2024 REGROW Grant Program

~The Tier II Application closed December 4th, 2024 at 5pm.~


The City of Rockford invites you to apply for the 2024 Rockford REGROW Tier II Grant Program funded by the Cannabis Fund. This is an equity-driving, restorative justice and community reinvestment grant program funded by the City of Rockford's 3% local tax on adult-use cannabis retail sales. 

The decades long "war on drugs" and related policies led to disparate cannabis-related arrests, convictions, and sentencing which have had long lasting legal, social, economic, and inter-generational consequences on certain disproportionately impacted communities, individuals, and their families, especially communities of color. This program aims to rectify some of these past harms and to reinvest in these disproportionately impacted communities, individuals, and their families directly. View the map of qualified “Disproportionately Impacted Communities.”

For the 2024 funding cycle, $500,000 is available for Rockford REGROW Grant Program through the following funding opportunities:

  • Tier 1 (application closed)
    • TEN (10) quick deployment grants at $10,000 per grant to support smaller, shorter-term projects.
  • Tier 2
    • FOUR (4) one-year grants at $50,000 total per grant
    • TWO (2) two-year grant at $100,000 total per grant

Program Eligibility:

The Rockford REGROW Grant Program seeks applications from non-profit and for-profit entities, of any size. This includes community-based organizations, individuals, firms, teams, or consultants. Please note, newly formed groups or initiatives with fiscal sponsorship from a non-profit entity are also eligible to apply. 

Multi-entity collaborations, coalitions and/or consortium efforts are also encouraged to apply. Applicants are encouraged to be innovative with existing services, explore new initiatives, or expand partnerships and clients served.

(see Grant Guidelines for ‘Program/Work Requirements’ and ‘Allowable and Unallowable Costs’.)

The grants may be used to fund:

  • Programs for economic and business development; education; youth programming; job training; housing; health; or other financial assistance to individuals, businesses, and communities that have been disproportionately impacted by cannabis-related laws
  • Programs to substantially reduce both the total amount of gun violence and concentrated poverty in the City of Rockford
  • Programs to protect communities from gun violence through targeted investments and intervention programs, including economic growth and improving family violence prevention, community trauma treatment rates, gun injury victim services, and public health prevention activities
  • Programs to promote employment infrastructure and capacity building related to the social determinants of health in the eligible community areas
  • Programs to address economic development, violence prevention services, zero entry and re-entry services, and youth development
  • Unallowable costs include (but are not limited to): some political activities (for example, activities to promote a specific candidate); purchase of cannabis inventory; purchase of alcoholic beverages; purchase of real estate.

Important information to note:

  • The Tier II Applications open at 8:00 AM on Tuesday, November 12th, 2024 and close at 5:00 PM, Wednesday, December 4th, 2024. 
  • All applications must be submitted through the online application portal (available November 12th at 8am through December 4th at 5pm).
  • Applications will be reviewed by the Community Resource Commission and will provide recommendations of the grant recipients to the Finance & Personnel Committee. 

For more information about the program and requirements, you may call 779-348-7418 or email REGROW@rockfordil.gov. 

Interested applicants can also view the recording of our virtual workshop below.