Program Highlights

• The Champaign County Small Business Grant Program offers small businesses the opportunity to access up to $5,000 in grant funds. The maximum award is $5,000 per eligible business.
• Small businesses in Champaign County, Illinois, that started before March 11, 2020, are eligible for this program.
• The application deadline is 11:59 PM on August 22, 2025.
• This program is made possible thanks to the generosity of the Champaign County Board.
• Questions? Reach out to us at [email protected].

• Small businesses in Champaign County, Illinois, that started before March 11, 2020, are eligible for this program. The business start date is based on the date the business was incorporated or the date on the business license.
• Home-based businesses are not eligible for this program. To qualify for this program, applicants must have an active business with a physical location (brick-and-mortar) in Champaign County, Illinois. Mobile-based businesses, e.g. food trucks and pet grooming trucks are eligible.
• You must be registered as a client of the Illinois SBDC at Champaign County EDC before the application deadline to receive grant funds. If you aren’t already a client, please register here. There is no cost, and all the information provided is confidential. If selected for funding, one meeting with an SBDC Advisor is required before grant funds will be distributed. If you have questions about your SBDC client status, please email [email protected].
• Funding for this program is limited, and the number of applicants who meet the eligibility requirements may exceed the available funds. Submitting an application and meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee grant funding.
• Applications will be reviewed for program eligibility and completeness, then scored by the Champaign County EDC’s Review Committee according to the criteria found here. Applications with the highest scores will be the first to receive funding until the program’s funds are depleted. If several applications have the same score and insufficient funds remain to fulfill their funding requests, funding will be allocated proportionally to the remaining funds and the amount each applicant has requested.

• The application deadline is 11:59 PM on August 22, 2025.
• Application Review: August 25 – September 15, 2025
• Awardees Contacted, Final Documentation Collected, and SBDC Advising Appointments Scheduled: September 16 – September 30, 2025
• Grant Awards Distributed: October 2025
• Awardees Announced: October 2025

 Applicants may apply for up to $5,000 for the following costs:

• Bookkeeping or Digital Point-of-Sale Subscriptions (e.g., QuickBooks, Toast, Square, etc.)
• Marketing, including printed materials and design installation
• Professional Services such as Human Resources, Accounting, and Legal Fees
• Website, Branding, and Design Fees
• Technology equipment and software upgrades to facilitate E-commerce, point-of-sale, etc.
• Equipment improvements
• Workforce training or recruitment program
• Other – please explain

Ineligible Expenses:

• Rent or mortgage

• Debt repayment or loan refinancing

• Payroll and benefits

• Broker fees

• Inventory

• Match or reimbursement for other programs

• Personal expenses

• Independent contractors or freelance workers who do not operate a sole proprietorship;
• a registered non-profit organization;
• a private club or business that limits membership for reasons other than capacity;
• a business that derives at least 33% of its gross annual revenue from legal gambling activities;
• a business engaged in pyramid sales, where a participant’s primary incentive is based on the sales made by an ever-increasing number of participants;
• a business engaged in activities that are prohibited by federal law or applicable law in the jurisdiction where the business is located or conducted – included in these activities is the production, servicing, or distribution of otherwise legal products that are to be used in connection with an illegal activity, such as selling drug paraphernalia or operating a motel that knowingly permits illegal prostitution;
• a business principally engaged in teaching, instructing, counseling, or indoctrinating religion or religious beliefs, whether in a religious or secular setting;
• a government-owned business entity (except for businesses owned or controlled by a Native American tribe);
• a business primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities;
• a night club or strip club;
• a pawn shop;
• a liquor store;
• an establishment similar to any enumerated above.

If you’d like to use the SBDC Business Plan template, please download it from Dropbox HERE.

You can also utilize the “Build Your One-Page Business Plan Using AI” resource guide HERE.

Submitted applications that are fully completed will be reviewed based on specific scoring criteria.

For more information on the rubric, please click here.

The information above may not be exhaustive. Champaign County EDC may contact you by email, phone, and/or text to request additional information or to verify the information submitted in your application.