City First Enterprises

Thank you for your interest in the Commercial Property Acquisition Fund (CPAF). Mayor Bowser and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development are strategically investing up to $4 million in the Commercial Property Acquisition Fund. The CPAF is devised to provide down payment assistance through grants of up to $750,000 or 25% of the sale price, whichever is less, to eligible DC-based businesses looking to maintain and expand their operations to a physical presence by acquiring commercial property located in the District. Applications for the second round of the Commercial Property Acquisition Fund will open in early 2023.

Given the complexities of commercial real estate purchases, the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development is partnering with City First Enterprises to offer a training program to provide resources and guidance to help you through the purchasing process.

This three-part training program is mandatory and must be completed prior to applying for the CPAF grant in order to be considered for eligibility. 

To have access the training videos you need to create an account. The last recording will be available at 5pm next December 12, 2022. 

For any additional questions relating to the Commercial Property Acquisition Fund, please visit ObviouslyDC for more information or contact CPAF@cfenterprises.org

After finalizing the training, please apply here. Please note: the CPAF application will remain open until program funds are 100% committed. Please check back soon for any updates. 

Mayor Bowser and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, in partnership with the Council of the District of Columbia, are strategically investing up to $4 million in the Commercial Property Acquisition Fund (CPAF). The Commercial Property Acquisition Fund is devised to provide down payment assistance through grants of up to $750,000 or 25% of the sale price, whichever is less, to eligible DC-based businesses looking to maintain and expand their operations to a physical presence by acquiring commercial property located in the District. The program is designed for business applicants to own and occupy the commercial property for at least 7 years. 

Before proceeding with the application, please complete the mandatory CPAF 101 Training Program. Only fill out one application per business legal entity. 

City First Enterprises (CFE) is the grants administrator and main point of contact for this program.  For questions or assistance regarding this grant program or application, please email cpaf@cfenterprises.org. FAQs can be found here.

For any technical/IT questions, please reach out to Submittable, the grants management platform, for assistance.  Submittable's help page can be accessed here: https://www.submittable.com/help/submitter/

Please note: the CPAF application will remain open until program funds are 100% committed. Please check back soon for any updates. 

Please create a Submittable account to have access to the application.