Vibrant Neighbourhoods

All requirements and details can be found in the information material for Vibrant Neighbourhoods Funding. Your funding expert can advise you whether your project formally meets the funding criteria.

Contact your funding expert and submit your project online. Important: Only start investing once you have submitted a complete application. The Vienna Business Agency can only fund projects that start after submission.

Viennese small businesses and founders with a local supply function that offer end-customer goods and services (e.g. retail, crafts and trades, personal services, gastronomy) in ground-floor business premises, with regular costumer traffic and personal service.

Vibrant Neighbourhoods Funding strengthens neighbourhood businesses in Vienna, an essential building block of a liveable city. The aim is to create, safeguard and further develop a diverse range of goods and services for Viennese residents’ everyday needs. A particular focus is placed on reactivating vacant ground-floor business premises and enhancing the attractiveness of selected neighbourhoods across Vienna.

The funding aims to support measures that:

• improve the quality, quantity and diversity of the local offering through a balanced mix of sectors in the neighbourhood,
• enhance the neighbourhood’s quality of stay by improving the appearance of ground-floor business premises,
• implement digitalisation measures to increase competitiveness, visibility, efficiency and customer loyalty,
• reactivate vacant business premises through new business start-ups, relocations or business takeovers,
• generate economic impacts such as creating and safeguarding jobs, increasing turnover and stabilising locations,
• promote business cooperations and community initiatives that add value in the neighbourhood, and
• support economically and environmentally sustainable investments and business models.

In this way, Vienna’s ground-floor zones can grow into vibrant areas with attractive businesses that form a key part of the city’s high quality of life.

Eligible projects must have an economically sustainable business model and align with the City of Vienna’s climate policy goals. Projects must comprise comprehensive measures, address entrepreneurial challenges and demonstrate a long-term economic perspective.

Eligible measures include, for example:

• construction measures (interior and exterior) that improve the appearance of the business premises and contribute to a visual upgrade of the neighbourhood,
• investments in equipment and machinery to improve the quality, quantity or diversity of the local offering,
• digitalisation measures such as ordering and inventory management systems, process digitalisation, the use of artificial intelligence (e.g. automated customer communication), cloud solutions and data security, and
• improvements to shop fittings to enhance the quality of stay.

• franchise-based business models
• projects consisting of only a single measure (without a recognisable upgrade of the business)
• projects without a sustainable or clearly recognisable business model
• projects consisting exclusively of marketing measures
• projects without personal service or customer contact (e.g. vending machine shops)

A jury decides on funding based on clearly defined assessment criteria. As a rule, it takes around two months after submission to find out whether your project will be funded.

The Vienna Neighbourhood Initiative pilot project will be integrated into Vibrant Neighbourhoods Funding as of 1 March 2026. Projects within the 16th district target area will continue to be supported so that small businesses and founders can provide goods and services for local residents’ everyday needs. The funding rate for projects implemented in the Ottakring target area is 35%.