ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — The city of Decatur is offering thousands of dollars in grant money to small businesses as they get ready to welcome fans for the World Cup.
The program supports three types of grants: Commercial Facade Improvement Grants, Commercial Buildout Improvement Grants and Marketing and Digital Connectivity Grants. A total of $200,000 was allocated for the programs in the fiscal year that began July 1, 2025. The grants cover 75% of approved projects.
The Decatur Downtown Development Authority has already awarded $113,316 in grants to 19 businesses.
Smiley’s Burger Club on Howard Avenue is one of the businesses that received a grant. The burger joint used grant money from the city to remodel its front space and ramp up online marketing.
Next door, Kelly’s Market used grant money to replace the front door.
“It was a relief, and took a lot of stress out of our planning with our partners for Kelly’s. It enabled us to do something that maybe we weren’t able to afford on our own. So in both cases, it kind of kicked us over the edge to be able to do the work we wanted to do,” said Sean Crotty, part-owner of Smiley’s Burgers and Kelly’s Market, and president of the Decatur Business Association.
“So when you walk around Decatur, you really see the impact of the program,” said Crotty.
“For us to be able to communicate that to our members, to show off some of the results, to our other members and say, Yes, you can do this. You can get that done,” said Crotty.
Glide Pizza on Ponce de Leon Avenue also received a grant.
“Every dollar counts,” said Rob Birdsong, the founder and owner of Glide Pizza.
They used $10,000 in grant money for construction to expand, upgrade their kitchen and add restrooms and an arcade.
“So it really, really was a big help to get us over the finish line. And those, those final weeks, when things …every expense really mattered, and we were watching our dollars really closely,” said Birdsong.
A big push with the grants is getting the city ready for its monthlong World Cup Watch Fest. The city-hosted event will kick off with a performance by Outkast’s Big Boi at Decatur Square.
There will be a closing ceremony by Decatur natives Indigo Girls. Select matches will be shown on a new video wall at the square.
“It’s going to be super duper fun we love big we love big boy. We love the Indigo Girls. It’s great to be here in a vibrant downtown Decatur. We’re really excited to put the games on and welcome guests into our entire restaurant to come and eat some pizza and have some drinks and watch the games,” said Birdsong.
“So come on to Decatur,” said Crotty. “We’re excited to show it off and looking good. For patrons that are going to the game, play, eat in Decatur, hop on the MARTA and get down to Mercedes‑Benz to check out a match.”
Applications for businesses are open until Jan. 23. To qualify, businesses must have a license, be current on their taxes and fill out an application that states what they want to do, the benefit to the business and community and how the grant will help.
Since the program began in 2023, it has contributed more than $580,000 to downtown Decatur businesses.
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