April 10, 2024 – Grocery startups can now apply for funding allocated in last year’s $20 million Illinois Grocery Initiative aimed at preventing and eliminating food deserts in Illinois. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which is administering the grants, is currently accepting applications in the second round of funding, which will provide a combined $14 million to grocery stores looking to open in Illinois food deserts. The agency is also reviewing applications for the first round of programming rolled out earlier this year that could partially fund a total of $3.5 million of equipment upgrades at select stores across the state. Using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Illinois Department of Public Health estimates that more than 3 million Illinoisans are unable to access good food because they might not have enough money, time or reliable transportation to go shopping. Research published by the National Academy of Sciences found that living in food deserts can lead to poor health outcomes. Gov. JB Pritzker proposed an additional $10 million in funding for the initiative in next year’s budget. A bill sponsored by Sen. Doris Turner could expand the initiative to include farmer-owned grocery stores as well. For more information about the grants and application process, interested parties can visit the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity website. By ALEX ABBEDUTO & COLE LONGCOR Capitol News Illinois [email protected]
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