Boston Main Streets: what the districts do for a storefront business

Key takeaways

• Boston Main Streets is a network of 20 independent nonprofit organizations overseen by the City of Boston Office of Small Business, each covering one neighborhood commercial district.
• The Boston Main Streets Foundation lists 20 districts, from Allston Village to West Roxbury, while the contact list on boston.gov showed 18 on November 13, 2026.
• Roslindale Village Main Street, created in 1983, was the first Main Streets organization in Boston, and the citywide program and its foundation date to 1995.
• ReStore Boston, the city storefront grant program, reimburses 50 to 90% of project costs, up to $8,000 for signage and up to $200,000 for facades.
• ReStore Boston reviews applications five times a year, with deadlines of February 1, April 1, May 15, September 1 and November 1.
• A storefront outside every district can still ask the Office of Small Business at 617-635-0355 for a Neighborhood Business Manager.

If you own or manage a shop, restaurant or service business with a street-level storefront in Boston, there is a good chance a Main Streets office already works on your block. Boston Main Streets is a network of 20 independent nonprofit organizations, overseen by the City of Boston Office of Small Business, that each look after one neighborhood commercial district. A Main Streets district is the set of blocks one of those nonprofits covers, and its director is usually the fastest route to city programs, neighbors and local events.

The sections below list the districts, explain who runs and pays for the program, describe what a district office does for a business, and set out the city grant most often tied to Main Streets work, ReStore Boston, with its dollar caps and deadlines.

What is Boston Main Streets?

Boston Main Streets is a city-backed program in which 20 separate nonprofits each work to keep one neighborhood business district healthy. According to the City of Boston Office of Small Business, the office oversees the network, and the program began in Boston when the Roslindale Village Main Street organization was created in 1983.

Three parties share the work, as the Boston Main Streets Foundation describes it: the City of Boston, the foundation itself and the district organizations. The foundation says the city established it in 1995 as a public-private initiative. Each district is its own nonprofit with its own board, director and budget, so a rule or service in Fields Corner does not automatically apply in Hyde Park.

How many Boston Main Streets districts are there?

Boston has 20 Main Streets districts, according to both the Office of Small Business and the Boston Main Streets Foundation. The foundation’s district directory lists these 20:

• Allston Village Main Streets
• Bowdoin Geneva Main Streets (Dorchester)
• Brighton Main Streets
• Chinatown Main Street
• East Boston Main Streets
• Egleston Square Main Street (Jamaica Plain)
• Fields Corner Main Street (Dorchester)
• Four Corners Main Street (Dorchester)
• Greater Ashmont Main Street (Dorchester)
• Greater Grove Hall Main Streets (Dorchester)
• Hyde Park Main Streets
• JP Centre/South Main Streets (Jamaica Plain)
• Mattapan Square Main Streets
• Mission Hill Main Streets
• Roslindale Village Main Street
• Roxbury Main Streets
• Three Squares Main Street JP (Jamaica Plain)
• Upham’s Corner Main Street (Dorchester)
• Washington Gateway Main Streets
• West Roxbury Main Streets

One source conflict is on the record. The Boston Main Streets contact page on boston.gov listed 18 organizations on November 13, 2026, without entries for Three Squares Main Street JP or Washington Gateway Main Streets. The same page showed the Egleston Square director post as vacant. If your storefront is in one of those areas, call the Office of Small Business to confirm who is staffing the district.

What does a Main Streets district do for a storefront business?

A Main Streets district promotes its commercial center, runs events that bring customers to the street, and connects business owners with city programs. The Boston Main Streets Foundation says it works with the districts to offer advice, guidance and support for local businesses, and it keeps a shared calendar of district events.

The districts follow the Main Street Approach, a framework published by the national nonprofit Main Street America. According to Main Street America, the work falls into areas called the Four Points:

• Economic Vitality: capital, incentives and other financial tools for new and existing businesses.
• Design: the physical and visual condition of the district, including storefronts.
• Promotion: marketing the district as a center of community and commerce.
• Organization: partnerships, volunteers and funding for the district group.

Services differ from one district to the next, and neither the city nor the foundation publishes a single menu. Roslindale Village Main Street, for example, describes itself as a 501(c)(3) that brings together volunteers, businesses and public agencies, with volunteer committees for design, economic development, events and marketing. Ask your own director what the office offers this year.

Who runs and funds a Boston Main Streets district?

A Boston Main Streets district is run by its own nonprofit board and an executive director, with oversight from the City of Boston Office of Small Business. The office sits inside the Economic Opportunity and Inclusion cabinet at 26 Court Street. Main Streets is a city program: Massachusetts state agencies and federal agencies do not run the districts.

Roslindale Village Main Street says its work relies on contributions from area businesses and community partners, which is typical of how a district raises money beyond its city support. The city does not post a per-district funding figure on the Main Streets page, so ask your director or check the district’s annual report if the budget matters to you. No source reviewed for this guide says a business has to pay dues to get help from its district.

How do you find and contact your Main Streets district?

You find your Main Streets district by matching your storefront address to the district list, then contacting the executive director named on boston.gov. Follow these steps:

1. Open the Boston Main Streets page on boston.gov and expand the contact list, which gives each office’s street address, director, email and phone number.
2. Check the district’s own map or catchment area, because a district covers specific blocks and not a whole neighborhood.
3. Email or call the director, say where your storefront is, and ask to be added to the business contact list.
4. If no district claims your address, call the Office of Small Business at 617-635-0355 or email smallbiz@boston.gov.

The Main Streets program contact at the city listed on November 13, 2026 was Abby Furey, at 617-635-0313.

What city grants can a Main Streets storefront apply for?

A Main Streets storefront can apply for ReStore Boston, the City of Boston’s signage and storefront improvement grant program. According to the ReStore Boston page, grants cover 50 to 90% of project costs, and you pay the contractor first and are reimbursed by the city, typically in 3 to 6 weeks.

ReStore Boston grant	Maximum award	Usual time to finish after approval
Signage grant	$8,000	5 to 9 months
Facade grant, including accessibility improvements	$200,000	6 to 18 months
Design assistance from an architect or sign designer	Included with the grant	Part of the same project

ReStore Boston has eligibility rules set by the Office of Small Business. As of November 13, 2026, you must meet these conditions:

• Your business is for-profit and has a physical storefront.
• Your lease has at least 3 years remaining, and your landlord has given permission for the work.
• You have money available for your share of the cost.
• You owe nothing to the Assessing Department, Boston Water and Sewer Commission, Public Works or Inspectional Services.

The city reviews applications after five deadlines each year: February 1, April 1, May 15, September 1 and November 1. Funding is limited, and the city states that applying does not mean a grant will be awarded. Most grants go to businesses in, or serving customers from, low and moderate income areas, because the money comes mainly from federal Community Development Block Grants.

What if your storefront is outside a Main Streets district?

A storefront outside a Main Streets district still has access to the Office of Small Business, which assigns a Neighborhood Business Manager to every part of the city. You start with the office’s Connect with the Office of Small Business form, and staff follow up by phone or in person. The city says you do not have to own a business yet to ask a question.

Some large commercial areas have a different kind of organization. The city’s Site Selection Support page names the Back Bay Association, the Downtown Boston Alliance, the Greenway Business Improvement District and the Newmarket Business Improvement District alongside Boston Main Streets.

Boston Main Streets stops at the city line. Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville are separate municipalities with their own business programs, and a shop there cannot use a Boston district or ReStore Boston.

What should you recheck before you act?

Each item below was checked on November 13, 2026 and can change:

• District count and names: 20 on the Boston Main Streets Foundation directory, 18 on the boston.gov contact list. Confirm with the Office of Small Business at 617-635-0355.
• Executive directors, addresses and phone numbers: listed on the Boston Main Streets page on boston.gov, where one director post was vacant.
• ReStore Boston caps ($8,000 signage, $200,000 facade), the 50 to 90% reimbursement share and the five yearly deadlines: confirm on the ReStore Boston page and in the ReStore Boston User Guide before you sign with a contractor.
• ReStore Boston eligibility, including the 3-year lease rule: confirm by email at restore@boston.gov.
• Services at your own district: ask the director, since each nonprofit sets its own programs.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; confirm the current requirements with the agency named before you file or pay.

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