The RISE Grant Program
The pandemic has had a significant impact on the Illinois workforce. Small businesses are still struggling to hire qualified employees which has greatly impacted their operations. Illinois policymakers will need to promptly pass forward-thinking policies to help get folks back into the workforce.
The SBAC is advocating for the passage of The RISE Grant Program - HB4455. This legislation connects those interested working in a new field or industry with small businesses struggling to hire new employees. Importantly, HB4455 offsets the costs associated with on-the-job training at the inception of the employer-employee relationship. The legislation provides funding for $5,000 grants which can be awarded to businesses that (1) retrain and hire employees that lost their jobs or businesses because of the pandemic; (2) employ less than 50 employees; and (3) create a new net job.
Illinois received over $8 billion from the American Rescue Plan Act funds. The SBAC contends a responsible portion of those funds should be used to support small businesses struggling to hire new employees. This legislation allocates $250,000,000 in funding for this new grant program. This legislation connects those interested working in a new field, in part, facilitated by the pandemic, with small businesses that are struggling to hire new employees. HB4455 creates opportunities for small businesses, while helping get people back into the workforce.
NRC New Look, New Logo, Same Mission
New Look, New Logo, Same Mission In our 2nd year of actively and ardently working to revitalize neighborhoods throughout Chicago, we thought we’d bring a fresh new look to the incredible work that the SBAC and a robust group of chamber partners have spearheaded. We continue to advocate for policy reform to reduce vacancies, cut…
Forum on Small Businesses and Child Care
The cost of affordable and quality childcare has kept people from re-entering the workforce. This has significantly impacted many small businesses that continue struggling to find employees to support their operations. Join us for a virtual forum with Chairwomen Carol Ammons and Representative Edgar Gonzalez to discuss how to help get people struggling with childcare…
Thank you for joining us at the 2022 SBAC C.A.N Holiday Party!
THANK YOU for attending our 2022 SBAC C.A.N Holiday Party!! Thank you to everyone who came out to our Holiday Party on December 1st, 2022 to celebrate the holiday season and the SBAC. It was a beautiful day out in the sun. We had a great time and hopefully you did too! Want to…
