San Antonio For Growth On The
About San Antonio For Growth On The
SAGE is one of those organizations that stays close to the street-level details, storefronts getting a facelift, small businesses getting coaching, neighborhoods getting heard. On San Antonio’s Eastside, that means grant support, mentorship, cultural markers, community events, and planning work that all point toward growth rooted in place. If you care about helping a neighborhood grow without losing what makes it itself, this is the kind of work worth paying attention to.
What sets SAGE apart is how directly it ties business support to Eastside culture and neighborhood planning. It is not only helping businesses get stronger, it is also marking history, convening residents, and studying how highways and public space shape daily life.
Programs
The concrete work this nonprofit runs. Each program may later become a fundable project.
Small Business Support Program
Provides Eastside small businesses with education, technical assistance, grant navigation, mentorship, peer cohorts, and continued follow-up support.
Storefront Grant Program
Offers matching grants of up to $10,000 for eligible businesses to improve storefront exteriors, including façade upgrades, signage, lighting, painting, and other renovations.
Cultural and Historical Markers Program
Installs commemorative markers throughout the Eastside to honor significant people, events, and places and help residents and visitors connect with local history.
Reconnecting Communities Project
Studies ways to cap, bury, or transform sections of IH-10, IH-35, and IH-37 into green, pedestrian-friendly spaces that reconnect Eastside neighborhoods.
Public Market Complex
Plans a community-led market complex on the Eastside that could serve as a hub for local commerce, cultural programming, and gathering space.
Community engagement events
Hosts workshops, listening sessions, focus groups, ribbon cuttings, block parties, and convenings that connect residents, business owners, and community partners.
About this work
In their own words — what they do, who it reaches, and what your dollars actually fund.
Mission
SAGE promotes the economic development and cultural vitality of San Antonio’s Eastside.
Who they serve
Eastside small businesses, entrepreneurs, residents, historians, and community partners in San Antonio.
Their impact
- Over 100 local businesses supported through funding and mentorship.
- Since 2010, SAGE has awarded over 200 storefront grants.
- Storefront grants have led to more than $1.6 million in facility improvements on the Eastside.
- Halloeast attracts over 700 attendees and more than 50 vendors.
- SAGE directly engages more than 6,000 community members.
- SAGE has secured over $3 million in public and private investments.
How your donation helps
- Small business coaching, mentorship, and grant support
- Storefront grants and exterior improvements for Eastside businesses
- Cultural markers, murals, and other preservation projects
- Community workshops, focus groups, and neighborhood events
- Planning work for the public market complex and reconnecting communities initiatives
Our story
SAGE was founded in 1998 to do more than drive economic development. Since then, it has worked to lift up the cultural, entrepreneurial, and historic richness of San Antonio’s Eastside, keeping people, pride, and place at the center of the work.
Need help?
How someone in need can access San Antonio For Growth On The’s services.
Eastside business owners can submit an interest form for the Small Business Support Program, then get matched with a peer cohort and mentor, receive personalized training and technical support, access grant opportunities and additional resources, and continue receiving follow-up from the SAGE team.
Stories
The people behind the work.
In their words
"We want the community to attain the benefits, not the burdens, of Project Marvel."
"Community-grounded capital can change how opportunity reaches people."
"With SAGE's help, we turned an old, worn-down building into a beautiful space that reflects our business and our pride in the neighborhood."
Events
State of the Eastside
annualSAGE’s annual signature convening that brings together business owners, civic leaders, investors, and community stakeholders to reflect on Eastside progress and priorities.
HalloEast
annualA free family-friendly Eastside block party that celebrates Halloween and connects residents with neighbors and community resources.
Meet the CEO
occasionalA community event where the CEO introduces himself and shares his vision for SAGE with residents and supporters.
Community focus groups
periodicSmall-group sessions used to gather resident input on community priorities, crisis response, and development planning.
Ways to help
Concrete needs and volunteer roles San Antonio For Growth On The has shared.
Current needs
- Community members to join the Reconnecting Communities Project planning committee
- Stakeholders to join the Public Market Complex planning committee
- Volunteers for workshops, listening sessions, and neighborhood initiatives
- Partners for ribbon cuttings and community engagement events
Volunteer opportunities
- Help with workshops and listening sessions
- Join neighborhood initiatives on the Eastside
- Support ribbon-cutting events at local businesses
- Nominate historic sites, share research, and suggest mural concepts for cultural preservation work
Recognition & press
Awards & recognition
- 2024, $2,000,000 USDOT Reconnecting Communities Project planning grant
- 2024, $150,000 Community Economic Development planning grant
- 2025, $800,000 federal grant to support small businesses
In the media
- USA Today, a feature on SAGE's federal grants and Eastside development plans
- San Antonio Business Journal, a podcast on James Nortey leading SAGE and the East Side renaissance
- BizJournals San Antonio, coverage of SAGE's new CEO and economic reset on the East Side
- Fox San Antonio, a feature on SAGE's economic and cultural growth work on the Eastside
Press & mentions
Partners & funders
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this nonprofit and how its work happens.
Who can participate in the Small Business Support Program?
It is designed for Eastside businesses in San Antonio, including startups and growth-minded small businesses that need education, technical assistance, help navigating grants, mentorship, and follow-up support.
What does the Storefront Grant Program cover?
It offers matching grants of up to $10,000 for eligible businesses to improve their storefront exteriors, including façade upgrades, signage, lighting, painting, door and window replacement, parking lot repairs, and other renovations.
What is the Reconnecting Communities Project studying?
It is studying how sections of IH-10, IH-35, and IH-37 could be capped, buried, or turned into green, pedestrian-friendly spaces that reconnect Eastside neighborhoods.
What is the Public Market Complex project?
It is a community-led planning effort for a market complex that could serve as a place for local commerce, cultural programming, and gathering on the Eastside.
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