MDOT Purple Line Small Business Grant Program

MDOT Purple Line Small Business Grant — Round 3

Supports small businesses near the Purple Line transit corridor with grants up to fifty thousand dollars.

The MDOT Purple Line Small Business Grant Program is a Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA) initiative that provides up to $50,000 per award to small businesses along the Purple Line light rail corridor. The programme allocates $1 million per year across up to three application rounds split between Prince George's County and Montgomery County, and runs through 2028. Round 3 of the 2026 programme year is the final round of the year: it opens 12 October 2026, closes 7 November 2026, and announces awards on 16 December 2026. Grant payments are made approximately 30 days after the award announcement, estimated for December 2026 or January 2027. In 2025, approximately 200 businesses were awarded $2 million across all three rounds of that programme year.

To qualify, a business must have been open and operating at its current physical location before 1 July 2023, be located within one-quarter mile of the Purple Line alignment in Prince George's County or Montgomery County, employ 50 or fewer people, and have average annual gross sales under $2 million over the prior five years. The business must be in good standing with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation. Businesses in the cannabis, tobacco, alcohol, pawn shop, gun shop, massage parlor, adult entertainment, tanning salon, gambling, and tattoo industries are ineligible.

Applications are submitted through the Maryland OneStop portal at no cost. Required submissions include all mandatory fields, an IRS Tax Form W-9, and proof of active status from Maryland Business Express. Awards are taxable income. Round 3 is the last opportunity in the 2026 programme year; the next round is expected in early 2027 when the 2027 programme year schedule is published.