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State grants $94 million to businesses and communities to help with pandemic losses

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Friday, Oct. 30, the release of $94 million in emergency relief funds for communities and small businesses statewide. 

More than $46 million in small business grants through the Business Interruption Grants (BIG) program will provide relief to offset COVID-19 related costs for over 1,200 businesses in all corners of the state. Additionally, more than $48 million in Local CURE funding has been issued to 163 local governments submitting eligible emergency costs for reimbursement. 

“This support is but one portion of the $1 billion in economic relief for business owners and communities that my Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has deployed in response to this pandemic, while simultaneously calling on the federal government to deliver more for Americans in every state, because this is not a crisis we can weather alone,” Pritzker said.

BIG Round 2 grants span a diverse geography, as well as business type, with nearly 50 percent of grant recipients reporting they are minority-owned. 

With these latest awards, the BIG program has paid out more than $250 million to nearly 9,000 small businesses and childcare providers, including $95 million for non-childcare businesses statewide.  A full list of Round 1 and current Round 2 recipients can be found here.

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