Supporting Struggling Small Businesses
The pandemic and Covid-19 mitigations began inflicting immense damage to many small businesses in March of 2020. Thousands of small businesses initially applied for Illinois Business Interruption Grants. While these grants helped some small businesses, approximately 80% of eligible small businesses which applied were not awarded a grant.
Subsequently, Illinois received over 8 billion dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds. However, only $250 million were allocated for Back to Business grant program. These funds will likely be exhausted before many struggling and eligible businesses receive grants.
Illinois still has billions of federal funds and should replenish the Back to Business grant program with an additional $300 million. Our policymakers should not pick winners and loses when there is adequate funding to support the struggling small businesses.
House Bill HB5489 will allocate an additional $300 million for the Back to Business grant program. Please ask your legislators to support this legislation so that struggling small businesses can receive the support they need to recover from a pandemic, and associated mitigations, which they could not control.
What Small Business Needs to Make It Through
What small business needs to make it through An advocate has advice and a forecast for the sector as entrepreneurs navigate a pandemic that remains in flux. This week Chicago Comes Back welcomes Elliot Richardson, co-founder and president of the Small Business Advocacy Council, an organization dedicated to advocating for small businesses in Illinois. We…
Big win for small businesses!
SBAC Applauds Mayor Lightfoot and City Council For Providing Small Businesses a Big Win For Immediate Release July 21, 2021 Statement by Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC) President Elliot Richardson: The SBAC and a robust coalition of business and community organizations have been fighting to reduce the time it takes for small businesses to obtain…
Your Ideas Can Have a Big Impact!
The resurgence of Illinois’ economy will strongly correlate to the recovery of the small business community. Do you have an idea? Let us know your ideas on policies, initiatives, and programs that may help the small business community by filling out this form! Please translate this page to the language of your choice. Supporters Fifth…
