Member Grants

The West Town Member Grant program financially supports the successful execution of events conducted by WTCC Members. The goal of this program is to foster partnerships and connections between Member businesses and increase awareness around their offerings amongst consumers and the West Town community at large.

Are you a local business that wants to apply for a Member Grant?

Grant amount:

Applicants that meet all program requirements may receive a grant of up to $500 per request.

Applicants must:

Be a Member of the West Town Chamber of Commerce. Learn more about how to become a Member here
Be located within the WTCC’s service area: Division to Hubbard and Halsted to Kedzie
Be hosting an event, workshop, or class involving two or more Chamber Member businesses

Proposals should:

Have the potential to reoccur i.e. a workshop series or class
Serve an under-represented business district in West Town
Create foot traffic in the neighborhood
Foster positive partnerships between local businesses

Grants can be used for:

Supplies or programming fees that would assist in lowering costs for participants
Small events with a total budget of less than $2,500

Grants cannot be used for:

Activities that benefit a single business
Activities held as an extension of existing WTCC-organized events & programming (i.e. West Town First Fridays, West Town Art, Sip & Shop, etc).
Fundraisers
Large events with a total budget of $2,500 or more

Event requirements:

Obtain the appropriate permits, as required.
Follow WTCC marketing guidelines (see below).Submission of a post-event report that includes attendance, revenue, and photos of programming.

Marketing requirements:

Include the WTCC logo on any & all print or digital materials that promote the event. Logos in all available brand photos will be provided.
Tagging @westtownchicago in all social posts (caption & photo).
Submit event for publication in the “What’s Happening in West Town” newsletter.

Application process:

We review Member Grants on a rolling basis. Applications must be submitted two weeks prior to the scheduled event.

Each Chamber Member is eligible for a maximum of one grant awarded per year. If the grant is declined the business can apply for a new grant for a different event. WTCC currently has funding for a total of six grants each year. WTCC may request additional information after application review.

If awarded a grant, funding will be paid in two installments, with 50% awarded prior to programming and 50% after the event, with submission of receipts and post event report.