Grants
Allies for Community Business has partnered with several public and private organizations to provide grants to small businesses over the last several years. Since April of 2020, we have provided over $477M in grants to 23,000 small businesses in Illinois and Indiana.
As new grant opportunities arise, we will post them here along with instructions on how to apply.
As new grant opportunities arise, we will post them here along with instructions on how to apply.
Community Development Grants
Administered by the City of Chicago Department of Planning
and Development
The City of Chicago helps support business and neighborhood vitality through Medium ($300,001 to $5 million) and Large ($5 million and up) Community Development Grant (CDG) awards.
Eligibility
Eligibility requirements vary depending on funding level. Please review the requirements for each funding level:
Medium CDG Deadline: February 14, 2025
Large CDG Deadline: Rolling
Small Business Improvement Fund
Administered by the City of Chicago and SomerCor
The City of Chicago’s Small Business Improvement Fund provides small businesses with reimbursable grants for permanent building improvement costs.
Eligibility
- Commercial and industrial business located in Chicago’s TIF districts
- Industrial businesses must have 200 or fewer employees
- Commercial businesses must gross average annual sales under $9M for the prior 3 years
Deadline: Dependent on TIF district