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Chicago & Midwest  + Downtown  + Finance  | 

Lightfoot Administration Launches $20M Grant Program for Small Businesses

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the City of Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection unveiled a $20-million Chi Biz Strong Grant Program for small business and nonprofit relief and a new $2-million Outdoor Dining Grant Program to support equipment for outdoor dining.  

The grant programs build on the success of more than 4100 million in city pandemic relief funding for businesses across Chicago’s neighborhoods and CBD, reportedly the largest amount of relief funding provided by any US city.  

“These grants are an investment and commitment to our small businesses and nonprofits who are critical drivers of vitality in our neighborhoods and downtown,” said Lightfoot.  

She continued, “By extending year-end lifelines of flexible funds to thousands of grantees, we will increase economic opportunity in the surrounding areas and promote critical nonprofit services and programs. Furthermore, supporting our businesses is essential to ensuring a strong, post-pandemic comeback for our entire city.” 

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Mayor Lightfoot’s Office

About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

  • ◦Policy/Gov't
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