Small businesses that open new locations or expand their current space can generate commerce, create jobs, and foster growth in local neighborhoods. With the support of the Chicago Community Trust, the Small Business Advocacy Council (SBAC) and Allies for Community Business (A4CB) launched We Rise Together, a program that connects vacant property owners with entrepreneurs ready to transition or expand to brick-and-mortar spaces in underinvested Chicago neighborhoods.

 

The program connected property owners with entrepreneurs in Auburn Gresham, Austin, Back of the Yards, Englewood, Gage Park, North Lawndale, South Lawndale, South Shore, Washington Park, and West Lawn. It provided small business owners with coaching services and $12,500 grants to help them transition into brick-and-mortar spaces. We Rise Together engaged chambers of commerce and place-based organizations, helping breathe new life into their underinvested commercial corridors.