PEORIA – The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced 11 awards totaling $7.9 million through the Illinois Grocery Initiative New Stores and Equipment Upgrades Grant Programs to address food deserts and prevent grocery store closures in Illinois.

“Ensuring all communities have access to fresh, quality food is not just a priority – it’s a necessity,” said State Senator Christopher Belt (D-Swansea). “This funding through the Illinois Grocery Initiative is a major step toward eliminating food deserts in the state so every family, regardless of where they live, has reliable access to healthy food.”

Belt championed the Grocery Initiative Act in 2023 to tackle the increasing number of food deserts in the state. Under this law, DCEO is required to provide grants and other forms of financial assistance to grocery stores located in or to be located in a food desert. 

The New Stores in Food Deserts Program awards will support the establishment of new grocery stores in USDA-defined food deserts. These grants will fund construction and renovation costs for new stores, as well as many first-year operations costs, such as employee wages, utility costs, initial inventory of food and more.

Through the Equipment Upgrades Program, grants will provide funding for energy-efficient equipment upgrades for existing grocery stores, with priority given to those located in food insecure communities across the state. This program is designed to strengthen existing grocery stores and preserve access to fresh food in food insecure communities, in an effort to stop the formation of new food deserts.

In addition to the grantees announced Thursday, DCEO also launched the second round of the Illinois Grocery Initiative New Stores in Food Deserts Grant Program that will continue to build upon the state’s efforts to encourage the establishment of new grocery stores in USDA-defined food deserts. Applications will be accepted until Dec. 2, 2024 at 5 p.m. To apply for the grant, visit the DCEO website.

“Through the Illinois Grocery Initiative, the State of Illinois is changing lives and livelihoods by making it easier to put fresh food on the table,” said DCEO Director Kristin Richards. “These grantees will make a significant impact on their communities and local economies by opening new stores and upgrading existing stores, and I encourage interested entities to explore opening new stores through the next round of this grant program.”