Eligibility for Small Business Capital Investment Grant Program

The Village of Gurnee runs two grant tracks under one program name. Most researchers miss this split entirely. The Transformational Grant targets larger projects with minimum $100,000 investment. The Impact Grant works differently with rolling applications and up to $10,000 per award. Both require 1:1 matching. Top Shelf Ice Arena proves the program delivers. They secured a second $50,000 Transformational Grant in May 2024. Total Village reimbursements to this single business reached $123,400 across two years. This matters because it shows the Village follows through on matching commitments. I found this detail in Village Board minutes from April 2025. Most third-party grant sites publish generic descriptions without proof of actual disbursements. That gap is why I verify every claim against official sources before publishing. If you are deciding whether to apply, the eligibility checker below runs your basic details against the official rules. It takes about two minutes. You will know immediately if you qualify, need expert review, or should explore other Illinois opportunities.

Who qualifies and who gets filtered out

Businesses must be located within the Village of Gurnee corporate limits. Businesses in unincorporated Gurnee do not qualify. Your business must generate sales tax, food and beverage tax, hotel tax, or amusement tax payable to the Village. You must be current with remittance of all such taxes. A current Village of Gurnee business license is required. Building owners are exempt from this requirement. Your business must be in good standing with the Village and compliant with all obligations. Business types excluded from eligibility include grocery stores, pharmacies, fuel stations, packaged liquor stores, vape and smoke shops, body modification establishments, professional services, and home-based businesses. Hotels became eligible in the 2023 program expansion. Many third-party directories still list hotels as ineligible. This correction matters for hotel owners who may have been told they do not qualify elsewhere. Hotels are also exempt from the 20-or-more locations restriction that applies to other business types. Multi-tenant building owners can apply for common area improvements if they have at least one eligible business tenant. You can qualify for up to $10,000, twice, to fund parking lots, exterior lighting, or shared signage. You can even use the grant to build out a space for a new tenant. The landlord can contribute some or all of the required match for the tenant's project. This makes you an attractive partner to prospective renters.

Which track fits your project

Transformational Grant offers up to $50,000 for projects with minimum $100,000 investment. Applications accepted once annually during the April window. Only two awards given each year. Village staff review all applications after the window closes, score them using an unpublished matrix, then recommend two winners to the Village Board for final approval. This creates genuine competition. Impact Grant provides up to $10,000 per award with maximum $20,000 lifetime per business. Rolling applications accepted until funds exhausted. No scoring matrix. First-come processing until annual budget depletes. Which track fits your project depends on three factors. Your total capital investment amount determines eligibility for Transformational Grant. Your project start date matters because Transformational Grant requires projects not yet begun. Your prior grant history affects how many awards you can receive. If you are unsure which track applies or need help positioning your application against the unpublished scoring criteria, I offer expert review that evaluates applications against typical municipal scoring factors. This is a live 1-on-1 video or phone call, not an email exchange. The Start Full Application Submission service handles document preparation, narrative writing, and submission management.