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Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) Economic Recovery
The Road to Recovery Plan ensured that one-time funds made available by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) were spent directly in Chicago’s communities most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The funding under the Road to Recovery Plan, which included funding from the American Rescue Plan Act ("ARP") and over $600 million in local bond funds, was allocated alongside all other available resources in the City budget to maximize this opportunity over its 3 to 5 year funding period.
The Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) was responsible for distributing approximately $50 million in funding across three focus areas: small business support, non-profit relief, and food equity.
Fund
The Good Food Fund supported small food businesses operating in communities with limited access to food. Through this program the city disbursed $5 million in grants to food-businesses and provided them with highly specialized business coaching.
Incubator
The Food Business Incubator Program provided a range of technical assistance and capacity building support for food entrepreneurs.
Capacity Building 2023
The 2023 Nonprofit Capacity Building Program offered participants direct access to partner organizations that helped with Application Assistance.
The Small Business Storefront Activation Program aimed to boost local spending and draw foot traffic to commercial corridors. This was achieved by selected organizations working with small business owners and landlords to transform vacant storefronts into new business spaces, offering rapid relief to small businesses.
2024
During the pandemic, nonprofit organizations across Chicago saw a significant increase in the demand for their services without a comparable increase in their financial and operational capacity to meet that demand.
Support Grant
The Small Business and Not-For-Profit Support Grant Program was designed to provide small businesses and nonprofits with funds to assist in recovering from economic losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
2025
Capacity building is important for small businesses in Chicago as they continue to recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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