2023 Source Grant honored with national award

The Cook County Small Business Source is proud to announce that the 2023 Source Grant was recently honored with a 2024 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award after providing funding for thousands of businesses throughout the county.

The grant program, which ran for several months in 2023, featured a $50 million investment in small businesses to help stabilize their operations, foster recovery and resiliency, and advance equity in the post-pandemic economy. Through an equitable, complex and transparent evaluation process, Cook County reviewed over 16,000 applications and awarded 3,000 small businesses with grants of $10,000 or $20,000.

Grant recipients were notified in December 2023 and honored at a celebration in February 2024.

The grant effort was honored by NACo under the category of “Community and Economic Development” and was one of 54 Cook County initiatives to be recognized. The Source also received a NACo award in 2023, with the entire program honored as best in category.

Established in 1935, NACo unites county officials nationwide to advocate for county priorities in federal funding, promote exemplary county policies and more. The organization serves over 3 million county employees throughout the country.