To help hospitality businesses make ends meet in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, DCEO is launching the Hospitality Emergency Grant Program with $14 million drawn from funds originally budgeted for job training, tourism promotion, and other purposes. Grant funds are available to support working capital like payroll and rent, as well as job training, retraining, and technology to support shifts in operations, like increased pick-up and delivery.
Please read the following and then fill out the form linked below if you believe you own an eligible business and would invest the grant funds for eligible uses.
Eligibility
Food and beverage businesses who generated less than $1M in revenue in 2019 are eligible to apply. Businesses that generated between $500K and $1M in revenue in 2019 are eligible for $25K, and businesses that generated less than $500K in revenue in 2019 are eligible for $10K. Businesses must hold a valid restaurant or liquor license.
Hotels that generated revenues less the $8 million in 2019 are eligible to apply. Hotels are eligible to up to $50K. Businesses must hold a valid hotel, motel or other lodging license in Illinois. Accommodations related to home sharing, including Shared Housing Unit Operators and Hosts, are not eligible.
Uses
Food and beverage businesses: The eligible uses for grant awards (dictated by the funding sources that are immediately available for this program) are the following:
- Working Capital – including payroll, accounts payable, rent, and other fixed costs of operation. Note: the program has a limited amount of grant funds to support working capital only.
- Job Training – any and all efforts to train and/or re-train workers, including wages paid while training activities occur, including the following purposes: training employees on skills needed for telecommuting; learning best practices to sanitize spaces, conducting training to on-board new employees or re-board recalled workers; and expanding business capacity to learn how to reach new customers in the wake of this disaster.
- Technology – including technology, including hardware, software, and IT services to improve communication with customers and employees and accommodate demand for delivery and pick-up operations. Grants funds can also support other non-technology costs related to evolved operations as a result of the technology, including equipment, sanitary supplies and packaging, signage, etc.
Hotels: Hotels may only use these funds for working capital to retain employees.
Process
Hotels, and, food and beverage businesses can fill out this grant application between March 25 and April 1. Eligible applicants will be placed into a lottery, and grant winners will be notified on April 4. Accion Serving Illinois and Indiana, a local nonprofit, will distribute the grant awards on behalf of the State.
If you have any questions about your application, please submit them here or call (312) 275-3000. We will respond as quickly as we can. We encourage you to submit questions electronically to receive a quicker response.
Apply: https://us.accion.org/news/covid-19-hospitality-business-grant-program/