Allies for Community Business provides the capital, coaching, and connections entrepreneurs need to grow great businesses that create jobs and wealth in their communities.
| Website | https://a4cb.org |
| Address | 135 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago, IL 60612 |
| Phone | (312) 275-3000 |
| info@a4cb.org | |
| Languages | English; Spanish |
| Service area | Chicago |
| Serves | Small businesses / entrepreneurs |
Every service below comes with a passage taken word for word from the organisation's own website, and the link to the page that carries it. That is the directory's guarantee: nothing is published without its source.
A4CB provides term loans and lines of credit from $500 to $500,000 to early, emerging, and established businesses in Illinois and Indiana, using cash-flow-based underwriting instead of credit scores.
Allies for Community Business offers term loans and lines of credit between $500 and $500,000 to early, emerging, and established businesses in Illinois and Indiana.
A4CB offers revenue-based financing loans of $50,000 to $500,000 where repayment is a fixed percentage of monthly revenue rather than a fixed payment.
Allies for Community Business offers revenue-based financing loans between $50,000 and $500,000 to established businesses who have a clear plan for growth
Jointly administered by the Chicago Department of Planning and Development and A4CB, CCSA provides reimbursable grants for capital improvements plus wraparound technical assistance to corridor businesses.
The CCSA program offers reimbursable grants to small businesses and property owners for capital improvements to vacant and existing commercial spaces
A4CB runs the Neighborhood Entrepreneurship Lab, a nine-month cohort program pairing selected community business owners with investors, advisors, and strategists to execute a growth initiative, including a $20,000 growth grant.
NEL pairs community business owners with investors, advisors, project strategists, community liaisons, and corporate liaisons who provide intensive support for nine months
A4CB co-owns and co-operates The Hatchery, a 67,000-square-foot food and beverage incubator offering leasable private kitchens, shared hourly kitchen spaces, and storage for food entrepreneurs.
The Hatchery provides a wide range of services and networking opportunities to help food and beverage entrepreneurs at every stage.
The Hatchery offers a large event hall, conference room, smaller meeting rooms, and an outdoor plaza that can be reserved for community events.
Large event hall with capacity for 200 guests
A4CB has partnered with public and private organizations since April 2020 to distribute grants to small businesses, publishing new grant opportunities and application instructions as they arise.
Since April of 2020, we have provided over $477M in grants to 23,000 small businesses in Illinois and Indiana.
A4CB provides free one-on-one business coaching starting with a business evaluation, then ongoing individualized guidance on goal-setting, financial planning, and growth topics tailored to the business's stage.
Assessment Any entrepreneur seeking assistance from A4CB will begin with a business assessment.
As one of Chicago's eight Business Centers, A4CB helps business owners apply for a wide range of Chicago business licenses through Chicago Business Direct without visiting City Hall.
Donate Connect Connect with us Shop our marketplace Refer an entrepreneur Attend an event Read our updates Join our team Contact 135 N Kedzie Ave Chicago, IL 60612 (312)-275-3000 info@a4cb.org Follow Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Instagram Join our newsletter to stay up to date!
A4CB helps minority- and women-owned businesses obtain MBE/WBE certification with the City of Chicago, Cook County, and State of Illinois, then connects them with institutional buyers such as government departments, hospitals, and corporations for larger contracts.
If you are a minority- or women-owned business, we will help you secure the certification you need to bid for these contracts.
A4CB recruits and matches volunteer bankers, consultants, and business experts as Business Strategists who provide ongoing strategy and execution assistance to entrepreneurs requesting longer-term support.
volunteer Business Strategists listens carefully to what the paired community business owner is attempting to achieve, asks thoughtful and clarifying questions
A4CB serves as one of eight City of Chicago Business Centers, providing free counseling on business licensing and other topics.
continuamos sirviendo como uno de los ocho Chicago Business Centers que proporcionan asesoría gratuita sobre licencias y otros temas
A4CB administers the Cook County Source Grow Grant program in partnership with the Women's Business Development Center and provides free advising to county businesses.
Sign Up Heray Spice Mohammad Salehi The Cook County Source Grant provided critical funding that enabled us to invest in our inventory and more.
A4CB acts as fiscal agent for the West Side United small business grant fund, a collaboration with hospital sponsors and JPMorgan Chase, distributing acceleration grants to West Side Chicago businesses.
Since April of 2020, we have provided over $477M in grants to 23,000 small businesses in Illinois and Indiana.
With the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, A4CB administered pandemic-response hospitality grants, emergency loans, business interruption grants, and Back to Business grants for small businesses statewide.
Since April of 2020, we have provided over $477M in grants to 23,000 small businesses in Illinois and Indiana.