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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.

Stephen L. Tadlock Fund Grant

Administered by Founders First CDC

The Stephen L. Tadlock Fund Grant program will award $1,000 grants to 25 veterans who are running employer-based small businesses across the country.

Eligibility

  • U.S. military veteran who is a CEO, President, or Business Owner
  • Must have an active U.S.-based business
  • Must have between 2-100 employees

Deadline: October 15, 2024

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 Small (up to $250,000), 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:

Small CDG Deadline: November 8, 2024

Medium CDG Deadline: February 14, 2025

Large CDG Deadline: Rolling

Apply

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

Apply

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  • Juicy Luzy Sangria Luz Cavazos
    The grant helped us to pay our back-owed rent and utilities, buy supplies, and stay afloat.
    Read Story ›
  • Back of the Yards Coffee Company Jesse Iniguez
    The grant helped us stay open and keep our employees working.
    Read Story ›

Don’t qualify for a grant?
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