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The Back to Business Grant Program

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.

VIEW THE FULL ILLINOIS HOUSE BILL HERE

Insights Archive

Urge Politicians to Make PPP Loans Deductible

By steve@sbacil.org | November 24, 2020

ACTION CALL: Urge Politicians to Make PPP Loans Deductible to Support Small Businesses The Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act of 2020, or PPP, was passed in order to provide small businesses across the United States crucial relief during widespread government shutdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These loans can be forgivable when proceeds are used…

SBAC in NBC News COVID Relief

SBAC featured in NBC News

By steve@sbacil.org | November 20, 2020

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SBAC Action Call – Support the R.I.S.E. Act!

By steve@sbacil.org | November 17, 2020

Urge Politicians to Help Create Jobs and Support Small Businesses With the resurgence of COVID-19 cases in Illinois, our politicians must act quickly to help those who have lost their jobs or businesses get safely back to work.  State Senator Ram Villivalam has filed legislation that will incentivize small businesses to retrain and hire those…

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