The City of Manor “City” through its City of Manor City Council (“Council”) is providing potential rental assistance for up to 12 months for eligible brick and mortar small businesses that choose to locate in Manor. Additionally, the Council may provide assistance for existing small brick and mortar businesses to expand their gross rentable space. In every case, the Council, as well as the City, reserves the right to deny applicants at its sole discretion. Funding is subject to availability of resources and to the applicant business’s potential to strengthen, compliment and diversify the existing business makeup, as determined solely at the discretion of the Council and City.
Before applying, please contact the city's Economic Development Department to verify funding levels for the current fiscal year and to receive important information on additional resources that may be necessary for a successful application. Please email Scott Jones, Economic Development Director, at sjones@manortx.gov.
Business Eligibility
Non-profit businesses/organizations, food trucks and home-based businesses are not eligible for consideration. Businesses must be contributing to the economic footprint of the City area to be eligible.
Any eligible brick-and-mortar small business may apply for rental assistance, but those falling into the following categories may be given greater consideration:
- Restaurants, coffee shops, specialty food
- Entertainment
- Upscale apparel/accessories, footwear
- Electronics – computers, phones, digital equipment
- Specialty retail – toys, sporting goods, transportation
- Home furnishings and appliances
- Visual and performing arts
- Professional offices
Rental Assistance Application Form
Applicants are required to submit a completed application form, a copy of an executed lease between the applicant and the property owner(s), a business plan and a proposed budget, financials, and a marketing plan. Complete application packet must be submitted to the Economic Development Director by the end of the month to be considered at the City of Manor City Council Meeting held on the 3rd Wednesday of every month.
For the expansion of an existing small brick and mortar business, the application for rental assistance should include at a minimum a completed application form and a profit and loss statement.
Assistance application for a business not related or like the existing business is required to submit a full, new business application packet.
With the success of the business venture foremost in everyone’s mind, the City and Council strongly urge the applicant to become familiar with the business makeup of Manor and to have discussions with existing business owners to avoid potential pitfalls.
A fillable PDF Rental Assistance Application form can be found here.
Required steps if grant is approved
The applicant will be required to complete the following (as applicable) after the decision to award the grant and prior to the initial disbursement to the landlord:
- Arrange a meeting with the Economic Development Director who will serve as a mentor through this process.
- Arrange a meeting with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC).
Arranging a meeting with the Economic Development Director in 3 months to review performance is required before further grant payments are released.
Eligible applicants may be awarded rental assistance up to 50% of the monthly lease amount for the first six months, not to exceed $750.00 per month, and for each month seven through 12, payments will be reduced by approximately 11.5%. The maximum allowable amount, as an example:
All rental assistance award payments will be paid monthly directly to the property owner and only after the business has received its Certificate of Occupancy and any other required permits.
Address questions to Scott Jones, Economic Development Director
Contact information: Phone - 512-364-2747; Email – sjones@manortx.gov;