Governor JB Pritzker and Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton joined food justice advocates and local stakeholders to announce a new grant program from the Illinois Grocery Initiative. The New Stores in Food Deserts Program will offer competitive grants to encourage the establishment of new grocery stores in USDA-defined food deserts. Paired with the Equipment Upgrades Program, the initiatives are a $20 million effort to address food deserts and prevent grocery store closures in Illinois. Awards can range between $160K to $2.4M, with a 1:3 match requirement from businesses. Requirements for grocery locations include:

• Must be located in a food desert,

• Must earn less than 30% of revenue from alcohol and tobacco sales,

• Must accept SNAP and WIC, and

• Must contribute to diversity of fresh foods available in community.

To view the competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and apply for the grant, please visit the DCEO website. Interested parties are encouraged to reach out to CEO.GrantHelp@illinois.gov for application assistance. To help applicants prepare to apply for funding, DCEO will be holding a technical assistance webinar at 1:30 p.m. on April 17 and at 10:30 a.m. on April 23.