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Senator Dale Fowler shared information on October 11, stating, "The second round of the Illinois Grocery Initiative New Stores in Food Deserts Grant Program will build upon the State’s efforts to encourage the establishment of new grocery stores in USDA-defined food deserts."

"The second round of the Illinois Grocery Initiative New Stores in Food Deserts Grant Program will build upon the State's efforts to encourage the establishment of new grocery stores in USDA-defined food deserts," said Fowler, State Senator, according to Facebook.

According to Fowler's Facebook post, the requirements for grocery locations in the next round of the Illinois Grocery Initiative New Stores in Food Deserts Grant Program have been outlined. The program offers grants ranging from $150,000 to $2.4 million. "Qualified entities include units of local government and independent grocers or cooperatives with fewer than 500 employees and no more than four grocery locations," he wrote. Fowler added that these grants would fund construction and renovation costs for new stores, as well as many first-year operations costs, such as employee wages, utility costs, initial inventory of food, and more.

Screenshot of Dale Fowler's Oct. 11 Facebook post | State Senator Dale Fowler's Facebook page

Fowler further explained that locations must be situated in a food desert and earn no more than 30% of revenue from sales of tobacco and alcohol products. Additionally, they must accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits.

He also shared a link to the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) notice of funding opportunity for the second round of grants. Applications will be accepted through December 2 at 5 p.m. The grant program requires a 1:3 cash match and may cover expenses like infrastructure, new construction, or working capital for the first year of operations.

On October 3, Governor J.B. Pritzker announced the results of the first round of grant programs. According to an October 3 news release, there were 11 awards totaling $7.9 million through the Illinois Grocery Initiative New Stores and Equipment Upgrades grant programs. Grants were awarded to Forty Acres Fresh Market LLC in Chicago, Harvest Supermarket in Peoria, Rancho Supermarket in Rockford, and Our Market at the Plaza Cooperative in Carlinville.

Senator Dale Fowler represents the people of the 59th Senate District. He previously served as mayor of Harrisburg before joining the state senate and is currently a business development officer for People’s National Bank in Harrisburg since retiring from the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice in 2012. His political experience includes roles as a city commissioner and Saline County Board member. He is also chairman of Midland Institute’s Saline County CEO program focusing on educating youths about entrepreneurial opportunities.