Gov. Pritzker Awards $22.5 Million to Boost Tourism, Support Illinois Festivals and Attractions

CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) joined legislators and leaders in the tourism industry to award $22.5 million in grant funding for 89 projects across Illinois through the Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant program. Designed to support local festivals and attractions and drive tourism across the state, Illinois increased the funding available from $15 million to $22.5 million in order to support additional attractions. The additional $7.5 million was secured during the Illinois General Assembly legislative session in early January 2023 and the program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

This second round of the Tourism Attractions and Festivals Grant program provides grant funding to localities, organizations, and businesses for a broad range of tourism-related improvements, events and activities. This builds upon $10 million in funding through the first round of the grant program provided to 40 localities across the state. Combined with Illinois’ largest-ever tourism campaign, ‘Middle of Everything,’ Illinois is prioritizing investing in our thriving tourism industry while driving millions of visitors to choose Illinois for their next trip.

“Whether people are traveling to Illinois to visit the Superman Celebration in Metropolis, take a drive down the historic Route 66, or check out the world-renowned architecture in Chicago, Illinois has it all,” said DCEO Director Kristin A. Richards.

“The State of Illinois is committed to bolstering the tourism sector by supporting the best festivals and attractions in the country that will show visitors from near and far that Illinois is the best place to live, work and do business.” history and our stories with visitors from all over the world,” said State Senator Robert Peters, (D-Chicago). “By providing funding for tourism attractions, we bolster our economies, create well-paying jobs, and strengthen the future of our communities.”

Through the $22.5 million investment, $5 million was reserved for festivals, which serve as economic drivers while bringing communities together, and $17.5 million is supporting a broad range of other tourism-related projects such as attractions, museums, live performance venues, and more. Applications were selected through a competitive process, with each grantee demonstrating how the award would help businesses in the surrounding area, as well as the project’s ability to attract visitors for overnight stays. Projects also scored higher based on proximity to commercial corridors and services – including hotels/ motels, restaurants, retail, and other commercial operations.

In addition to the Chicago Architecture Biennial, which is the largest architecture and design exhibition in North America held across various neighborhoods across Chicago, grant funding supports local institutions like Belleville’s Old Town Farmer’s Market, and large-scale events like the Taste of Chicago and the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival. The grants also support community-based events like Equiticity’s community bike ride series in Chicago designed to support local businesses, and the inaugural Lake County Juneteenth Festival at Foss Park.

The State of Illinois continues to prioritize our tourism industry as millions of visitors spend billions of dollars annually across Illinois, boosting economic development and supporting jobs in the industry. In FY23 to date, hotel tax collections have surpassed all of FY22 collections and are on-track to surpass the highest fiscal year collections on record in FY19. Per the latest data available, in 2021 Illinois welcomed more than 97 million visitors who spent more than $32 billion in the state.

MAYOR-ELECT JOHNSON ANNOUNCES TRANSITION TEAM LEADERSHIP

Johnson’s Chicago For The People transition team to bring together leaders from across the city to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson on Tuesday announced the leaders of his Chicago For The People transition team. Mayor-elect Johnson named Jessica Angus as transition director, Jason Lee and Amisha Patel as senior advisors, Erica Bland-Durosinmi and DJavan Conway as intergovernmental advisors, and Maria Virginia Martinez as legal advisor.

“Our work is already underway to bring together Chicagoans from all across the city in order to build a better, stronger, safer Chicago,” said Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson. “Our transition is about uniting Chicago and I’m confident these dedicated, experienced leaders will bring collaboration, compassion, and competence to our work in delivering a Chicago for the people.”

“Mayor-elect Johnson’s Chicago for the People transition team is already hard at work to bring in voices from all corners of the city and provide a smooth mayoral transition,” said Transition Director Jessica Angus. “As a proud Chicagoan raising two kids in our city, I’m honored to serve on this team, unite Chicago and build a stronger city for all of us.”

Jessica Angus, Transition Director: For over 25 years, Jessica Angus has dedicated her career to uplifting causes that empower underrepresented communities. She has helped lead the 90,000-member SEIU Healthcare Illinois as Vice President and Chief of Staff since 2008. In this senior leadership role, Angus has led the organization through tremendous growth, including by expanding SEIU Healthcare Illinois’ membership and collective power as the fastest-growing care workers’ union in the Midwest. She is a founding member of United Working Families and serves on the organization’s Party Committee. Prior to that, she spent 10 years leading political and ballot-initiative campaigns across the country on a variety of issues that prioritize investing in people and communities. Angus is a proud Chicago Public Schools parent.

Jason Lee, Senior Advisor: Jason Lee most recently served as senior advisor for the Brandon Johnson campaign for Mayor of Chicago. Lee has managed a variety of campaigns at the local, state, and federal level, including Brandon Johnson’s 2018 campaign for Cook County Commissioner. Lee has worked for several progressive labor and community organizations including AFSCME International, For Our Future, and United Working Families. Prior to that, he worked in corporate finance and investment banking at Morgan Stanley. Lee graduated with honors from Harvard University with a Bachelor’s degree in economics and a Masters degree in Politics, Ethics, and Religion.

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“By supporting festivals and other tourist attractions, we help local entrepreneurs thrive while also showcasing the unique cultural and historical features Illinois has to offer,” said State Senator Mattie Hunter, (D-Chicago). “Events like these create jobs, boost our local economy and are an important part of our communities.”

“Tourism is our way to share our

The success of Illinois’ tourism sector is due to commitment to supporting the industry as well as the Illinois Office of Tourism’s award-winning ‘Middle of Everything’ campaign. New data from Longwoods International shows that the campaign had an enormous positive economic impact – leading to an additional 2 million trips which equated to an additional $1 billion spent in Illinois hotels, restaurants, small businesses, and attractions. Additionally, every $1 spent on the campaign equated to $91 in visitor spending while generating $10 in state and local tax revenue for every dollar spent – an enormous return on investment.

Grant awards range from $15,000 to $500,000, with an average award of $250,000 for a total of $22.5 million.

THE CITY OF CHICAGO Continued From Page 2

visitors during regular operating hours. Additional information, including plans to ensure local access, rerouting information, and specific reopening timelines, will be shared through the NASCAR Chicago Street Race community information website launching later this month, upcoming community engagement meetings, and direct communications. Visual representations of major closures accompany this release to improve clarity. Updates to this plan may be made prior to the start of the event.

The Chicago OEMC app is also a great tool to download as street closures and other event information will be added in the coming weeks. The app is now available through the Apple App and Google Play stores. To immediately download, click HERE or visit the website Chicago.gov/oemc.

Amisha Patel, Senior Advisor: Amisha Patel, a Chicago native, brings nearly 30 years of experience organizing for economic, racial, and gender justice to the transition team. Patel served as Executive Director of Grassroots Collaborative and Grassroots Illinois Action, organizations dedicated to building power with Chicago’s working families to secure fully funded resources for public schools, social services, and affordable housing for the past 15 years. Prior to that, she spent six years organizing hospital and Head Start workers with the 31,000-member SEIU Local 73, and worked in coalition with community organizations to fight against school closings. Patel began organizing at the age of 19, fighting against a toxic waste facility located in East Palo Alto, CA. She graduated from Stanford University and has received numerous recognitions for her work, including Crain’s Chicago Business 40 under 40 award, Chicago Freedom School’s Champion of Justice, and an Asian Emmy award for best documentary.

Erica Bland-Durosinmi, Intergovernmental Affairs Advisor: Over the past two decades, Erica Bland-Durosinmi has built and fostered dynamic networks across all levels of government, connecting decision-makers, community advocates and industry voices to fight for and lift up the needs of working people. As Executive Vice President of SEIU Healthcare Illinois, she grew the power of the 90,000-plus workers the union represents to drive–and achieve–a game-changing legislative platform achieving major wins in minimum wage, and paid leave for all at the state and city levels. Her leadership has been a key force in making SEIU Healthcare the fastest-growing care workers’ union in the Midwest advocating for the needs of healthcare and child care workers across four states. As a founding member of United Working Families, she helped to center a working-family-friendly approach in city politics, influencing the make-up and direction of city hall. Bland-Durosinmi has contributed dynamic vision and leadership to the city as president of Grassroots Collaborative. Her vision and leadership garnered her both the Ida B. Wells Award from Illinois Democratic Women and the Billie Paige Advocacy Award from the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus.

DJavan Conway, Intergovernmental Affairs Advisor: DJavan Conway brings over a decade of experience working in Illinois politics advising businesses and organizations as president of Conway Consulting Group, advancing solutions for technology, transportation, energy, entertainment, labor and manufacturing firms. Prior to founding Conway Consulting Group, he served as an Illinois House Democratic Leadership staffer, liaising with organizations including the Business Leadership Council. In addition, Conway has over 14 years of experience running campaigns for Democratic candidates across the state. Raised by teachers, Conway has lived in Chicago for over a decade and understands the value of investing in education. He has served on the board for Africa International House and on the Associate Board for Renaissance Social Services.

Maria Virginia Martinez, Legal Advisor: Maria is a lawyer at Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres, where she advises clients on Government Affairs and Regulatory Law. Prior to joining the firm, Maria was Senior Legislative Counsel to Mayor Lori Lightfoot, where she represented, developed, and advanced the City of Chicago’s legislative priorities before the Illinois General Assembly and state agencies. She gives back to our community as a regional coordinator for the Life Goes On Program with the Illinois Secretary of State, and as Chair for the Diversity Scholarship Foundation’s First-Generation Law-Student Mentorship Program. Maria is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and got her law degree from the John Marshall Law School.

For more information, visit www.chicagoforthepeople.org.