Pritzker pitches grants to open new stores in food deserts

Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the second phase of his multipronged approach to eliminating the state’s food deserts on Tuesday morning at Chicago Market, a co-op grocer in Uptown.

Pritzker’s Illinois Grocery Initiative, enacted last year with a bipartisan vote, initially offered up $3.5 million in grant funding for local grocers during the Equipment Upgrades grant program. Applications for the program closed March 25, but recipients have not been chosen.

While the first phase supported equipment upgrades for existing independently owned grocers, the second phase of the program, called the New Stores in Food Deserts program, will offer grants to open new grocery stores in food deserts.

“All over the state we see small grocers fighting to keep their doors open in areas where there are only very few sources of food around as they face maintenance costs and the impact of inflation worldwide,” he said during Tuesday's news conference.

The grants can provide reimbursement to eligible applicants for capital and noncapital expenses associated with store’s opening.

But the awards, which can range between $160,000 and $2.4 million, require the recipient to put up matching funds equal to one-third of the grant.

The city announced an exploration into a potential city-run grocery store in September, drawing skepticism from experts and local grocery owners. A month later, Pritzker said he was unaware of the details of the program.

“To the extent that the city wants to access that program, I hope to hear from them,” he said.

Requirements for the grocers are: be located in a food desert; earn less than 30% of revenue from alcohol and tobacco sales; accept payments from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Women Infant and Children program; and contribute to diversity of fresh foods available in the community.

During the news conference, Prikzer detailed the health impact of living in low food access areas, including diabetes and heart disease.

“More than 3 million Illinoisans live in a food desert,” Pritzker said. “There are parents that have to travel dozens of miles just to find reasonably priced, nutritious foods for their families.”

The Illinois Grocery Initiative initially had a total of $20 million funding for the pilot program, but Pritzker has proposed an additional $10 million in his 2025 budget due to an increased need, he said.

“We cannot hand our neighbors a bag of chips and declare victory,” said Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton at the news conference. “True access is won when every person can obtain fresh, nutrient-dense produce and culturally relevant ingredients without traveling great distances.”

Mariah Rush is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South and West sides.