Cook County Cannabis Development Grant extends deadline
The Cook County Government announced today that the application window for the Cook County Cannabis Development Grant (CCC Development Grant) program has been extended to Friday, June 21. The CCC Development Grant provides up to $3.6 million in grants to businesses that have licenses awarded under the State of Illinois Adult-Use Cannabis Social Equity Program. The program offers grants to social-equity cannabis licensees to defray some of the costs associated with opening and operating a cannabis business in Illinois.
The Cook County Equity Fund, created to address historic and continued disinvestment in marginalized communities, funds this initiative. Specifically, the County’s Equity Task Force recommended establishment of this program to recognize the record of incarceration and exclusion communities of color have faced due to the War on Drugs. The County will award grants (to social equity-licensed cannabis businesses to support startup and operational business costs in Cook County) based on the license type: selected craft growers will receive $150,000; selected infusers will receive $100,000; selected dispensaries will receive $75,000; and selected transporters will receive $75,000.
The application portal opened at 8 a.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) on May 23, 2024, and will remain open until 4:59 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 21, 2024. To be eligible for this program, business must have a State of Illinois Adult-Use Cannabis Social Equity license and commit to locating their cannabis-based business in Cook County. The County anticipates that the volume of applications will exceed the amount of funding available to the program. Grant administrators will prioritize applications based on the following factors:
- Date of license award (older license holders will receive priority);
- Location of operation in a Disproportionately Impacted Area (DIA), with a commitment to continue doing so;
- Majority of ownership resides in a DIA.
The Cook County Bureau of Economic Development (BED) hosted informational webinars on the application process on May 29 and June 7. Cook County BED also hosted virtual office hours on June 4 and June 12, during which applicants asked questions and received direct assistance with their application. For more information, email cannabis.oed@cookcountyil.gov.
For more Illinois cannabis industry news, visit here.
To find cannabis-friendly events in Illinois, visit here.
For Illinois News Joint reviews, visit here.
For Illinois News Joint merchandise and News Joint Printing services, click here.
