MARYVILLE – Twenty-six additional small businesses in the Metro East were awarded more than $1 million in pandemic-related aid, thanks to support from State Senator Rachelle Aud Crowe (D-Glen Carbon).

“To help our small business community recover from the pandemic, we created the Back to Business grant program to offer relief from some of the financial strains,” Crowe said. “We know businesses continue to struggle through the different COVID-19 variants, and we’re providing assistance with this program.”

The Back to Business grants are awarded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity using funds allocated to them by the American Rescue Plan through last year’s state budget. So far – thanks to strong support from Crowe – DCEO has provided $111 million in B2B grants to nearly 3,000 small businesses throughout the state with an emphasis on disproportionately impacted areas.

The latest B2B announcement awarded 26 businesses in the 56th Senate District more than $1 million combined in funding. Since the grant program was created, 33 businesses have been awarded grants ranging from $5,000 to $175,000 to help them cover the costs of safely staying open through the ongoing pandemic. Businesses were located in Jersey, Madison and St. Clair counties and ranged from hotels to restaurants and more.

“As communities implement ways to recover from the ongoing pandemic, small businesses need our support,” Crowe said. “Financial recovery is vital to our economy. By shopping locally, we can all play a role in helping our neighbors get back to normal.”

Businesses will continue to be notified of their application status throughout the next few weeks until all the funds are exhausted. Visit the DCEO website for more information on the B2B program and view a full list of grantees here.

###