COVID-19 Small Business Assistance Program

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

Cook County’s COVID-19 Small Business Assistance Program provided $10,000 grants to small businesses who urgently required access to funding to survive and adapt to the negative effects of COVID-19. The County recognized that grant capital alone was insufficient to help small businesses recover from the impacts devastatingf COVID- 19; small businesses also needed coaching, advisory services, and education to weather the storm and to come out stronger on the other side. Given the magnitude of the pandemic, the existing technical assistance providers for small businesses needed additional capacity to serve the pressing needs of businesses. Utilizing CARES funding, Cook County dedicated $19.1 million to provide grants to 1690 businesses, to offer advising services to 3500+ businesses, and to assist these firms in safely navigating the realities of the new business environment. Additional services included educational webinars, held from September 2020 – March 2021, in partnership with 35+ business service organizations across Cook County. The program successfully reached a high number of small businesses (all with less than 20 employees) in a very short time, with the majority owned by entrepreneurs of color in the communities most impacted by COVID-19.