KC to pay for businesses to occupy empty storefronts as World Cup program begins
Are you an artist, maybe a chef, or small business looking for a place to put your wares before what is expected to be Kansas City’s thousands of World Cup visitors?
Or how about a real estate owner with an empty storefront looking for a tenant?
The city of Kansas City not only is looking to put you together, it is willing to pay to do so.
In preparation for the 2026 World Cup, the city on Tuesday opened its online applications for a new pilot program, “Open Doors!,” first announced in June, and with two prime goals:
One, to put life into empty storefronts that might otherwise mar the streetscape vista of Kansas City’s World Cup experience.
Two, to activate empty spaces that not only will engage visitors, but also will allow local landlords, small businesses, artists, cooks, and cultural organizations to benefit from the month-long international event, and hopefully for long afterward.
KC’s program for empty storefronts
Bottom line is that the program not only will help subsidize part of a tenant’s storefront rent (up to 80%, paid directly to the property owner), but also it will provide grants of up to $10,000 to cover the costs of build-outs inventory, permit fees and insurance expenses.
Caveat: This is a pilot program, said Nia Webster, the assistant director for the Kansas City Department of Neighborhood Services. As such, the city is only able to support about 10 businesses, artists and organizations.
But if the pilot program’s proof of concept bears out, she said, the hope is that the city will be able to expand it.
“I think entrepreneurship can be a problem solver for a lot of different things,” Webster said. “Hopefully, this becomes a new tool that we use to attract and retain small businesses with the hope of gaining things that can be amenities in our neighborhoods — places where people can get entry-level positions, places for economic mobility for people in underserved neighborhoods.”
“Open Doors!”
The 2026 World Cup is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 17 and is likely to rank as the largest tourism event in Kansas City history, drawing what’s expected to be upwards of 600,000 visitors.
The city has created two application links for the “Open Doors!” program, one for small businesses, artists and cultural organizations. The other is for private property owners with open storefronts looking for tenants.
Like all programs, it has rules.
- Businesses from anywhere in the nation can apply, but selection priority is given to businesses within the Kansas City area, on both sides of the state line.
- A business must be established before Jan. 1, 2023, submit tax returns and profit and loss statements showing that the business generated at least $50,000 in revenue in 2024. It must also possess all necessary registrations, licenses and permits. (Businesses outside of Kansas City, Missouri must submit a certificate of good standing from their state’s office of the Secretary of State.)
- Artists must be individual artists, creative entrepreneurs or a maker-based business producing original works for retail sale.
- Artist applicants must be based in the Kansas City metropolitan area or show a strong connection to the local community.
- If applicant is a creative business, it must have been established before Jan. 1, 2024. Applicants must demonstrate a consistent record of creative production or sales, such as taking part in art fairs, markets, exhibits or online sales.
- Nonprofit organizations, community groups or collectives can apply under a shared concept. They must have a shared retail concept in keeping with the program’s goals. They must have been established prior to Jan 1, 2023.
- They must provide proof of nonprofit status (if applicable) and submit a budget and operational plan for the pop-up.
- The proposed concept for an organization, group or collective must include multiple partners collaborating under a single, shared retail concept. Applicants must demonstrate the capacity to manage a shared space.
The deadline for businesses to apply is Dec. 5 at 11:59 p.m.
Certain business are not eligible. They include payday loan businesses, hookah and vape shops, adult entertainment businesses, marijuana-related businesses, religious organizations and political campaign or lobbying organizations.
Storefront landlords looking for tenants
The program is looking to attract private property owners with empty storefronts in particular places.
“We would love to match up folks who this would be their first-time business owners in a storefront,” Webster said. “Maybe they’ve been like a good e-commerce business, or they may be in a food-truck. And they want to have somewhere, a storefront, a pop-up, to kind of try out. We would probably match them up with a micro-retail space that will take a lot less build-out. It will be subsidized.”
The deadline for their application is Nov. 21 at 11:59 p.m.
The “ideal” properties, the program notes, would be open, empty “micro-retail” spaces of 1,000 square feet or less in downtown Kansas City, along the streetcar line or in entertainment districts such as the Crossroads or the 18th & Vine Historic District.
The space would require minimal tenant finishes and be zoned for retail, food or beverage use.
All properties of all sizes will be considered, but spaces of 8,000 square feet or less will be given preference.
Under the program, all pop-ups would be activated for a minimum of three months, during May, June and July 2026, with the option to extend for as long as six months.
Property owners would be responsible for covering the cost of utilities and garbage removal.
As pop-up hosts, they would receive a “lease subsidy stipend” — of up to 80% of monthly rent depending on the size of the space, — paid directly to them. The tenant would be responsible for paying the difference.
Property owners would still be allowed to list their property for lease during the program, but they would be required to sign a letter of intent to remove the property from the market during the program partnership.
Webster said that although the program is being activated for the World Cup, the hope is that businesses that occupy the storefronts will be able to succeed and remain.
“We need folks who actually want to pitch us a concept and can put money into it,” Webster said. “This is just helping them get into position, and helping them get into a spot, helping them come into our market.”
Once applications are in, Webster, she expects the chosen applicants to be match with storefronts in January. Leases would hopefully be signed in February so that construction and build outs can be done by the first week of May.
“We’ll do a citywide campaign to promote all the pop-ups,” Webster said.
