Community Development Grant — Large (> $5M)
Citywide Community Development Grant for capital real-estate development and construction projects requesting more than $5 million in grant funding. DPD reviews project feasibility, eligible costs and financing.
Check an Address — Free Snapshot
Explore location-based incentives alongside Community Development Grant — Large (> $5M). This program requires a separate review of its business or project requirements.
Published criteria — confirm with City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development
- Project located within Chicago city limits
- Catalytic capital project: large new construction, major adaptive-reuse, anchor development
- Developer LLC, large 501(c)(3) nonprofit, or institutional sponsor
- Grant funding request greater than $5 million; DPD must confirm project requirements.
- Good standing with State of Illinois and City of Chicago; capacity to manage public-financing compliance
Community Development Grant — Large (> $5M) is administered at the city level. Depending on the program, eligibility may depend on the specific location, property type, or business activity rather than a single drawn boundary.
Boundaries are precise and change over time, so whether a specific address falls inside a mapped zone always depends on that exact address. The fastest way to check is to run a free snapshot for the parcel you have in mind — mapped coverage is a location signal, not an eligibility determination.
Citywide — eligible anywhere within Chicago city limits. No zone gate, but Large awards almost always require City Council approval which involves the ward alderperson.
Range on file · > $5M reimbursement (catalytic)
Intake status not established from published sources as of 2026-10-09.
- +Reimbursement grant exceeding $5,000,000
- +Citywide eligibility — designed for projects too large for NOF or the Medium CDG tier
- +Covers construction, major rehabilitation, equipment, and qualified soft costs
- 1Discuss the project concept with DPD before formal application
- 2Submit complete pro forma, financing stack, project narrative, and community impact analysis via the DPD Submittable portal
- 3DPD reviews on a rolling basis; awards typically require City Council ordinance and public hearing
- 4Execute grant agreement and disburse reimbursement against invoices on completion milestones
Schedule a project concept meeting with DPD at (312) 744-4190 before submitting
- Detailed project narrative + catalytic impact analysis
- Full pro forma with sources & uses, debt service schedule, and operating projections
- Itemized capital budget with contractor bids and design documentation
- Project timeline with construction milestones
- Proof of site control with all contingencies cleared
- Entity documentation (developer LLC docs, partnership agreements, nonprofit determination)
- Match documentation (Large awards generally require substantial matching capital)
- Environmental assessments and zoning/landmarks approvals as applicable
- Community engagement record (letters of support, ward briefings)
This page is a starting point, not eligibility, legal, or tax advice. Verify current requirements, deadlines, and boundaries with the administering agency before applying or spending money — program rules and funding change over time.
- Phone
- (312) 744-4190
- Web
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Last verified 2026-10-09
Tax Increment Financing captures growth in property tax revenue within designated districts and reinvests it into local improvements like infrastructure, streetscaping, and building rehabilitation. Chicago has 124 active TIF districts (Civic Federation, 2025).
SomerCor administers TIF-funded reimbursement grants for permanent commercial and industrial building improvements. Applications follow district-specific monthly windows; confirm the current district calendar before applying.
Special Service Areas are localized taxing districts where businesses self-tax to fund enhanced services — streetscaping, marketing, security, facade improvements — within a defined commercial corridor. Chicago has 58 active SSAs citywide, each managed by a delegate service provider (a local chamber, EDO, or nonprofit).
Reimbursement grants for eligible commercial and industrial projects in designated areas of Chicago’s South, Southwest and West Sides. DPD and the program administrator confirm project requirements and current intake.