The Governmental Affairs Committee of the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry is forwarding information on Round 2 of the State of Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity‘s (IDECO) Business Interuption Grant (BIG) Program as follows:

Funded through our state’s allotment of the federal $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Recovery and Economic Stability (CARES) Act, BIG Round 2 has $200 million in funding available for small businesses that experienced losses to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  IDCEO’s grant administrative partner for Round 2 is Accion.

A total of $540 million in grants are being awarded in funding rounds to small businesses to reimburse costs incurred due to COVID-19, including $270 million dedicated to childcare services and early education.

Some 2,800 businesses received $49 million in grants in Round 1, which focused on restaurants, personal care services, gyms, fitness clubs and businessesin severly disproportionately impacted areas.

Click HERE to access pdf file of BIG’s Round 2 informational packet, covering an Overview, Heavily Impacted Industries, Eligibility Factors and Key Priorities, Outreach and Techincal Assistance, Timeline and Application.

For more information, contact Michelle Michals, Senior Account Manager at IDCEO, by phone at 312-636-4555 (cell) or e-mail.