AUSTIN — West Side United is giving 40 businesses in 10 neighborhoods a chance to begin or expand small businesses.
The group awarded grants totaling $400,000 Tuesday in collaboration with Allies for Community Business. Each business is receiving $10,000, according to a news release.
The businesses are in Austin, Belmont Cragin, East Garfield Park, Humboldt Park, Pilsen, Near West Side, North Lawndale, Little Village, West Garfield Park and West Town.
The grants will help the businesses create job opportunities — and promote health and wellness for their communities in the long-term, said Ayesha Jaco, executive director of West Side United.
“Grant winners will be able to use these unrestricted funds to hire and train more staff, invest in equipment and facilities and support innovative marketing strategies so they can thrive and strengthen the West Side neighborhoods where they are located,” Jaco said in a statement.
Grantees also get access to coaching and training opportunities offered by Allies for Community Business to create success and wealth long-term.
The grants prioritized businesses that provide services lacking on the West Side, including legal, accounting, landscaping, real estate, marketing, advertising and other businesses.
Sanita Lewis, director of anchor missions at West Side United, said the group provides the training on top of financial help to make it easier for small businesses to establish themselves.
“These are things that small businesses and entrepreneurs don’t have time to focus on because they’re doing the work,” Lewis said. “We see that it’s not enough to just give them the capital. Let us help you be sustainable and help you thrive.”
Will Porter, owner of The Goodies Shop since 2008, has won multiple grants through the program. The Goodies Shop provide high-quality print and design services for T-shirts, business cards and more.
The grants are a major reason Porter’s apparel print and design business is still standing, he said. Originally from West Garfield Park, he started the business along with his father and sister to provide a service that wasn’t present at the time, he said.
This year’s grant will be used to cover the cost of fixing equipment, and it allows the owners to budget for new printing equipment, Porter said.
“When you think of getting a shirt printed, you go to the mall. We thought it’d be great to have it in the neighborhood,” Porter said. “Over the years, we’ve gained a lot of favor among community members who’ve come to the business.”
Grant recipients:
- A & L ENVIRONMENTAL
- BLK Building Solutions
- BUTCOLLC
- Buy The Numbers Accounting
- BYNDOM ESTATES REALTY GROUP
- Cedric Mitchell
- Chicago’s Real Estate Agency
- Cleanology Crew Corporation
- Complete Mechanical Piping
- Direction Tour Marketing
- Elevate Services, Inc.
- Elin Contract Cleaning Corp
- Emerje Inc
- Excel Bookkeeping & Tax Service Inc.
- F & C Consulting Corp
- Foundation of Life & Development Services
- Gladys E Johnson
- GR Engineering
- Hadley Gear MFG Company
- JOE JAXX CONSTRUCTION LLC
- Leavitt Laundry
- Manuel Lopez DBA Manny’s Cleaning and Maintenance
- P w Printing Enterprise LLC
- P Winbush Glass & Ornamental LLC
- Philomathy Digital Media Marketing
- Photonix Technology Ltd
- Pretty Counts LLC
- Rid Alert Inc
- S.A.M.S Cleaning & Janitorial Services, LLC
- Shine Bright CPA LLC
- Shot By K, A Media Company LLC
- Strewn LLC
- Tax Strategy
- Tecnicentro Automotriz Inc.
- The Goodie Shop
- These Taxes
- Think Genius LLC
- TIDY UP EXPERTS LLC
- Viveca Ford
- Webb Tax Service LLC
The program has awarded $1.8 million in grants over five years.
Funding for the grants is provided by the American Medical Association, JPMorgan Chase, Lurie Children’s Hospital, Molson Coors, Northern Trust, Rush University Medical Center, Tito’s Vodka and Wintrust.
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