Two organizations that serve Jacksonville are set to receive portions of $9 million from the state’s Community Navigator program to accelerate small business recovery.
The expansion of the program leverages 13 community navigator organizations that will provide support for small businesses statewide who require assistance navigating billions of financial assistance dollars available from the State of Illinois and the U.S. Small Business Administration as a result of the American Rescue Plan Act.
The Illinois Public Health Association which serves Jacksonville, Springfield, and Beardstown; and National Main Street Center, Incorporated which serves Jacksonville, Alton, and Quincy were a part of the 13 regional partners trained by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to provide technical assistance at the local level to low-to-moderate income areas of the state.
DCEO will conduct outreach locally on the forthcoming B2B grant program. The B2B program will prioritize hard hit industries and communities, providing grant funding to help businesses most impacted by COVID-19 recover operational losses.
To ensure the smallest and most vulnerable businesses are prioritized, navigator partners will provide small businesses with direct assistance on applications, as well as language assistance, on-the-ground outreach, webinars, technical assistance sessions, and more.
For more information on recovery programs and how to receive support, businesses are encouraged to visit the DCEO webpage or can call the First Stop hotline at 1-800-252-2923.