Gov. Pritzker Announces $26 Million for Illinois Grocery Initiative Grant Program

[Viable Food News Desk]

Publisher: State of Illinois
Published: September 10, 2026
Source: Read at State of Illinois
Category: Food Access

Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity announced over $26 million in available Illinois Grocery Initiative grants. The funding includes $20.8 million for new stores, $750,000 for equipment upgrades, and $4.5 million for a Grocery Rescue Program to help reopen grocery stores that closed within the preceding 12 months. Applications are open, and recipients will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity process. Eligible applicants include independent grocers and cooperatives with fewer than 500 employees and no more than four grocery locations, while owners connected to the prior closed store are not eligible.

Why this matters: Independent grocers and cooperatives that meet the eligibility rules may be able to use the grants for store acquisition, repairs, equipment, and some first-year operating costs. Communities that lost a grocery store may have a funding route to support reopening.

This post summarizes and links to the original source. It does not reproduce the full article.