The Maryland Department of Transportation has awarded a second round of grants to businesses affected by the construction of the Maryland Purple Line.
More than 30 businesses in Silver Spring and Takoma Park received small business grants ranging from $5,000 to $40,000 this month as part of the MDOT’s Purple Line Small Business Grant Program that launched last February.
The program aims to invest over $4 million over four years to support eligible businesses along the Purple Line corridor during construction.
The second round of the Purple Line Small Business Grant Program received over 350 applications and $500,000 in grants, while the first round had more than 450 applications and $1 million in grants.
MDOT will conduct three grant rounds each year, prioritizing grant awards based on business location and their proximity to areas significantly impacted by construction in the past six months and the upcoming six months.
“Small businesses are the heart of Maryland’s economy and its diverse communities, providing jobs, essential services, and economic opportunities,” MDOT Acting Secretary Samantha J. Biddle said in a press release. “It is critical that small businesses impacted during construction of the Purple Line are supported.”
Several businesses along the Purple Line construction in downtown Silver Spring received grants, including Mandalay Restaurant & Café, while others, like Café via Roma, did not.
To be eligible, awardees must be small businesses that primarily do business with customers onsite at a location within one-quarter of a mile of the Purple Line and have been open and operational since January 1, 2022.
Café via Roma opened last year after the grant program’s January 2022 requirement and is currently temporarily closed due to the Purple Line construction.
While co-owner Eden Negussie received a $5,000 grant from Montgomery County to help the business, it was not enough to cover employee wages and rent.
“It’s been very hard. I’m not getting any customers,” Negussie said to Bethesda Magazine in January.
Businesses that did not receive an award during the second round of funding or businesses that did not apply can submit an application in the next funding cycle, which opens October 6, with applications due by November 14, 2025.
MDOT officials said this month that the 16-mile, 21-station Maryland Purple Line is now 80 percent complete, with over 60 percent of the rail installed and dynamic testing underway. Service is slated to begin in winter 2027.
Photo Courtesy of The Purple Line Project