Cook County EDA tightens Business Development Fund guidelines, approves three grants and radio underwriting

The Cook County Economic Development Authority on April 15 debated tighter rules for its Business Development Fund and approved three items related to the program, including two business grants and a one-year underwriting contract with WTIP North Shore Community Radio.

The review committee proposed a set of changes to the fund’s guidelines intended to make eligibility clearer and administration more consistent. Those changes include quarterly application cycles instead of a rolling deadline, a clearer explanation of the match and reimbursement process for awards, standardized grant-agreement language by project type, and a requirement that applicants demonstrate connection to Cook County even if residency is not mandatory.

The changes matter because the Business Development Fund represents about 38% of the EDA’s annual operating budget — roughly $200,000 — and the board heard public comments urging clearer, more transparent procedures.

Public commenter Alex Bibi Giudice, owner of Superior Creamery, described his company’s recent experience as a grant recipient and urged clearer, consistent eligibility language and standardized grant agreements. “Eligibility is something that shouldn’t be flexible,” Giudice said, asking that the EDA publish the agreements it executes on behalf of Cook County taxpayers while keeping confidential business details private.

Heidi Krampitz, the EDA director, summarized the review committee’s work. She said the draft guidance preserves intentional flexibility in order to align awards with the EDA’s strategic plan, but adds objective checks so the program can be administered consistently regardless of staff or board turnover. Krampitz explained the committee’s recommendation to move from a rolling intake to quarterly application deadlines and noted the committee is developing a scoring rubric to aid transparency.

On match and reimbursement, the committee proposed treating awards as reimbursements tied to documented project costs rather than lump-sum checks. Under the draft method discussed at the meeting, a project’s total cost would be recorded in the award file (for example, a $31,250 project supporting a $25,000 grant), and reimbursements would be issued against receipts with a multiplier so the EDA’s portion matches the approved percentage as receipts arrive. Krampitz said the committee built a multiplier into the process to keep reimbursements aligned with the approved grant percentage and avoid putting grantees far into debt while projects proceed.

Small Business Development Center consultant Pete Mott, who meets frequently with prospective applicants, told the board that many applicants need help preparing materials and that the SBDC is working with the EDA to direct applicants to available training and planning resources. He encouraged applicants to consult the SBDC before submitting.

Board members debated whether the program should explicitly exclude certain business types, such as short-term rentals or forthcoming marijuana retailers, and several commissioners said they preferred to evaluate applications on their economic impact rather than precluding categories. Commissioner Shackleton emphasized that program objectives should guide decisions: “Ultimately, it’s the economic impact that the business will have that we should be considering,” he said.

Votes at a glance

- Resolution 2025-16: Approve WTIP North Shore Community Radio underwriting contract ($2,080 for 12 months). Motion passed (record: board signaled aye; no roll-call tally provided in the meeting record).

- Resolution 2025-17: Approve Business Development Fund grant agreement with Unimouse Enterprises LLC (amount not to exceed $25,000). Motion passed (record: board signaled aye; no roll-call tally provided in the meeting record). The application presented to the board had been revised earlier the same day; the applicant, identified as Matt, explained the revised request was for $24,000 toward a roughly $30,026 project and described the equipment and material quotes included in the revision.

- Resolution 2025-18: Approve Business Development Fund grant agreement with Ruby Loon Graphics, LLC (amount not to exceed $6,000). Motion passed (record: board signaled aye; no roll-call tally provided in the meeting record). Applicant Jessica Jacobson Smith attended and answered questions about inventory and equipment versus materials.

Discussion and next steps

Board members asked the review committee and staff to finalize a scoring rubric and bring a final draft of the revised guidelines back to the board at or before the next meeting. The committee recommended moving to quarterly deadlines (suggestions included January, April, July and October) to create a competitive review cycle and to give applicants clearer expectations about funding timelines. Krampitz said the committee is developing reporting requirements that will capture program outputs and support public reporting; she and commissioners discussed using outside partners (for example, higher-education resources or graduate students) to help evaluate outcomes.

Public-comment follow-up

Heidi Krampitz read a written public comment from applicant Gina Joyce (Timber and Tide Cabins), who said she was told different things during review about whether building purchase costs were eligible and asked the EDA to clarify eligibility. Krampitz and commissioners noted the committee’s draft aims to standardize eligibility and reduce that kind of inconsistency.

What the EDA said it will do next

The review committee will finish the scoring rubric and finalize guideline language for board approval in a future meeting. Staff will also draft standardized agreement templates grouped by award size/type and prepare a clear, example-driven explanation of the match/reimbursement calculation to include with the application materials.