CHICAGO — Local groups are getting millions in state grants to boost projects to bring in tourists.
The state awarded $22.5 million for 89 projects across the state as part of the Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant program, according to a news release. The grants are meant to support events that can bring tourists to Illinois.
Major Chicago events — like the Chicago Architecture Biennial, Taste of Chicago and the Magnificent Lights Festival — have received grant funding, according to the Governor’s Office.
Neighborhood organizations will also benefit: $254,000 is being given to the Community Education Network to put on Juneteenth Village Fest at Anna & Frederick Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Drive.
The Greater Auburn Gresham Development Corporation will also get $205,500 for the neighborhood’s 79th Street Renaissance Festival.
The Puerto Rican Cultural Center has been awarded $76,200 to renovate a building and create an “immersion center” in honor of Afro-Boricua activist Arturo Schomburg.
The Uprising Theater in Avondale, a performance space intended to uplift Palestinian stories, now has an additional $243,811 for renovations.
The state will also fund a series of 10 community bike rides to support local businesses in Chicago neighborhoods.
Grants range from $15,000 to $500,000, with an average award of $250,000. A full list of recipients is online.
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