1,000+ Opportunities
Find the right grant
Search federal, foundation, and corporate grants with AI — or browse by agency, topic, and state.
Illinois Economic Empowerment Centers (EEC) Program is sponsored by Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. This program aims to create an inclusive business ecosystem for communities facing systemic barriers.
It awards grants to eligible applicants who provide Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individuals (SEDI) business owners, entrepreneurs, and/or dislocated workers with technical assistance, training, and access to resources necessary for their start-ups or existing businesses.
Get a weekly digest of new grants like this
A free weekly digest of new foundation and federal funding opportunities as they're added to Granted. Unsubscribe anytime.
Or search similar grants →Extracted from the official opportunity page/RFP to help you evaluate fit faster.
Illinois Economic Empowerment Centers SCAM ALERT: DCEO has been made aware of organizations receiving fraudulent “notice of award” letters claiming to be from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. These are not legitimate notices from DCEO. If your organization receives a notice, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission and/or the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center .
Illinois Economic Empowerment Centers The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Office of Economic Equity & Empowerment (OE3), launched the first round of the Illinois Economic Empowerment Centers Program (EEC Program) to provide grants to eligible career education agencies and not-for-profit corporations, including, but not limited to, local development corporations, chambers of commerce, community-based business outreach centers and other community based organizations, that offer training, mentorship, support, resources and other enterprise-building opportunities to various individuals seeking to explore business enterprise opportunities.
The EEC Program was created to address the need for tailored support at a local, community and cultural level for socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI)-owned businesses, Very Small Businesses (VSBs), or entrepreneurs from one or more members of the following groups: minorities, women, individuals with a disability, dislocated workers, veterans, and youth entrepreneurs across Illinois.
Through this grant program, the EECs created an inclusive business ecosystem for marginalized communities that have traditionally faced systemic barriers to entry and growth through dynamic partnerships, targeted outreach, and customized training programs and initiatives.
The EECs have provided training in all aspects of business development and small business management, including Business Advice/Technical Assistance, Education and Cohort Training, and other Mandatory Client Services. To date, the EECs have served over 1000 businesses through cohort training, assisted in the launch of 100 new businesses, and helped create/retain over 800 jobs across Illinois.
The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Round 2 of the program has launched and will be accepting applications on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. The NOFO and accompanying technical assistance webinar information can be found on DCEO’s Grant Opportunities website. The webinar will be recorded, and the recording will be available on the website.
Round 1 Program Participants The following organizations were selected for FY 24 to implement EECs across the state and will be serving as EECs until May 31, 2026: Black Business Alliance Peoria Board of Trustees of Southern IL University – SIU Carbondale Center for Changing Lives Chicago’s Sunshine Enterprises, Inc. DevCorp North dba Rogers Park Business Alliance Goodwill Industries of Northern Illinois and Wisconsin Stateline Area, Inc. Little Village Community Foundation Corp Southland Development Authority Please contact ceo.
EECProgram@illinois. gov for any questions. Public Act 102-0821 created the Illinois Economic Empowerment Centers Program.
Connect with a DCEO Representative Locate Your Business In IL Start Your Business in IL
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Eligible applicants include nonprofits that provide technical assistance, training, and resources to SEDI business owners, entrepreneurs, and/or dislocated workers. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
Illinois Economic Empowerment Centers (EEC) Program is funded by Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. Verify program details on the funder's official page before applying.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
Illinois's Federal Grant Support Program (Round 2) puts $16.9 million into a single, unglamorous job: paying the non-federal match that keeps competitive applicants out of federal competitions they would otherwise win. Awards run $10,000 to $2 million across roughly 30 recipients, on a rolling basis with no fixed deadline. As federal rules tighten and match requirements harden into eligibility gates, a 'grant to get a grant' is becoming one of the highest-leverage dollars a state can spend. Here is how the program works, who should pursue it, and why match funding is the quiet chokepoint in the 2026 federal landscape.
Read articleOn July 20, 2026, the EDA announced it intends to invest $169 million across six Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs — quantum, nuclear, critical minerals, biosecure manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, and forest bioproducts — after the Trump administration rescinded the Biden-era Phase 2 awards and reran the competition. Only two of the original winners survived. Here is the full breakdown of the six hubs, why four prior awardees were dropped, and what the re-award teaches regional coalitions about competing for the next round.
Read articleThe OpenAI Foundation is putting $100 million behind Breakthroughs to Follow-Through, a Common Health Coalition initiative aiming to at least double hepatitis C cure rates in eight states and localities within two years. Alabama, Illinois, Louisiana and Massachusetts go first, money flows to local collaboratives and nonprofits, and the grants are deliberately not tied to any one AI vendor. Here is what makes an organization fundable under it.
Read article