old Spaces to New Uses 

Housing in Downtown: This competitive grant program offers a 20-year tax abatement for office to residential conversions that are located within the Central Washington and Near Northwest Planning Areas. Eligible boundaries can be found here.
 
 

 

Office to Anything: This is a competitive grant program freezes property taxes in place for conversions of office buildings into new uses downtown. More information can be found here: https://dmped.dc.gov/page/office-anything-program

 

 

Creating Extraordinary Experiences 

Special Event Relief Fund: This fund supports organizations host festivals, art fairs, events Downtown and across DC. Learn more here: https://dmped.dc.gov/page/special-event-relief-fund

 

Gallery Place Chinatown Activations: This fund intends to supports businesses in the Chinatown/Gallery Place neighborhood while the Capital One Arena redevelopment project is under construction. 

 

Building a Premiere Arts and Entertainment Destination 

DowntownDC Arts and Culture Coalition: A group of 15+ cultural institutions from Downtown, both public and private, come together quarterly to collaborate and strengthen the cultural fabric of Washington, DC’s Gallery Place/Chinatown neighborhood. Through joint efforts, these organizations market and promote member programs and services, develop innovative initiatives that enrich the area’s cultural landscape, and activate public spaces with unique events designed to foster community engagement and encourage visitation.

 

 

Capital One Arena Renovations: This project will support capital improvements to revitalize the Chinatown neighborhood in Downtown DC and the renovation of Capital One Arena. These improvements include sports arena renovations; improvements to roadways, sidewalks, streetscapes, and other transportation infrastructure in the public right of way; and public space activations and expansion of green space. Learn more here: https://www.capitalonearena.com/arena-info/arena-transform.




Gallery Square: Used to create Gallery Square, this priority project designated by the Gallery Place/Chinatown Task Force, intends to transform public space surrounding the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture into an iconic plaza for gatherings and a civic space for cultural and social activities that will attract District residents and visitors, while also supporting businesses and building vitality in the Gallery Place/Chinatown neighborhood and the downtown area as a whole. Learn more here:https://bedowntown.dc.gov/page/about-gallery-placechinatown-task-force  



7th Street South/Gallery Place Gateway: This project will remove parking lanes on both sides of 7th Street between D and F Streets NW, expand the sidewalks, and create outdoor dining opportunities. The project will also commission public art in key locations to create a “gateway” to Gallery Place. Learn more here: https://bedowntown.dc.gov/page/about-gallery-placechinatown-task-force  

 

 

Shaping the Future of Downtown 

Downtown Transportation Plan: The Downtown Transportation Plan will envision ideas to connect nodes, reimagine the public realm around key assets, and identify means by which the transportation network can support a future Downtown with additional housing, anchor institutions, and a vibrant neighborhood mix. More information can be found here: https://www.downtowntransportationplan.com/.  

 

Golden Triangle Repositioning Study: This planning initiative identifies public space improvements to Penn West and Downtown West/Golden Triangle neighborhoods in Downtown. 
 

Chinatown Renewal Initiative: This is an effort to rejuvenate and preserve the cultural identity of Chinatown by bringing together prominent Chinese and AAPI community leaders and providing a collaborative space for inclusivity that will help ensure the future of the neighborhood remains rooted in its history.




Downtown Action Plan 
This plan outlines an economic development strategy for key nodes, and across the broader neighborhood, to help build a more dynamic, inclusive, accessible, and resilient Downtown. Learn more here: https://www.reimaginedowntowndc.com/  




Gallery Place Chinatown Task Force Recommendations 
This report outlines key recommendations for the Gallery Place Chinatown neighborhood across a variety of categories including keeping the neighborhood clean & safe, expanding visitation, supporting new investment, and promoting a Chinatown that is both old & new. Learn more here: https://bedowntown.dc.gov/page/about-gallery-placechinatown-task-force 




Office of Planning Downtown Public Realm Plan 
This plan proposes a framework and four catalytic projects along specific corridors for transforming Downtown’s streets and public spaces. Learn more here: https://planning.dc.gov/DowntownPublicRealm  





DC’s Comeback Plan (Five Year Economic Strategy) 
Sets 5-year economic development goals to make DC a place for successful businesses, opportunity-rich neighborhoods, and thriving people. Learn more here: https://dmped.dc.gov/page/dcs-comeback-plan  


 

Other Major Projects 

Penn West Streetscape: This streetscape improvement on Pennsylvania Avenue from Washington Circle to the White House aims to improve pedestrian and bicycle travel while building a uniform and green streetscape. The project aims turning the Pennsylvania Avenue West corridor into a destination that amplifies its important role as a connector and iconic destination in the District. More information can be found here: https://ddot-cp-penn-ave-w-dcgis.hub.arcgis.com/. 




Dupont Connecticut Avenue Streetscape and Deckover: This will be a new, multi-modal streetscape along Connecticut Avenue, starting on the north side of Dupont Circle and continuing north to California Street NW to enhance mobility, safety and repurpose unused existing spaces. More information can be found here: https://connave-streetscape.ddot.dc.gov/  




8th Street North: This project intends to connect and complement Gallery Square to the Convention Center by creating a linear green street that offers shade, seating, and areas for smaller activations. From the Reynolds Center to the Carnegie Library. Learn more here: https://bedowntown.dc.gov/page/about-gallery-placechinatown-task-force   




NCPC Pennsylvania Avenue: This initiative aims to transform Pennsylvania Avenue into a thriving, world-class destination. By updating its infrastructure and revitalizing its streetscape, we can restore the Avenue as a source of national pride and economic opportunity for generations to come. Learn more here: https://www.ncpc.gov/initiatives/pennave/