The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced the conclusion of the Back to Business (B2B) Restaurants, Hotels and Arts program with $156 million provided in relief funds. Through these three programs, nearly 4,000 grants went to businesses in over 500 cities, towns and localities in 95 counties across the state. B2B Arts and B2B Restaurants grant award amounts were determined based on a percentage of revenue declines, and funding for the B2B Hotels awards was allocated based on the number of rooms. Grants had an average award amount of $39,484, with different ranges of funding available depending on the business type. The grant program utilized American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and was designed to offset losses and support job retention in the industries hardest-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to reach hardest-hit populations, DCEO enlisted a robust network of approximately 100 community navigators to conduct outreach and provide technical assistance in communities across the state, as well as industry-specific navigators for Restaurants, Hotels and Arts, as well as additional support from other industry partners.

Data on Grant Distribution:

A total of 3,951 businesses were provided grant awards, including:
– Hotels: 720
– Restaurants: 996
– Arts: 2,235

Businesses received an average grant amount of $39,484 with the following median awards amounts broken out by sector:
– Hotels: $62,458
– Restaurants: $50,000
– Arts: $5,000