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Funding Opportunities

Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity

We participate in a Funding Opportunities Working Group. This page is a collection of current funding opportunities across Illinois.

  • DCEO 
    • Illinois Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program (IDEC) (Notice of Funding Opportunity 3522-2972)
      • Description: “The Illinois Digital Equity Capacity Grant Program will empower and equip individuals and communities with the skills, resources, and confidence they need to use the internet to fully participate in Illinois’ modern society and economy.”
      • Eligibility: “Eligible Applicants include: 1. A political subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of a State, including an agency of a State that is responsible for administering or supervising adult education and literacy activities, or for providing public housing, in the State. 2. An Indian Tribe, an Alaska Native entity, or a Native Hawaiian organization. 3. A foundation, corporation, institution, or association that is: a. a not-for-profit entity; and b. not a school. 4. A community anchor institution, meaning a public school, a public or multi-family housing authority, a library, a medical or healthcare provider, a community college or other institution of higher education, a State or Territory library agency, and any other nonprofit or governmental community support organization. 5. A local educational agency. 6. An entity that carries out a workforce development program. 7. A partnership between any of the entities described in paragraphs (1) through (6). 8. A partnership between[1]a. an entity described in any of paragraphs (1) through (6); and b. an entity that the Assistant Secretary, by rule, determines to be in the public interest; and is not a school.”
      • Award Range: $90,000 - $900,000
      • Deadline: May 8, 2025 at 5:00PM
    • Illinois Grocery Initiative - Equipment Upgrade Program (Round 2) (Notice of Funding Opportunity 3295-2956)
      • Description: “The Illinois Grocery Initiative Equipment Upgrades Program, authorized by Public Act 103-0561, will provide grants for new energy-efficient equipment upgrades for existing independently-owned for-profit grocery stores, cooperative grocery stores, or not-for-profit grocery stores.” “DCEO has contracted with Chicago State University (CSU) and Western Illinois University (WIU) to provide technical assistance services for Illinois Grocery Initiative applicants and grantees.” (page 1-2 of NOFO). There is a matching component please read the NOFO.
      • Eligibility includes:
        • “Grants will be limited to projects making energy-efficient investments in existing bricks[1]and-mortar operations in Illinois.
        • This grant opportunity will be limited to independently-owned grocers or cooperatives with fewer than 500 employees and no more than 4 grocery stores.
        • Grocery locations must be consistent with the following to be eligible:
          • The store is or will be classified as a supermarket or other grocery retailer in the 2022 North American Industry Classification System under code 445110, a meat retailer under code 44524, a fruit and vegetable retailer under code 44523, or a fish and seafood retailer under 44525.
          • The store cannot derive more than 30% of its revenue from alcohol and tobacco sales.
          • The store must accept or will accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children benefits.
          • The store must contribute to diversity of fresh foods available in the community by selling fresh foods such as meats, fruits and vegetables that have not been processed in any manner”
      • Award Range: $25,000 - $250,000
      • Deadline: December 15, 2025 at 5:00PM or until funds are exhausted (applications accepted on rolling basis)
    •  Clean Energy Career Pathway Program
      • Description: “The Clean Energy Career Pathway Program will provide funding directly to eligible recipients to support the planning and implementation of a Clean Energy Career Pathway. Programs will include coursework, field experiences, and work-based learning designed to prepare students for entrance into careers focusing on clean energy. To ensure equitable pathways for students, this funding opportunity seeks qualified, eligible entities working with secondary school students in partnership with Local Workforce Innovation Areas and institutions of higher education. This program will recruit students into clean energy fields (with a priority for EV occupations) and create pathways encompassing technical and employability skills with dual credit options.”
      • Eligibility Includes: “Eligible entities for this NOFO are defined as Regional Offices of Education (ROEs); Intermediate Service Centers (ISCs); state institutions of higher education; schools designated as laboratory schools, public university laboratory schools approved by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE); area vocational centers; charter schools; cooperatives and other joint agreements with a governing body or board of control; schools operated by an ROE, ISC, or state agency; and school districts eligible applicants include, but are not limited to industry associations, Regional Offices of Education (ROEs); Intermediate Service Centers (ISCs); community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations; or Indian tribes or tribal organizations (as defined in the federal Indian Self[1]Determination and Education Assistance Act). Entities that are approved shall be responsible for ensuring that they have facilities available and educators who are appropriately trained on use of any technologies or devices acquired for the purposes of the grant. Collaborative applications will be accepted. Eligible Applicants must partner with a Community College, a Local Workforce Innovation Area, and employers to pilot clean the energy pathway programs.”
      • Award Range: $250,000 - $750,000
      • Deadline: June 30, 2025 at 5:00pm
    • For a complete list of DCEO grants, please visit our website.
  • Additional DCEO funding
    • Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
      • Description: “Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) to support income eligible households with utility costs. LIHEAP will begin accepting applications on October 1, 2024, through August 15, 2025, or until funds are exhausted.”
      • Deadline: August 15, 2025
    • Made in Illinois
      • Description: DCEO is partnering with the Illinois Manufactures Excellence Center (IMEC) to provide Made in Illinois grants. “The Made in Illinois Grant Program is a game-changing opportunity for small and mid-sized manufacturers to access up to $50,000 in matching funds to support innovation and strategic technological advancements.”
      • Award Range: up to $50,000 in matching funds
      • Deadline: April 30, 2025 (please note it opens April 15, 2025)
  • Additional State of Illinois
    • Illinois Environmental Protection Agency - Energy Efficiency Assessment Program
      • Description: “The Energy Efficiency Assessment Program provides funding to public housing authorities, local governments, or nonprofit organizations to conduct energy efficiency assessments at properties benefiting residents receiving housing assistance from a state or federal program.”
      • Award Range: $5,000 to $25,000
      • Deadline: No specified due date. Note this has been open for a while.
    • Capital Development Board
      • Title: Repair/Replace Roofing System
      • Description: Seeking vendor for repair/replace roofing system at Sheridan Correctional Center in Princeton, IL.
      • Deadline: April 1, 2025 at 11:00am
  • Federal Government
  • Here is some helpful information from the National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders: “The House Appropriations Committee released guidance for earmark requests, kicking off the official application process. Earmarks are federal funds designated by Congress for specific local projects, programs, or organizations, often included in larger spending bills. It allows lawmakers to direct funding to initiatives in their districts or states without requiring a competitive grant process. If your organization is considering applying for an earmark, now is the time to act. To support our members, NALCAB has developed a step-by-step guide to navigating the earmark application process. Access the guide here to ensure your organization is ready to apply.”
    • National Endowment for the Arts - Notice of Funding Opportunity: FY 26 Challenge America
      • Description: “Challenge America supports projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved groups/communities. The program welcomes applications from applicants that are primarily small organizations, first-time applicants to the NEA, and/or returning Challenge America  applicants. Eligible applicants include: nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or  local government; Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes; and applicants that have  not been recommended for funding in any of the three most recent Fiscal Years in the NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects, Our Town, or Research Awards grant programs”
      • Award Range: $10,000
      • Deadline: April 24, 2025 at 10:59pm
  • Local Governments
    • City of Aurora - One Aurora Neighborhood Empowerment Grant Program
      • Description: “This program provides one-time funding to assist residents with reimbursement for projects such as paint, window, and door screen repair, siding repairs, general landscaping, fencing improvements, and small repairs that affect the exterior presentation of the home.”
      • Award Range: up to $1,000
      • Deadline: “…on a rolling basis until funds are depleted through December 31, 2025”
    • City of Rockford’s Commercial Corridor Property Revitalization Program
      • Description: “The City of Rockford’s Commercial Corridor Property Revitalization Program offers forgivable loans to business and property owners who make investment in commercial and industrial spaces in specific corridors in Rockford.  The Program offers to cover 75% of project costs up to $25,000 to assist property owners and/or tenants make building improvements.  Ideal projects add value, extend the longevity of the qualifying properties, and make substantial or aesthetic improvements to the property.” This is a “… first-come first-serve basis (for approved projects)…”
      • Funding Range: up to $25,000
      • Deadline: June 20, 2025 (or until funds run out – whichever comes first)
    • City of Joliet – Request for Proposal Leasing Opportunity
      • Description: “…seeking an experienced restauranteur or hospitality professional to establish a family-friendly business at this prime downtown location (50 E. Jefferson Street).” Open to those outside Joliet as well as long as they meet the criteria.
      • Deadline: April 18, 2025, at 11:59 p.m
    • Jo Daviess County Small Business Development Grant
      • Description: “Eligible applicants include any [Jo Daviess County]-based or to be based private sector small business retailer, manufacturer, service provider, wholesaler, those in the hospitality industry, along with farmers and food processors.”
      • Award Range: up to $25,000
      • Deadline: May 30, 2025
    • Village of Gurnee – Impact Grant
      • Description: “This is a 1:1 matching grant open to a business of any size located within the Village of Gurnee corporate limits, generate sales tax, in good standing with the Village and compliant with all obligations, & a building owner of a qualifying business. No minimum project size with a rolling application period.”
      • Award Range: $10,000 - $20,000
  • Private/Community Resources
    • Small Certified Supplier Innovative Finance Program
      • Description: Open to certified minority-, women-, veteran-, and LGBTQ+ owned businesses (certified by national or state organizations) in the following states California, Georgia, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Pennsylvania, or New Jersey. The annual revenue of the business should be between $250,000 to $10 million.
      • Award Range: $5,000
    • National Grassroots Organizing Program (NGO) from Ben & Jerry’s Foundation
      • Description: “The National Grassroots Organizing Program (NGO) offers two-year unrestricted, general operating support grants of up to $30,000 per year, with an average grant size of $20,000 per year, to small (budgets under $350,000), constituent-led grassroots organizations throughout the United States and its territories.” Organizations must be a nonprofit, 501(c)3 or have a fiscal sponsor.
      • Award Range: up to $30,000 per year
    • Rapid Response Fund – Chicago Foundation for Women
      • Description: “The Rapid Response Fund grants are intended to support grassroots, community solutions and approaches through a variety of advocacy strategies that will protect women, girls and gender expansive people and their families and advance policies and interventions that center communities during this time of uncertainty and attacks against fundamental rights. The grant will support the unexpected or unbudgeted costs associated with community work and advocacy during a time of crisis and unpredictable change.” Open to 501(c)3 nonprofits who operate in the Chicagoland area (including the city and collar counties and in some cases statewide).
      • Award Range: $1,000 to $5,000
      • Deadline: rolling until funds are exhausted
    • Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants
      • Description: “The AWAW EAG supports environmental art projects that inspire thought, action, and ethical engagement. Projects should not only point at problems, but aim to engage an environmental issue at some scale. Proposals should illustrate thorough consideration of a project’s ecological and social ethics. Projects that explore interdependence, relationships, and systems through Indigenous and ancestral practices are encouraged to apply.” Open to individuals over the age of 18 who are artist and identify as a “…woman and/or female, including trans women and people of variable gender identities who were designated female at birth. Open nationwide. For complete eligibility, review the application.
      • Award Range: up to $20,000
      • Deadline: April 15, 2025 at 4:00pm
    • KFC Foundation - Kentucky Fried Wishes
      • Description: Open nationwide to nonprofits. This cycle will focus on improving health and wellbeing (mobile health clinic creation, playground improvements, domestic violence shelter upgrades, accommodations for individuals with disabilities).
      • Award Range: $10,000
      • Deadline: April 18, 2025
    • The Vimeo Short Film Grant, presented by Nikon | RED
      • Description: Open to residents of the US and Canada, applicants must be 18 years old or older, and must have a free or paid Vimeo account to enter. The grant is intended for “…emerging filmmakers who have completed at least two short films, but have yet to complete a feature film.”
      • Award Range: $30,000, Nikon and RED will loan camera equipment and provide product education to winners for use in their film production, mentorship, etc.
      • Deadline: April 18, 2025 by 10:59pm
    • Famous Amos - Ingredients For Success Entrepreneurs Initiative
      • Description: Open nationwide to businesses that are at least 90% Black owned, been in business 5 years or less, headquartered in the U.S., and the business must be owned by owners 21 or older at the time of submission entry.
      • Award Range: $50,000 capital award, mentorship, networking, and educational resources
      • Deadline: April 23, 2025
    • Coleman Foundation – Open call – Invitation to apply for support from the Coleman Foundation to Strengthen the Greater Chicago Region’s Entrepreneurship Ecosystem
      • Description: Open to 501(c)3 nonprofits who are conducting work in the greater Chicago region and who’s org must have a current annual revenue of at least $250,000. “The Coleman Foundation seeks to support and learn from organizations inside the ecosystem that are…
        • supporting entrepreneurs’ tech-based, high-growth businesses to grow and operate their ventures in the greater Chicago region,
        • piloting innovative programs that address access to capital for entrepreneurs in the greater Chicago region, and/or
        • organizing advocacy, coalition, or educational opportunities that will lead to fewer barriers (red tape, administrative burdens et al.) for entrepreneurs who want to start, grow, or scale their business venture in the greater Chicago region.”
      • Award Range: $25,000 - $150,000
      • Deadline: April 25, 2025
    • Artisan Entrepreneurs Academy
      • Description: Open to creative businesses in Illinois and Indiana who meet the criteria. “The Artisan Entrepreneurs Academy is a six-week virtual program providing creative entrepreneurs with capital, coaching, and connections to help grow their business. We will welcome 100 existing creative businesses who are eager for sustainability and growth.” Creative businesses include Arts & crafts, cosmetics & personal care like barber shops/beauty/nail salons, fashion & accessories, fragrance & candle-making, home décor, music, video & performing arts, photography, plant & foliage art or retail, toy & hobby goods. For a complete list visit HERE.
      • Award Range: “A $5,000 business grant upon successful completion of the program.”
      • Deadline: April 25, 2025 at 5:00pm
    • Enthuse Foundation Grant Program
      • Description: Open nationwide to those who identify as a woman entrepreneur with an established consumer packaged goods (CPG) business, etc. For full criteria see the grant page. Also, please note, there are 8 different grants, one winner per grant.
      • Award Range: varies
      • Deadline: April 28, 2025
    • HuCapital x Desmond Fontaine Foundation 'Catalyst' Grant
      • Description: Open nationwide for early-stage founders. “Designed to empower early-stage entrepreneurs who are building innovative product-driven and community-based businesses.”
      • Award Range: $1,500
      • Deadline: April 30, 2025
    • The Breva™ Thrive Grant
      • Description: Open nationwide to businesses that have a community impact, with a minimum annual revenue of $35,000, etc. “The grant is designed to support activities such as scaling operations, purchasing equipment, funding new hires, enhancing marketing efforts, or other initiatives that drive growth and community impact.”
      • Award Range: $5,000
      • Deadline: April 30, 2025
    • 2025 Halstead Grant
      • Description: “The Halstead Grant is a business development program and annual award to give new silver jewelry artists a launchpad for success.” Open nationwide.
      • Award Range: up to $7,500 plus other benefits
      • Deadline: May 1, 2025
    • 5th Annual Black Ambition Prize Competition
      • Description: “Black Ambition seeks to support entrepreneurs from backgrounds that have historically been overlooked by venture capital funding. To be eligible to apply, a team must have at least one founding member from such a background, including, but not limited to, backgrounds such as Black/African/African American, Hispanic/Latino/Latina/Latinx, LGBTQ, parents with earned income below the poverty level, first-generation immigrants, first-generation college graduates, and those raised by a single parent. Founders from any background traditionally overlooked in venture capital funding may apply regardless of race.” “Eligible ventures must be growth-ready companies that have not yet raised more than $1M in dilutive funding to date and innovating in: Technology, Healthcare, Consumer Products and/or Services, Media and Entertainment, Artificial Intelligence”
      • Award Range: between $20,000 to $100,000, plus support services
      • Deadline: May 2, 2025 at 8:00pm
    • 2025 EmpowHer Grant Application Q2
      • Description: Open nationwide. “Female entrepreneurs 22 years of age and older with businesses registered and operating solely in the United States. An applicant’s business must make a social impact through its product or business model, must be earning revenue, and must not be more than 3 years old. To be awarded grant funding, applicants must self-report a credit score and agree to a third-party background check.”
      • Award Range: $25,000
      • Deadline: May 2, 2025
    • 8th Annual Boost Award
      • Description: “These awards provide funding of up to $1,000 to help disabled entrepreneurs and caregivers of individuals with disabilities launch or grow their businesses.” To apply in English, click HERE. To apply in Spanish, click HERE.
      • Award Range: $1,000
      • Deadline: May 2, 2025 at 5:00pm
    • Creative Business Boost Initiative
      • Description: “…presented by Hello Alice and the Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN), with support from Etsy’s Uplift Fund.” Open nationwide to creative industries (fashion, arts, crafts, coesmictcs, personal care services such as barber or beauty salon, food and beverage, Fragrance and Candle Production, Furniture and Home Décor, Music, Publishing, Performing Arts, and Media, Photofinishing, Toys, Hobby Goods, and for a complete list click HERE), business must have been operating for at least 12 months, “existing product or service currently on the market,” willing to participate in the 8 week bootcamp, etc.
      • Award Range: $5,000 plus boot camp coaching, etc.
      • Deadline: May 9, 2025 at 5:00pm
    • DoorDash Restaurant Disaster Relief
      • Description: “…DoorDash has partnered with Hello Alice to create the Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund. The fund supports restaurants impacted by natural disasters, severe weather events, or major infrastructure failures…” Open nationwide to “a restaurant, gastropub or bakery with a brick & mortar location that has experienced a loss in revenue as a direct result of a natural disaster, severe weather event, or major infrastructure failure which occurred within the last 12 months”, been opened at least 6 months, “Own a maximum of three locations, and employ fewer than 50 employees per location”, and “Have revenues of $3M or less per location in the last 12 months.”
      • Award Range: $10,000
      • Deadline: Spring Round due May 30, 2025 at 5pm
    • Impact Grant – Nonprofit Grant
      • Description: “All registered nonprofit organizations in Canada and the USA are encouraged to apply for an IMPACT Grant. In the USA, your organization should hold a 501c3 status, while in Canada, it must be a registered charity recognized by the CRA (Canada Revenue Agency).” “…every organization, regardless of size or sector, has the potential to make a meaningful impact. Our commitment is to facilitate this impact through grants of $1,000, fostering innovation, sustainability, and social responsibility.”
      • Award Range: $1,000
      • Deadline: May 31, 2025
    • Vilcek Foundation (grant to support orgs who support immigrant artists)
      • Description: “…invites applications for grants to support nonprofit organizations that work with immigrant artists and communities, and that promote diversity in the arts, sciences, education, and humanities.” Open nationwide and U.S. territories nonprofits with 501(c)3 status.
      • Award Range: $5,000 and $20,000
      • Deadline: June 30, 2025
    • Faire Small Business Grant Program 2025
      • Description: “…small business grant program gives select new stores $5,000 to use on Faire to stock their shelves with amazing products.” “The grant is open to independent retail stores who are based in the US, and started their business in the last year, or plan to open this year.” Spring cycle is now open
      • Award Range: $5,000 credit
      • Deadline: June 30, 2025

 

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