The DuPage County Board approved the “Reinvest DuPage” small business relief grant at its Tuesday, June 22 meeting. The grant allocates $15 million to be made available for small businesses and independent contractors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative passed unanimously with consent from all present county board members.
Grant Eligibility & Availability
Small businesses, nonprofits and independent contractors operating in DuPage County are eligible for the Reinvest DuPage grant program. Businesses and nonprofits with less than $20 million in gross annual revenue may apply for a reward of up to $50,000. Independent contractors with annual gross incomes of less than $250,000, with more than 50% of their annual gross income coming from 1099-classification work, may apply for a reward of up to $15,000. These reward figures are not guaranteed; the exact amount an applicant receives is determined by a calculation of their annual expenses.
All applicants must have been conducting business in DuPage County by January 1, 2019. Applications will be accepted online starting Monday, June 28 at 9 a.m. The grant program will continue to run until January 1, 2024, or until all $15 million in funds has been disbursed; whichever comes first. All applications will be evaluated in a first-come, first-serve basis.
Choose DuPage & The American Rescue Plan
The funds for the Reinvest DuPage grant were provided to DuPage County by way of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) which took effect this March. Though funded by the county’s share of ARPA money, the program itself is administered by the nonprofit economic development group Choose DuPage. Choose DuPage will process all grant reward applications before turning them over to the county board for review and final approval or denial.
More information on the Reinvest DuPage program can be found on Choose DuPage’s Reinvest DuPage information website.
County Chairman: “I Felt Sick” In Aftermath Of Tornado
Before passing the Reinvest DuPage program, County Chairman Dan Cronin expressed his sympathy for those DuPage residents impacted by Sunday night’s EF-3 class tornado.
“I felt sick Monday when I saw the damage and realized how people’s lives would be disrupted,” Cronin said.
Cronin said DuPage Emergency Management services had been working, and would continue to work, with the affected municipalities.
“It really is a great story to see how they’ve all helped each other,” Cronin said.
Naperville News 17’s David Byrnes reports
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