Relief for Small Businesses
The Back to Business (B2B) Grant: The Small Business Advocacy Council fights for legislation that will support the small business community and neighborhood business districts. We also understand the importance of providing information about programs that can benefit entrepreneurs and small businesses. Illinois policymakers have launched another round of Back to Business grants (B2B) that…
Small Business Grants for Minority Owned Businesses
It’s tough to run a small business. We know that funding is always top of mind at all times. In an effort to keep our small business owners informed of possible grants as they become available, we will list some as they become available and the criteria for applying. We encourage you to take advantage…
Transform Vacant Properties Into Thriving Small Businesses
Read H.B. 3014 HB3014 FACT SHEET Transform Vacant Properties Into Thriving Small Businesses The Vacancy Fraud Act – HB3014 This legislation will provide taxpayers the opportunity to bring a complaint when commercial property owners make knowingly false representations to the Cook County Assessor’s Office to procure a reduction in property taxes based on full or…
Small Business Mayoral Forum Recap
The Small Business Advocacy Council and a robust number of chambers and organizations hosted a small business mayoral forum. This was a lively discussion about each candidate’s visions for supporting small businesses and neighborhood business districts. We want to thank all of the local chambers of commerce that partnered with us on this important forum.…
Chamber Relief
The SBAC was thrilled that policymakers enacted a program to support Illinois chambers of commerce still struggling to recover from the pandemic. Here is the link to our initial blog about this program and the corresponding appropriation of funding allocated in the budget. There have been inquiries regarding when this program will be launched, the…
Welcome Our New BOD Member!
Welcome Sherry Jursa! We’re happy to welcome Sherry Jursa from PNC‘s Business Banking wing to the Empower Board. Sherry holds an MBA from Northern Illinois University and a BA from North Central College in Political Science. With over 15 years’ experience in banking, Sherry is a proven professional who strives to provide excellence while meeting…
Small Business Mayoral Forum
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Legislation to Support Local Chambers Passes
Many chambers of commerce were devastated by the pandemic. However, this did not stop them from providing crucial support to local businesses. The SBAC is thrilled to report that Illinois politicians have provided 5 million dollars to support the recovery of chambers of commerce in Illinois. The SBAC has been working to procure this funding…
SBAC Empower’s 2023 Impact Report
Our Impact (Report) SBAC Empower had an incredible year in 2022. We are proud to report our impact in the SBAC Empower 2023 Impact Report. This report is a detailed collection of data from 2019 – 2022 carefully articulated to show the impact we are making in communities throughout Chicagoland. Check out some snippets below…
Ordinance Filed to Reduce Special Use Zoning Fees For Small Businesses
The Small Business Advocacy Council has been working with a strong coalition on efforts to revitalize neighborhood business districts in Chicago. As part of these efforts, we are advocating to reduce fees for small businesses that want to open in Chicago. We are thrilled to report that we have worked with Alderman David Moore to…
Coalition Engagement Sparks New Chicago Zoning Guide
Navigating the zoning rules in Chicago just became easier. The newly released Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) Chicago Business Zoning Guide will help small businesses and property owners more easily navigate the zoning process in Chicago. This was crucial as chambers of commerce and small business advocates advised that clear,…
NRC New Look, New Logo, Same Mission
New Look, New Logo, Same Mission In our 2nd year of actively and ardently working to revitalize neighborhoods throughout Chicago, we thought we’d bring a fresh new look to the incredible work that the SBAC and a robust group of chamber partners have spearheaded. We continue to advocate for policy reform to reduce vacancies, cut…
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