While we mourn the unjustified killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery— these events highlight disparities of power and influence which permit systemic and ongoing injustice to flourish in America.
Illinois Business Enterprise Program (BEP), which seek for their part to remedy disparity, may be a vehicle to greater economic and therefore social equity.
While we cannot undo these injustices, we will do all that we can to support businesses as they seek to recover from these pandemics both, COVID-19 and racism in America.
The Illinois BEP continues its ongoing search for resources to provide information and resources in support of our small businesses.
Restore Illinois helps to facilitate reopening, while staying compliant with its guidelines to ensure a safe return to business. Businesses are encouraged to engage their City, State, County, Federal and local governments to stay informed and updated on all resources and assistance available to help your business.
The Business Enterprise Program takes pride in assisting and guiding businesses through this process by providing as much helpful information as possible.
As the State of Illinois begins to re-open, businesses are obliged to quickly pivot to a new normal for their operations.
This will be an undertaking for all but may pose particular challenges to small and medium-sized firms, like those participating in the State of Illinois’ Business Enterprise Program (BEP).
To support businesses in this transition into Phase 3 of Restore Illinois, the Illinois Department of Central Management Services (CMS) will host a webinar on Re-Opening Businesses in Phase 3 of Restore Illinois: Guidance from the Experts featuring senior officials from the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) for industry-specific guidance and the Department of Public Health (IDPH) to answer questions regarding greater pandemic expertise.
Join us this Friday, June 5, 2020 at 2PM for BEP’s Weekly Certification and Outreach Webinar
The webinar will walk participants through the State’s BEP Certification application process.
All of BEP webinars are free, but for the security of participants, registration is required. Register here or the Certification Webinar
- For industry definitions, guidelines, and toolkits provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity click here.
- For a high-level overview of Phase 3, see the video below:
- To learn more about grant opportunities, click here
- Register as a BEP vendor by applying to Illinois Certification Portal.