Supporting Struggling Small Businesses
The pandemic and Covid-19 mitigations began inflicting immense damage to many small businesses in March of 2020. Thousands of small businesses initially applied for Illinois Business Interruption Grants. While these grants helped some small businesses, approximately 80% of eligible small businesses which applied were not awarded a grant.
Subsequently, Illinois received over 8 billion dollars in American Rescue Plan Act funds. However, only $250 million were allocated for Back to Business grant program. These funds will likely be exhausted before many struggling and eligible businesses receive grants.
Illinois still has billions of federal funds and should replenish the Back to Business grant program with an additional $300 million. Our policymakers should not pick winners and loses when there is adequate funding to support the struggling small businesses.
House Bill HB5489 will allocate an additional $300 million for the Back to Business grant program. Please ask your legislators to support this legislation so that struggling small businesses can receive the support they need to recover from a pandemic, and associated mitigations, which they could not control.
FIFTH THIRD BANK
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, and the indirect parent company of Fifth Third Bank, National Association, a federally chartered institution. As of Mar. 31, 2021, Fifth Third had $207 billion in assets and operated 1,098 full-service banking centers and 2,383 ATMs with Fifth Third branding in Ohio,…
FREEBORN & PETERS, LLP
Founded in 1983, Freeborn is a leading midsize law firm with offices in Chicago, Illinois; New York, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Springfield, Illinois; and Tampa, Florida. Our deep bench of more than 90 experienced trial lawyers handle all areas of complex disputes and litigation, nationally and internationally.
GREENE FORENSIC ACCOUNTING SOLUTIONS LLP
Greene LLP is a wide spectrum accounting firm with offices in Chicago and the Las Vegas areas, which allow us to provide our clients with nationwide services. Comprised of specialists in tax accounting, litigation support, damage analysis, financial examination, forensic accounting, computer forensics, health care and real estate, the firm is regularly engaged by major…
