Last verified: October 14, 2026.
Illinois offers grocery equipment grants of $25,000 to $250,000 with no fixed due date, and its commerce department warns about fake notice-of-award letters using its name. Check every offer against the official DCEO grants page.
The SBA says it does not provide grants to start or expand a business, so federal money rarely covers everyday costs. Look to state and city offices, research awards and a few private programs, and never pay to apply.
Grants are only one option. See every way to fund your business.
Want the national picture first? See the small business grants hub.
At a glance: sources in Illinois
- State agency: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) (official page).
- Local offices covered: 2.
- Programs below with details checked on their official pages today: 4.
State sources in Illinois
| Source | Run by | Status | Official link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grants and funding listings | Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) | See official page | https://dceo.illinois.gov/aboutdceo/grant-opportunities.html |
We did not confirm an open direct-to-business grant on these pages as of October 14, 2026. Check them for current programs.
City and county sources in Illinois
| Office | Status | Official link |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection | See official page | https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp.html |
| Cook County Bureau of Economic Development | See official page | https://www.cookcountyil.gov/agency/bureau-economic-development |
City and county grants often open for short windows. Check the official page for what is open now.
Programs open to Illinois businesses, verified today
Illinois Grocery Initiative Equipment Upgrade Round 3 (DCEO)
- Amount: award range of $25,000 to $250,000, with cost sharing required.
- Who qualifies: existing independently owned grocers or cooperatives in Illinois with fewer than 500 employees and no more than 4 grocery stores, making energy-efficient equipment upgrades in brick-and-mortar stores.
- Deadline: rolling. DCEO lists it as open for a period of time with no specific due dates.
- Official page: https://dceo.illinois.gov/aboutdceo/grantopportunities/3295-4334.html
NIH Small Business Innovation Research (Parent SBIR)
- Amount: NIH's seed fund page points to $1.4 billion in small business funding; award sizes vary, so see official page.
- Who qualifies: only US small business concerns, as SBA defines them.
- Deadline: Grants.gov lists a close date of Monday, April 5, 2027. NIH uses set receipt dates, so see official page for the next one.
- Official page: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/359671
Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program
- Amount: see official page. This is a fellowship with coaching and advisors.
- Who qualifies: a woman age 21 or older who owns the largest stake in a for-profit US business that is at least 51% women-owned and earns at least $75,000 a year.
- Deadline: applications close Tuesday, November 17, 2026.
- Official page: https://www.toryburchfoundation.org/fellows/
NASE Growth Grants
- Amount: up to $4,000.
- Who qualifies: NASE members in good standing when they apply and until the award is made.
- Deadline: ongoing. NASE says there is no single annual deadline and reviews completed applications each quarter.
- Official page: https://www.nase.org/become-a-member/member-benefits/business-resources/growth-grants
Other federal options in Illinois: search Grants.gov and SBIR.gov for research awards.
Free help and tips in Illinois
Small Business Development Centers, Women's Business Centers and SCORE offer free or low-cost counseling. Find one near you with the SBA local assistance locator.
How to apply
Read the official rules, register where the funder requires, gather documents and submit early. For federal grants, Grants.gov says to allow up to 10 business days for SAM.gov registration. See the full how to apply for a small business grant guide.
Here's a hypothetical. Prairie Basket Market (a made-up business) runs two independent grocery stores in Illinois. It applies for help replacing old coolers with energy-efficient ones.
Red flags: grant scams to avoid
- Grants.gov says applying for a federal grant is completely free. A fee to get you a federal grant is a red flag.
- The SBA says it only emails from addresses ending in @SBA.gov.
- Be wary of anyone saying you won a grant you never applied for.
- Report it to the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ and read the Grants.gov grant fraud page.
Next: other funding if no grant fits
If no grant fits, the full funding guide linked near the top of this page covers your other options. For other states, start from the small business grants hub.
Sources
All checked October 14, 2026.
- Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO): https://dceo.illinois.gov/aboutdceo/grant-opportunities.html
- Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection: https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/bacp.html
- Cook County Bureau of Economic Development: https://www.cookcountyil.gov/agency/bureau-economic-development
- Illinois Grocery Initiative Equipment Upgrade Round 3 (DCEO): https://dceo.illinois.gov/aboutdceo/grantopportunities/3295-4334.html
- NIH Parent SBIR on Grants.gov: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/359671
- Tory Burch Foundation Fellows Program: https://www.toryburchfoundation.org/fellows/
- NASE Growth Grants: https://www.nase.org/become-a-member/member-benefits/business-resources/growth-grants
- SBA grants: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/grants
- Grants.gov applicant registration: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration
- FTC ReportFraud: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/