Illinois, or the Prairie State as some call it, is home to 2.1 million small businesses, with over 232,000 located in the Windy City of Chicago, making it one of the most populous states for small businesses. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 35% of the state’s small businesses were forced to shutter either temporarily or permanently, and rising interest rates, worker shortages and spiking inflation are further squeezing them.

Now is the time for small businesses in the state to search high and low for grant opportunities and contests in which they can gain access to free money in order to survive. Here is a list of grants and contests on both a national and local level that are still available to Illinois-based small businesses. 

On a National Level:

Kapitus’ $250K Building Resilient Businesses Contest – Deadline is Looming!

Kapitus has launched its Building Resilient Businesses contest, in which one first-place winner will receive $100,000; one second-place winner will receive $50,000 and five third-place winners will each receive $20,000. To enter, simply send a homemade, 2-minute video briefly describing your business, how it was able to persevere over the last two years, and how you would spend $100,000. The contest is open to all small businesses in the US (excluding Vermont and Colorado) that have been in business for at least a year and have less than $5 million in annual revenue. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2022. To enter the contest, click here.

Antares REACH Grant Program

Small business consulting firm Hello Alice will award $20,000 in grants to women- and minority-owned

Antares Reach Small Business Grants Illinois

The Antares REACH Grant program is giving away $20,000 to women- and minority-owned small businesses nationwide.

businesses to help them prepare for the next stages of growth. The grants are being funded by Chicago-based private equity firm Antares Capital. Applicants must have less than $5 million in annual revenue, have a demonstrated need for support and a strong business plan for growth. Grant winners will be eligible for an additional $5,000 in funding after completion of a post-grant support. The deadline for applications is July 15, 2020. To apply, you are required to become a member of Hello Alice’s community of small businesses. For more information, click here.

WomensNet Amber Grant

WomensNet gives away one $10,000 grant and four $1000 grants to women-owned businesses in distinct categories every month such as skilled trades (January), hair care and beauty products (August) and Creative Arts (October). The site also gives grants of $25,000 to two businesses each at the end of each year, with both of them being previous $10,000 monthly grant winners. Applications are due on the last day of every month. To apply, click here

American Express and Main Street America’s Inclusive Backing Grants

AmEx and Main Street America are providing more than 300 grants of $5,000 each over four cycles throughout 2022 to small businesses located in older or historic commercial districts with priority to be given to small businesses owned by the LGBTQ+ community, Hispanic-owned, veteran-owned, and business owners who are women and people of color. Applications for the fourth grant cycle are now being accepted by business owners who identify as native or indigenous people, Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and immigrants and refugees. Membership in the National Main Street Center is not required. Applications for the fourth grant cycle can be found here.

Skip Monthly Business Grant

Skip is a California-based social media company that helps both people and businesses get access to government-related services and information and is part of YoGov.org. Every month since March 2020, Skip uses revenues from its YouTube channel which awards $1,000 grants to small business owners as well as free services and information. The winner is announced on its YouTube channel on the third Wednesday of every month. For more information and to apply, click here.  

 

State Level: Open to Illinois Small Businesses Only

The Land of Lincoln also has several grant and contest opportunities, especially in Chicago, that are still open:

Neighborhood Opportunity Fund Grants 

Chicago’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund is giving away grants three times in 2022 to small businesses in Chicago’s West, Southwest, and South sides to make improvements to their physical locations. These improvements can include land acquisition for expansion, roofing replacement or repairs and money to cover financing fees for a loan or lines of credit. The awards are up to $250,000 for small improvement projects and over $250,000 to $2.5 million for large projects. Deadlines for the second and third rounds of applications have not yet been established, but you can still apply. To learn more, click here.

City of Chicago’s Annual Business Plan Competition

Chicago Small Business Grants loans

The city of Chicago is giving away several grants to keep its small businesses afloat.

Chicago’s Office of the Treasurer Stephanie Neely is administering a contest to startups and young businesses in Chicago. The first-place winner, to be announced sometime in October, will take home $5,000. To enter, a small business must be a startup or no more than three-years-old with annual revenues of no more than $2 million. Applicants must submit their business plans as well as templates for their executive summaries. Applications are due on July 6, 2022. To learn more, click here

Restaurant Employee Relief Fund

The Illinois Restaurant Association Education Relief Foundation is awarding grants to restaurant employees who have faced personal and financial hardships within the past 90 days to encourage food service workers in the state to remain at their jobs. Those hardships include unexpected illness or injury, death of a family member or a natural disaster. The grants range from $250 to $1,500. While not paid directly to business owners, this grant can help owners make things a little easier on staff that is sticking it out through the hard times. Deadline to apply is August 31, 2022. To apply, click here.

Small Business Improvement Fund (SBIF) Remodeling Grants

The SBIF Remodeling grants are aimed at larger small businesses in Chicago with physical locations that are seeking to remodel or visually improve their business locations. To be eligible, the applicant must employ up to 200 workers, and have an average of $9 million in annual sales over the previous three years. Or commercial property owners with a net worth of up to $9 million and liquid assets of up to $500,000. The grant will cover 30% to 90% of a business’ remodeling work up to $150,000. The first deadline for applications is June 30, 2022, while the second and third deadlines are on August 1st and August 31st, respectively. To learn more, click here

Don’t Give Up Free Money!

With most federal pandemic aid programs dried up and current economic challenges such as inflation and rising interest rates putting a further squeeze on small businesses, it is more important than ever to apply for a chance to get free money for your business, be it through local or national grants or contests. 

 

 

Related Articles:

Small Business Grants and Contests Still Available in New Jersey

Small Business Grants and Contests Still Available in Florida

Small Business Grants Still Available in California

Small Business Grants Still Available in New York

 

 

Vince Calio

Content Writer
Vince Calio has been a writer for Kapitus since 2021. Before that, he spent three years operating a dry-cleaning store in Rahway, NJ that he inherited before selling the business, so he’s familiar with the challenges of operating a small business. Prior to that, Vince spent 14 years as both a financial journalist and content writer, most notably with Institutional Investor News and Crain Communications.

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New Jersey serves as the headquarters for some of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and is known for its sprawling suburbs, manufacturing capabilities, pristine shorelines and its 861,000 small businesses. However, high taxes, bloated state budgets and little support from the state government has always made it a tough place for small businesses to thrive in. 

Those difficulties were compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit the Garden State’s small business community harder than 2013’s Superstorm Sandy. From restaurants along one of the state’s many boardwalks to retailers in one of the state’s 52 cities, roughly one-third of small businesses temporarily or permanently closed between 2020 and 2021. Many continue to struggle to stay afloat to this day, especially with spiking inflation, interest rate hikes and another recession looming.

Fortunately, there are several grant programs and contests available on both a national and state level that can help those small businesses survive and grow. 

On a national level, there are grants and contests that are still open that can land you a large pool of money and are worth applying for:

Kapitus’ $250K Building Resilient Businesses Contest – Deadline is Looming!

Kapitus has launched its Building Resilient Businesses contest, in which one first-place winner will receive $100,000; one second-place winner will receive $50,000 and five third-place winners will each receive $20,000. 

To enter, simply send a homemade, 2-minute video briefly describing your business, how it was able to persevere over the last two years, and how you would spend $100,000. The contest is open to all small businesses in the US (excluding Vermont and Colorado) that have been in business for at least a year and have less than $5 million in annual revenue. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2022. To enter the contest, click here.

WomensNet Amber Grant

WomensNet gives away one $10,000 grant and four $1000 grants to women-owned businesses in distinct categories every month such as skilled trades (January), hair care and beauty products (August) and Creative Arts (October). The site also gives grants of $25,000 to two businesses each at the end of each year, with both of them being previous $10,000 monthly grant winners. Applications are due on the last day of every month. To apply, click here

American Express and Main Street America’s Inclusive Backing Grants

AmEx and Main Street America are providing more than 300 grants of $5,000 each over four cycles throughout 2022 to small businesses located in older or historic commercial districts with priority to be given to small businesses owned by the LGBTQ+ community, Hispanic-owned, veteran-owned, and business owners who are women and people of color. 

Applications for the fourth grant cycle are now being accepted by business owners who identify as native or indigenous people, Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and immigrants and refugees. Membership in the National Main Street Center is not required. Applications for the fourth grant cycle can be found here.

Skip Monthly Business Grant

Skip is a California-based social media company that helps both people and businesses get access to government-related services and information and is part of YoGov.org. Every month since March 2020, Skip uses revenues from its YouTube channel to award $1,000 grants to small business owners as well as free services and information. The winner is announced on its YouTube channel on the third Wednesday of every month. For more information and to apply, click here.  

State Level: Open to New Jersey Small Businesses Only

Despite the fact that most of the pandemic-related federal aid to small businesses has dried up, the state is still offering several grants and inexpensive financing opportunities to assist small- and micro-businesses:

The Small Business Lease Grant

New Jersey Economic Development Small Business Loans Grants

Small Businesses in the Garden State should always keep an eye on The NJ Economic Development Corp. for new grant and tax relief opportunities.

The NJ Economic Development Authority (NJEDA) is administering grants to help small businesses and nonprofits with physical locations pay their rents. The $10 million program was funded by the NJ Economic Recovery Act passed in 2021 and is being funded by the state’s Main Street Recovery Finance Program. 

The idea behind the program is to assist in filling vacant lots across the state and assist in the growth of small businesses. Applicants must have a new or newly amended lease that is at least 250 sq. ft. larger than their previous space, and the lease must be for a minimum of five years. Deadline is ongoing, and funding amount depends on the business. To learn more, click here

New Jersey State Trade Expansion Program (STEP)

New Jersey has always been a major hub for international trade due to its many marine ports, such as the Port Newark Container Terminal, the Port Jersey container terminal in Jersey City and South Jersey Port Corp. in Camden. 

As such, the NJ State Trade Expansion Program (STEP), in conjunction with the US Small Business Administration, are offering year-round grants to small businesses in the state that are new to overseas trade or sell their products and services overseas. Applicants must have been in business for at least one year at the time of application and manufacture goods or produce services that are at least 51% US content. To learn more, click here.

NJEDA Small Business Improvement Grant Program

NJEDA is awarding grants of up to $50,000 to assist small businesses with physical locations in making improvements and upgrades to their buildings, as well as with purchasing new furniture, office equipment and fixtures. The project costs must be at least $5,000 and must have been at most two years prior to the date of application. 

Total project costs that exceed $50,000 will be subject to Green Building Standards, and applicants that use at least four workers may be subject to affirmative action requirements. Applicants will be awarded on a first come, first served basis. There is no set deadline for application To learn more about the grant program and apply, click here.

Main Street Micro Business Loan Program

NJEDA also oversees the Main Street Micro Business Loan Program. While this is not a grant program, it is popular among very small businesses in the state because it provides long-term, low interest loans to businesses in the state with 10 or fewer employees and annual revenues of no more than $1.5 million. The maximum term for these loans is 10 years and carry an annualized interest rate of 2%. The applicants must have been in business for at least six months. No collateral is required for the loan. To learn more and apply, click here.

Free Money is Better than Attitude!

Best selling author Janet Evanovitch once described New Jersey as a place “where dignity always runs a poor second to getting in someone’s face.” While the state’s small business owners may be tough and have attitude, they’re still going to need help, especially in the economically volatile times we’re living in. If you do own a small business in the Garden State, keep the door open to any new opportunities for free money.

Vince Calio

Content Writer
Vince Calio has been a writer for Kapitus since 2021. Before that, he spent three years operating a dry-cleaning store in Rahway, NJ that he inherited before selling the business, so he’s familiar with the challenges of operating a small business. Prior to that, Vince spent 14 years as both a financial journalist and content writer, most notably with Institutional Investor News and Crain Communications.

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Small Business Grants Lending Florida Kapitus

With major economic hubs such as Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa Bay, Florida ranks number three in terms of states with the highest number of small businesses. The state’s 2.5 million small businesses rank it behind only California and Texas. 

With a high number of such businesses, however, comes a high amount of pain: the Sunshine State saw over 32% of its small businesses permanently or temporarily close during the height of the pandemic, one of the highest figures in the country. 

With yet another national recession looming on the horizon, getting free money has never been more important to the survival of the state’s small businesses. Fortunately, there are several small business grants and contests still available to small businesses in Florida on both a state and national level. On a national level, there are grants and contests that are still open that can land you a large pool of money and are worth applying for:

Kapitus’ $250K Building Resilient Businesses Contest – Deadline is Looming!

Kapitus has launched its Building Resilient Businesses contest, in which one first-place winner will receive $100,000; one second-place winner will receive $50,000 and five third-place winners will each receive $20,000. To enter, simply send a homemade, 2-minute video briefly describing your business, how it was able to persevere over the last two years, and how you would spend $100,000. The contest is open to all small businesses in the US (excluding Vermont and Colorado) that have been in business for at least a year and have less than $5 million in annual revenue. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2022. To enter the contest, click here.

WomensNet Amber Grant

Florida is home to 1.1 million women-owned small businesses, making it the state with the third-highest

Lending Grants Small Business Kapitus Women-Only

Previous winners of the Amber Grant for women-owned small businesses.

total of those businesses, so the WomensNet Amber Grants are very applicable to the state. WomensNet gives away one $10,000 grant and four $1000 grants to women-owned businesses in distinct categories every month such as skilled trades (January), hair care and beauty products (August) and Creative Arts (October). The site also gives grants of $25,000 to two businesses each at the end of each year, with both of them being previous $10,000 monthly grant winners. Applications are due on the last day of every month. To apply, click here

American Express and Main Street America’s Inclusive Backing Grants

AmEx and Main Street America are providing more than 300 grants of $5,000 each over four cycles throughout 2022 to small businesses located in older or historic commercial districts with priority to be given to small businesses owned by the LGBTQ+ community, Hispanic-owned, veteran-owned, and business owners who are women and people of color. Applications for the fourth grant cycle are now being accepted by business owners who identify as native or indigenous people, Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and immigrants and refugees. Membership in the National Main Street Center is not required. Applications for the fourth grant cycle can be found here.

State-Level: Open to Florida Small Businesses Only

Currently, there are several grant programs that are still available for small businesses operating in Florida to apply to. 

Florida High Tech Research Grants

The Florida High Tech Research Corridor is a public-private partnership between successful high-tech startups in the 23-county region of southern and central Florida and the Universities of Central and South Florida. 

The Corridor provides up to $150,000 in funds for applied research projects between private startups and small high-tech firms and university researchers. Funding is provided directly to the university research team and is used to expand the project’s scope of work and allow our students to participate in cutting-edge, applied research. Industry partners must execute a sponsored research agreement with the university to formalize the project plan and terms. To learn more, click here.

Axis Helps Miami Small Business Grants

Axis Helps Miami, a resource company for small businesses in the Miami-Dade area of the state, is offering several grant opportunities to various small businesses. One is a $50,000 grant to women- and minority-owned small businesses in the area and will include consulting services as well as free advertising at Miami Heat games and partnership endorsements for your business. 

The deadline to apply is July 11, 2022. Another grant will provide $20,000 to small businesses in the area that are looking to scale up but don’t have the funds to do so. The deadline for that grant is July 15, 2022. To explore each grant program Axis Helps Miami is offering, click here

Seminole County’s Small Business Assistance Program

Since 2021, Seminole County has been giving grants to small businesses in the county of up to $15,000 to support expenses such as payroll, office utilities and remote access equipment. Applicants must be a for-profit business within Seminole County since at least the beginning of 2020 and must be a member of Sunbiz, a website maintained by Florida state government’s Division of Corporations. Applicants must provide their taxpayer identification number. Commercially zoned businesses with 26-50 employees will receive $15,000 if chosen, while businesses with 2-25 employees will receive $10,000 if chosen. Home- or mobile-based businesses with no more than one employee in addition to the owner can receive $5,000.

CareerSource Florida’s Incumbent Worker Training Grant – Apply Soon!

CareerSource Florida is awarding up to $100,000 to any small business owner in the Sunshine state who is seeking to train existing employees with new skills. The employee must work at least 37.5 hours per week and must have been employed with the applicant for a minimum of six months. Those interested must register with CareerSource Florida’s website. Deadline for applications is June 30, 2022. To apply, click here.

Enterprise Florida International’s (EFI) Virtual Business Matchmaking Grants

Enterprise Florida is offering grants of up to $2,500 for small businesses in the state interested in expanding overseas, but do not want to have to travel to set up an export program. The program includes virtual introductions with pre-screened overseas partners and distributors via teleconference or videoconference. The program also includes a grant that covers the full cost of matchmaker service, whether it is provided by EFI or the federal government’s US Commercial International Trade organization. Companies can apply year-round. Grants must be approved before the first day of virtual matchmaking appointments. For more information, click here.

Orlando Business Assistance Program

The city of Orlando isn’t just known for Disney World and Universal Studios, it’s also home to over 37,000 small businesses. The city’s Business Assistance Program provides grants throughout the year to assist businesses in relocating or expanding in Orlando, which include funds for development fees, permitting and other costs associated with relocating and expanding. Small businesses must pay half the related costs, and the grant amounts can be up to $20,000. To learn more about this program, click here.

Apply Soon!

If you’re a small business in Florida, any chance to gain access to funds would probably be welcome, as after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and current tough economic conditions such as high inflation, rising interest rates and an employee shortage are still rocking the economy. Act quickly, as many deadlines for small business grants and contests are coming up quickly.

Vince Calio

Content Writer
Vince Calio has been a writer for Kapitus since 2021. Before that, he spent three years operating a dry-cleaning store in Rahway, NJ that he inherited before selling the business, so he’s familiar with the challenges of operating a small business. Prior to that, Vince spent 14 years as both a financial journalist and content writer, most notably with Institutional Investor News and Crain Communications.

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Small Business Grants Lending Kapitus California

With major urban hubs such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Jose, California is indeed a golden place for small businesses. With 4.1 million small businesses scattered throughout the state, California boasts the largest population of small businesses in the US, eclipsing even New York and Texas. 

With the most small businesses, however, came the most suffering during the COVID-19 pandemic out of any other state. By 2021, over 40,000 small businesses were forced to close, including one-third of the state’s independently owned restaurants. Also, more PPP loans were taken out by California small businesses than in any other state. 

Congress has made it clear that they are not going to allocate any more COVID relief money for small businesses. Programs such as PPP and the Restaurant Revitalization fund most likely will not be given any renewed funding, so small businesses in the Golden State are going to have to turn to grants for relief.

There are still some state and national grants and contests that California small businesses can apply to.

Kapitus’ $250K Building Reliant Businesses Contest

Kapitus has launched its Building Resilient Businesses contest, in which one first-place winner will receive $100,000, one second-place winning will receive $50,000, and five third-place winners will each receive $20,000. To enter, simply send a homemade, 2-minute video briefly describing your business, how it was able to persevere over the past two years, and how you would spend $100,000. The contest is open to all small businesses in the US (excluding Vermont and Colorado) that have been in business for at least a year and have less than $5 million in annual revenue. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2022. To enter the contest, go here.

The Small Business Innovation Research Program (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer Program (STTR)

These two federal programs serve as a conduit between small businesses engaged in scientific research and development and government agencies seeking to provide them with grants, and especially pertains to California’s Silicon Valley, the world’s largest hub for technology startups. Grants come in all sizes from various agencies. For example, the US Dept, of Energy provides grants to small businesses innovating in energy production. The STTR program requires that applying small businesses have a partnership with a nonprofit scientific research organization. To qualify for either program, click here.

American Express and Main Street America’s Inclusive Backing Grants

California has one of the largest Hispanic and LGBTQ populations in the country, so the American Express and Mainstreet America’s Inclusive Backing Grants national program very much so pertains to the Golden state. AmEx and Main Street America is providing more than 300 grants of $5,000 each over four cycles throughout 2022 to small businesses located in older or historic commercial districts with priority to be given to small businesses owned by the LBGTQ+ community, Hispanic-owned, veteran-owned, and business owners who are women and people of color. Applications for the fourth grant cycle are now being accepted by business owners who identify as native or indigenous people, Hispanic, LGBTQ+ and immigrants and refugees. Membership in the National Main Street Center is not required. Applications for the fourth grant cycle can be found here.

The California Dream Fund

The California Dream Fund is a $35 million small business grant program by the state’s Office of the Small Business Advocate through select centers of the state’s Technical Assistance Expansion Program (TAEP) . New entrepreneurs and small business owners must complete an intensive training program through select participating centers of their local TAEP office. Following successful completion of the training and consulting program, new businesses will be eligible to apply for a microgrant of up to $10,000. Those interested can apply here

The Job Creators Quest Grants

Southern California business owners who identify as people of color, military veteran or with the LGBTQ+ community with two to 20 employees can still apply for a $100,000 grant program from Founders First, which will choose 30 winners by the end of the year. As a business owner, you need to demonstrate that the grant money would be used as growth capital or to provide premium wage jobs, as well as fix or enhance vital equipment in order to scale up your business. The deadline to apply is Nov. 30, 2022, and the small business applicants must be located in the Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego regions. Those interested can apply here

The San Francisco Storefront Grant Program

The city of San Francisco is providing $1,000 to $3,000 grants to assist small businesses in low-income districts become compliant with the city’s Accessible Business Entrance program that ensures that businesses are accommodating to those with disabilities. To qualify, your business must have been sued for not being accessible to disabled peoples and be a nonprofit. The deadline for the grant program is June 30, 2022. Interested applicants can learn more about the program here.

Don’t Lose Free Money

Small businesses across the country are being hit with the trifecta of bad economic conditions: skyrocketing inflation, staff shortages and supply chain disruptions, and that condition is being especially felt in the most economically diverse state in the country, California. Small business owners should seek to obtain grants any way they can in these uncertain times.

Vince Calio

Content Writer
Vince Calio has been a writer for Kapitus since 2021. Before that, he spent three years operating a dry-cleaning store in Rahway, NJ that he inherited before selling the business, so he’s familiar with the challenges of operating a small business. Prior to that, Vince spent 14 years as both a financial journalist and content writer, most notably with Institutional Investor News and Crain Communications.

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