The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) and Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives (CNI) are now accepting applications for the Corridor Improvements for Rebuild Distressed Communities (CIRDC) $10 Million grant program. This subset of the program will support capital investment in commercial corridors that have experienced property damage. The goal is to fund projects that will spark long-term economic growth while helping further support the economic recovery of small businesses affected by civil unrest.
DCEO and partners are calling on community-based organizations in communities that experienced civil unrest to apply for $10 million made available through the Request For Proposal (RFP) – including, but not limited to nonprofits, local governments, business improvement districts, special service areas and others.
Businesses located in the zip codes listed here are eligible to apply. Businesses not listed in those zip codes may still be eligible if they operate in an economically distressed area, listed here, and may apply to have their zip code included. They also must demonstrate that the proposed improvements will occur within a corridor where businesses experienced property damage due to civil unrest during the relevant period on or after May 25, 2020.
A pre-recorded webinar about the Round can be accessed here.
Submission Dates and Times
All applications and all required documentation shall be submitted electronically and must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. sixty (60) calendar days from the date the final draft is posted. The grant administrators and DCEO reserve the right to issue a reduced award or not to issue any award. Applicants may submit only one (1) proposal for this program.
RFP ISSUE DATE: April 5, 2021
RFP DUE DATE: June 7, 2021
How to Apply
For more information and documentation to complete an RFP response, click here. RFP responses should be submitted by email to RDC_Grant@lisc.org by 5 p.m. on June 7, 2021.
This announcement is the latest in a series of grants made available by the State of Illinois for small businesses and communities hit hardest by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since March of last year, DCEO has deployed more than $1 billion in funding opportunities, including the Business Interruption Grants program, the largest of its kind in the national economic support program which provided 9,000 grants totaling $275 million for businesses across the state. DCEO and its community navigator partners continue to assist small businesses in need by unlocking access to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and other federal programs.