Resources to Grow Your Business

Food Retail Expansion to Support Health (FRESH) promotes the establishment and retention of neighborhood grocery stores in communities lacking adequate access to healthy food by providing zoning and financial incentives to eligible grocery store operators and developers.

Learn more about FRESH tax incentives.

New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) provides financial incentives to businesses operating in the food importing, manufacturing, and distribution sectors through the New York City Industrial Development Agency (NYCIDA) and the Accelerated Sales Tax Exemption Program (ASTEP). These programs lower the cost of real estate and/or the purchasing of equipment and furnishings, allowing businesses to gain a foothold in the competitive New York market or expand their existing operations.

NYCEDC’s current footprint in the food sector also features several culinary incubators, including Hot Bread Kitchen (HBK) Incubates, Jamaica FEASTS, and the Food Business Pathways Program. The incubators provide spaces for aspiring chefs, bakers, and business owners to prototype their products, perfect their craft, and develop essential business skills. With access to shared commercial kitchen equipment and complimentary programming, these spaces help to catapult hundreds of NYC based food entrepreneurs into business.

The New York City Housing Authority’s (NYCHA) Catering Business Pathways program (CBP) is a free business training program that helps NYCHA and NYCHA Section 8 residents start and grow food businesses in New York City.

Residents who are accepted into CBP receive a free, intensive 10-week business course tailored specifically to meet the needs of NYCHA entrepreneurs. The program offers free licenses and permits, group and one-on-one business coaching designed to move their businesses forward, and assistance securing commercial kitchen space to operate their food businesses. CBP is an evolution of the Food Business Pathways program which has awarded free commercial kitchen incubator space grants to 42 businesses.

The Department of Small Business Services (SBS), NYCEDC, and partners have developed a set of initiatives to address challenges faced by entrepreneurs and to help them grow their businesses.

Learn more about opportunities for entrepreneurs at NYCEDC.

NYC Business Solutions is a set of FREE services offered by SBS to help businesses start, operate, and expand in New York City. Whether you need financing assistance, legal advice, ways to score new business opportunities with the City, recruiting advice, or help with permits or licenses, NYC Business Solutions can work for you – for FREE.

Learn more about NYC Business Solutions.

From time to time, leasing opportunities become available for City-owned properties. Find out about these opportunities in select commercial or industrial properties and retail or wholesale food markets.

Learn more about leasing opportunities at NYCEDC.