Illinois Economic Development Directory

Illinois State Incentives

The ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR A GROWING ECONOMY (EDGE) incentive program encourages companies to locate or expand operations in Illinois when there is active consideration of a competing location in another state. The program can provide tax credits to qualifying companies, equal to the amount of state income taxes withheld from the salaries of employees in the newly created jobs. The non-refundable credits can be used against corporate income taxes to be paid over a period not to exceed 10 years.

The EMPLOYER TRAINING INVESTMENT PROGRAM (ETIP) supports companies in retraining their employees to stay competitive. Through the program, Illinois companies are reimbursed for up to 50 percent of eligible training costs. Potential reimbursements include trainers, tuition, trainee wages and fringes, new technology or processes, new machinery, regulatory compliance, and a continuous improvement system.

The LARGE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (LBDP) is for companies undertaking a major expansion or relocation. Funds may be used by large businesses for bondable business activities including financing the purchase of land or buildings; building construction or renovation; and certain types of machinery and equipment.

The COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (CDAP-ED) is a federally funded program designed to provide grants to units of local government for economic development activities related to private business retention or expansion. Local governments can make their grant funds available as loans to businesses growing or moving to their community. Funds may be used for machinery and equipment, working capital, and building construction and renovation.

Illinois is receiving an allotment of funds to accelerate private investment and ease the credit crunch for small businesses through the federal STATE SMALL BUSINESS CREDIT INITIATIVE of the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010. Illinois’ program is expected to feature three programs to spur institutional lending to businesses up to 750 employees, and one program to leverage private venture capital in start-ups and high-growth businesses.

The ANGEL INVESTMENT CREDIT PROGRAM offers a tax credit to interested firms or persons who make an investment in one of Illinois’ innovative, qualified new business ventures. The tax credit may equal 25 percent of up to a $2 million investment made by the private investor.

REVOLVING LINE OF CREDIT PROGRAM (RLOC): Provides qualifying businesses with a subordinated line of credit through banks and other convention lending institutions at affordable interest rates. It is appropriate for businesses with 500 or fewer employees having seasonal or variable working capital demands. A revolving line of credit allows a business to borrow the amount of money needed to meet the demand for its product/service sales and to repay the loan from the sales revenues.

DCEO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FUND: Part of the Governor Quinn’s Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, started in November and available until funds are depleted. The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) is partnering with financial institutions with strong small business lending backgrounds to distribute $5 million in micro loans to start-ups and existing small businesses through the Community Development Fund.

ILLINOIS CAPITAL ACCESS PROGRAM (CAP): Designed to encourage financial institutions to make loans to small and new businesses that do not qualify under conventional lending policies. CAP is a form of loan portfolio insurance, which provides additional reserve coverage to the lender on loan defaults. The borrower and DCEO each contribute a percentage of the loan amount into a reserve fund located at the lender’s bank. This reserve fund enables the financial institution to make loans beyond its conventional risk threshold and is available to draw upon to recover losses on loans made under the program.

ENTERPRISE ZONE PARTICIPATION LOAN PROGRAM (EZ/PLP): A variation of the conventional PLP Program, in that DCEO subordinates the loans through participating lending institutions, but the EZ/PLP may be able to provide small businesses located in an enterprise zone a more attractive loan rate than a conventional PLP. Funds can be used for a number of business activities, such as purchase and installation of machinery and equipment, working capital, purchase of land, construction or renovation of buildings. Funds cannot be used for debt refinancing or contingency funding. Any for-profit small business operating in Illinois which has, including its affiliates, fewer than 500 full-time employees, and is located within an Illinois designated enterprise zone, is eligible for participation in this program.

MANUFACTURING MODERNIZATION LOAN PROGRAM: Designed to provide manufacturers with access to adequate and affordable financing for upgrading and modernizing their manufacturing equipment and operations. Existing Illinois manufacturing companies that employ less than 500 full-time workers, and are retooling, upgrading their equipment, or expanding their business are eligible for this program. Examples of eligible projects include: acquisition and development of land, building costs, fixtures, machinery, new and used equipment.

PARTICIPATION LOAN PROGRAM (PLP): Designed to work through banks and other conventional lending institutions, to provide subordinated financial assistance to Illinois small businesses that employ Illinois workers. A business with 500 or fewer employees may apply for a PLP loan of not less than $10,000 nor more than $750,000. Loans shall not exceed 25 percent of the total project and may not be used for debt refinancing or contingency funding.

COMMUNITY SERVICE BLOCK GRANT (CSBG) LOAN PROGRAM: Administered jointly by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, statewide Community Action Agencies and Illinois Ventures for Community Action, it provides long-term, fixed-rate financing to new or expanding small businesses in exchange for job creation and employment for low-income individuals. CSBG funds usually make up between 20-49 percent of the entire loan project and have a low interest rate of 5 to 7.5 percent.

MINORITY, VETERAN, WOMEN AND DISABLED PARTICIPATION LOAN PROGRAM (MVWD/PLP): A variation of the conventional PLP, in that DCEO may subordinate the loans through participating lending institutions, but the MVWD/PLP program can provide Illinois small businesses that are 51 percent owned and managed by persons who are minorities, veterans, women, or disabled, with loans up to loans up to $100,000 or 50 percent of the total project.

ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AgriFIRST GRANT PROGRAM: Designed to provide grants to persons and agribusinesses in Illinois for the purpose of developing projects that enhance the value of agricultural products or expand agribusiness in Illinois.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM (BDPIP): Designed to provide grants to units of local government for public improvements on behalf of businesses undertaking a major expansion or relocation project that will result in substantial private investment and the creation and/or retention of a large amount of Illinois jobs. The infrastructure improvements must be made for public benefit and on public property and must directly result in the creation or retention of private sector jobs. The local government must demonstrate clear need for financial assistance to undertake the improvements. Grant eligibility and amounts are determined by the amount of investment and job creation or retention involved.

ENTERPRISE ZONE PROGRAM: Designed to stimulate economic growth and neighborhood revitalization in economically depressed areas of the state. This is accomplished through state and local tax incentives, regulatory relief and improved governmental services.

HIGH IMPACT BUSINESS (HIB): Designed to encourage large-scale economic development activities by providing tax incentives (similar to those offered within an enterprise zone) to companies that propose to make a substantial capital investment in operations and that will create or retain an above average number of jobs. Businesses may qualify for: investment tax credits, a state sales tax exemption on building materials, an exemption from state sales tax on utilities, a state sales tax exemption on purchases of personal property used or consumed in the manufacturing process or in the operation of a pollution control facility. The project must involve a minimum of $12 million investment causing the creation of 500 full-time jobs or an investment of $30 million causing the retention of 1500 full-time jobs. The investment must take place at a designated location in Illinois outside of an Enterprise Zone.

NEW MARKETS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: Provides supplemental funding for investment entities that have been approved for the Federal New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program. It will support small and developing businesses by making capital funds more easily available and will make Illinois more attractive to possible investors

The NMTC program provides state and federal tax credits to investors that make investments into approved funds, which will make investments in eligible projects located in low-income census tracks throughout Illinois.

The program provides non-refundable tax credits to investors in qualifying Community Development Entities (CDE’s) worth 39 percent of the equity investment made into the CDE over a 7-year credit allowance period.

RIVER EDGE REDEVELOPMENT ZONE: Designed to revive and redevelop environmentally challenged properties adjacent to rivers in Illinois through the use of several incentives authorized by State law. Sales tax exemption and property tax abatement (if offered in the zone) are administered by the local zone administrators and the others involve tax incentives that may be claimed on Illinois Income Tax filing.

TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICT (TIF) Illinois law allows units of local governments the ability to designate areas within their jurisdiction as TIF districts. They are used by local governments as a way to spur economic growth by dedicating the sales tax revenues and additional property tax revenues generated with in the TIF for improvements within the district with the hope of encouraging new economic development and jobs.

More details on these programs are available through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity at www.ildceo.net.