State and local grants must be accessible to small businesses

This letter is in response to a Chicago Daily Herald Editorial on the importance of small business owners taking advantage and being aware of funding resources available at the state and local level.

We’re encouraged by the attention the Daily Herald Editorial Board is bringing to the state and local grants available to small business owners in Illinois. Small businesses have endured enough economic damage to last them a lifetime, and immediate grants can provide them with aid to sustain them while we continue to wait for a comprehensive, long-term stimulus package to pass in Congress.

Lack of action on a federal stimulus package from Capitol Hill and the White House has pushed small businesses to their breaking points. One in three small businesses in our network reported in October that they won’t survive past the next three months without additional financial relief. We’re almost halfway through December, the most important season for businesses with thin margins, and still haven’t seen definitive action from federal lawmakers.

Our job creators are looking to their leaders to act in their best interests, and they need immediate action now.

-Geri Aglipay, Midwest Director & National Women’s Entrepreneurship Director, Small Business Majority