The Illinois Department of Agriculture reported of a new funding opportunity is part of the state’s Business Interruption Grants program (BIG), which leverages federal CARES Act money to help small businesses statewide offset losses incurred in connection to COVID-19.
Financial assistance will be made available through three programs administered by IDOA:
- Swine Depopulation Program: Applicants include a livestock owner or producer that experienced financial loss as the result of a Depopulation and Disposal Event that occurred on or after April 15, 2020.
- Agriculture Business Interruption Program: Applicants must be a livestock owner or producer that experienced monetary losses and expenses associated with the holding of livestock through the period of market disruption. Eligible losses and expenses are those incurred between April 15 and May 15, 2020.
- Meat and Poultry Capacity Program: Applicant must be a USDA licensed, state-licensed, or custom exempt slaughter and/or processing facility; OR a slaughter and/or processing facility that submitted an application for licensure to the USDA or State prior to the Meat and Poultry Capacity Program application deadline. The applicant must employ no more than 60 total employees, and the facility must be located in the State of Illinois. Eligible expenses for reimbursement must be incurred between March 1, 2020, and December 30, 2020.
Deadline: October 31, 2020, at 11:59 pm CST
Link to Online applications
