Business Support
This page serves as a comprehensive resource hub for both prospective and existing business owners in Oak Park. It outlines the Office of Economic Vitality's three core functions (attracting new businesses, retaining existing ones and marketing the community) and provides a directory of free and low-cost support resources from local, county, and state organizations.
Also included below are aetails about financial incentive programs such as small business assistance grants, Cook County property tax abatements and event grants, as well as guidance and certification pathways for minority-, woman-, veteran-, and LGBTQ+-owned businesses.
Office of Economic Vitality
The Village of Oak Park Office of Economic Vitality is a division of the Oak Park Village Manager’s office. The Economic Vitality (EV) team serves as the economic development arm of the Village and is tasked with three primary objectives:
Business Attraction
The Office of Economic Vitality actively recruits businesses to the community and works with prospective business owners looking to open an Oak Park location. Bringing new business investment to the Village helps fill empty storefronts and office space, brings new jobs to Oak Park and creates career opportunities for residents of the Village and surrounding region. Additionally, it helps diversify and stabilize the tax base through the generation of new sales and use taxes.
Business Retention
The Economic Vitality team also proactively assists existing Oak Park businesses, individually and collectively via collaboration with economic development partner agencies. The efforts of the EV Office include providing assistance to existing businesses by connecting them with resources and responding to their needs and helping businesses grow and expand their physical presence and/or customer base. Staff also offers or connects business owners with educational opportunities to enhance their operation through marketing, workforce education, and financing opportunities.
Marketing
The Economic Vitality Office also markets the community’s businesses, events, and investment opportunities through marketing efforts to residents, visitors, and potential investors. The EV Office markets the Village in various ways and promotes its available sites as opportunities for business investment. Staff also promote the Village’s events, commercial corridors and individual businesses to the greater community to help support existing businesses and grow local spending. The EV team also partners on wider tourism efforts to bring visitors from outside Oak Park to spend dollars at local businesses, support local institutions, and create recurring visits.
Contact Us
The Office of Economic Vitality is located in Downtown Oak Park at 1010 Lake Street, Suite 100 (2nd Floor). If you are a prospective or existing business owner, and would like to schedule a meeting with our team, please contact us at 708.358.5695 or at EconomicVitality@oak-park.us.
Business Resource Guide
The Village of Oak Park and its economic development partners offer numerous free and low-cost ways for businesses to reinvest in themselves. This page contains a list of organizations and a quick summary of resources that they provide. We highly recommend reaching out to these entities if any of the resources that they provide are of interest as they are eager to share their services to help your business grow and thrive in Oak Park. To view the complete Small Business Resource Guide, please click the image below:
Resources
Village of Oak Park
Office of Economic Vitality (economicvitality@oak-park.us)
Business Services (business@oak-park.us)
- One-stop support service for new and existing Oak Park businesses
- Available sites in Oak Park to start up, expand, or relocate your business
- Walk-through site visits to provide guidance on zoning requirements and building permits
- Guidance on signage options and regulations to help draw attention to your business
- Parking permits to ensure there are spaces available for you and your employees
- Financial assistance programs to help reinvest in and enhance your business
Oak Park-River Forest Chamber of Commerce
Email: info@oprfchamber.org
- Free six-month membership for new businesses, including helping you host a ribbon cutting
- Opportunity to network with fellow business owners and promote your business
- Educational programs to help you utilize the Chamber’s full benefits
Explore Oak Park and Beyond
Email: info@oakparkandbeyond.org
- Promotion on website, social pages, newsletters, and opportunity for inclusion in blogs
- Access to public relations firm for pitches on events and inclusion in campaigns
- Additional advertising opportunities
Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
Contact: DCEO.Illinois.gov/dceo-program-inquiry
- Online information center to obtain comprehensive direction on starting a business in Illinois
- Variety of incentive programs, tax credits, and contractor resources
- Additional resources geared toward minority, veteran, and woman-owned businesses
Cook County Small Business Source
Email: info@cookcountysmallbiz.org
- Free business advising including creation of a business plan and potential financing options
- Virtual and in-person educational and networking events
- Contact with organizations such as the Chicago Urban League and Illinois Restaurant Association
Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Joseph Center
Email: sbdc@jbs.edu
- No cost one-on-one consultation including business plans, marketing, finance, and operations
- Free or low-cost programs on digital marketing, financial management, and AI for business
- Assistance with government contracting, socioeconomic certifications, and export readiness
Triton College Center for Business and Professional Development (CBPD)
Email: laurafisher@triton.edu
- Customized training that suits your business and employee needs
- Technical education such as workplace safety, project management, and computer basics
- Workforce development including ESL, customer service, and leadership training
Oak Park Public Library Business Resources
Email: bridgeto@oppl.org
- Library card for business owners, NFPs, and workers with full access to business services & resources
- Room reservations for meetings and events, including virtual meeting spaces
- Free access to the Creative Studio including 3D printers, laser cutters, and an audio booth
Park District of Oak Park
Email: annmarie.buczek@pdop.org
- Community event sponsorships that engage directly with Oak Park residents
- On-site advertising at parks and facilities, and in program guides that reach 25,000 homes
- Affordable meeting and event spaces at historic properties
Oak Park and River Forest High School
Email: bdubina@oprfhs.org
- Resource for finding potential interns, part-time employees, and seasonal workers
- Flexible volunteer and paid-work opportunities for students with disabilities
- Opportunity to speak with local students about your profession as a career path
SCORE
Link: score.org/Chicago
- Non-profit dedicated to helping small businesses through mentoring and education
- Former industry professionals volunteer their time to offer expertise and experience
- All services are free of charge and confidential
Small Business Administration (SBA)
Link: sba.gov/district/Illinois
- Funded by the federal government to support small businesses
- Small business loans and free seminars/webinars
- Federal contracting certifications and business counseling
Incentive Programs
The Village of Oak Park offers a variety of financial incentive programs to new businesses looking to locate in the community, existing businesses looking to reinvest in their operations and investors looking to develop or redevelop property within the municipality.
Small Business Assistance Grants
For more information, contact Development Services at BusinessGrants@oak-park.us.
The Village of Oak Park offers different grant opportunities to support local businesses making improvements to their establishment.
- Commercial Facade Improvements: Spruce up the exterior of your establishment.
- Interior Facade Improvements: Make improvements to the interior of your business.
- Climate Ready Business: Support for businesses adopting sustainable practices.
- Fire Safety: Protect your business and customers by investing in fire safety measures.
Cook County Property Tax Abatements
For more information, contact Economic Vitality at EconomicVitality@oak-park.us.
Cook County property tax abatement programs are considered on a case-by-case basis. County approval for such an incentive is predicated upon receiving initial approval from the Village of Oak Park Board of Trustees. Factors considered include length of property vacancy, historic preservation and/or additional community revenue generated (e.g. sales tax):
- Class L: Intended to preserve an historic property, to be used for commercial, industrial, multi-family residential, or not-for-profit purposes, and that has been individually designated as a landmark or is a contributing building in a designated historic or landmark district. The owner’s investment in the substantial rehabilitation of the building must equal at least 50% (exclusive of grants, tax credits, and other incentives) of the building’s full market value as determined by the Assessor in the year prior to the commencement of the rehabilitation.
- Class 7c: Intended to encourage commercial projects which would not be economically feasible without assistance. The five-year incentive applies to all newly constructed buildings or other structures, including the land upon which they are situated; the utilization of vacant structures abandoned for at least twelve (12) months, including the land upon which they are situated; or all buildings and other structures which are substantially rehabilitated to the extent that such rehabilitation has added to their value, including qualified land related to the rehabilitation.
- Class 9: Intended to support existing or newly constructed multifamily buildings containing seven or more rental dwelling units, and must be used primarily for residential purposes to provide decent, safe, and affordable housing for low- and moderate income households. The applicant must predesignate and identify at least 35% of the building’s dwelling units as Class 9 units. In order to help assure that Class 9 designated units within a building are comparable in quantity and quality to the remaining units in the building, the units must be allocated so that at least 35% of each type of unit, as characterized by the number of bedrooms, are Class 9 units, or some other allocation of 35% that is found to be fair and equitable. Maximum household income of Class 9 tenants cannot exceed 80% of the area’s median income.
Event Assistance (Spark) Grants
For more information, contact Economic Vitality at EconomicVitality@oak-park.us.
The Spark grant programs are designed to support the costs of hosting safe and successful special events, thereby helping make Oak Park more vibrant. Spark grants are available to Oak Park businesses, non-profit organizations, neighborhood groups and business associations that are licensed or registered with the Village, and have either obtained a special event permit from the Village OR hosted an event that drew an attendance of at least 750 people.
- NEW Spark: Provides support for first-time or early-stage events (Years 1–3), covering expenses such as permitting, marketing and promotion to help increase visibility and establish the event.
- RE Spark: Assists long-standing events (Years 4+) that align with Village Board goals of Sustainability, Economic Vitality and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) by offsetting ongoing costs and helping ensure their continued success.
- SAFE Spark: Supports both new and established events by helping cover required public safety expenses for safe, well-managed events and may be awarded once every three years. Can be combined with either the NEW Spark or RE Spark grants.
MWVBE Support
The Village of Oak Park strives to be a welcoming community for business leaders from all communities and backgrounds. We value our business owners’ and community stakeholders’ perspectives on ways to create more opportunities for minority-owned, woman-owned, veteran-owned, LGBTQ+-owned and disabled-owned enterprises.
There are several ways in which diverse business owners can enhance opportunities to grow their business:
- Village of Oak Park Community Relations Program: The DEI Office enforces the Village's Human Rights Ordinance, encourages block organizing, community safety and multi-cultural training, mediates landlord/tenant and neighbor disputes and provides resident training in community outreach. The Community Relations Division of the DEI Office also manages the Village's film permit process. Click here to learn more.
- Village of Oak Park Bid Opportunities: Under state law and local ordinance, all purchases of goods or materials that exceed $25,000 and any construction project exceeding $10,000 require formal procedures using bids/requests for proposals. Upon evaluation of the bids/proposals received, the Village Board must approve a contract with the awarded vendor. The local Prevailing Wage Ordinance may apply. Click here to learn more.
- State of Illinois BEP Certification: The Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion’s (CEI) Business Enterprise Program (BEP) certification process underscores Illinois' unwavering dedication to fostering opportunities and inclusion for businesses owned by minorities, women, and persons with disabilities. This free certification enables your business to be featured in CEI’s public online directory, ensuring visibility amongst State procurement professionals and potential prime vendors. Click here to learn more.
- State of Illinois VBP Certification: The Veterans Business Program (VBP) assists businesses owned by qualified service-disabled and veteran-owned businesses in gaining access to State of Illinois contracting opportunities and participating in the competitive procurement process. Click here to learn more.
- LGBTBE Certification: The LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois is an organization focused on creating strategic alliances between buying members and certified LGBT Business Enterprises (LGBTBEs). Becoming a certified LGBT Business Enterprise is an exclusive way to qualify for inclusion in corporate supply chains. Click here to learn more.
- SBA 8(a) Business Development Program: The federal Small Business Administration (SBA) 8(a) program can be a valuable tool for experienced socially and economically disadvantaged small business owners, who have already been in business for at least two years or more and are interested in expanding their footprint in the federal marketplace. Click here to learn more.
- Cook County Business Enterprise Development: The mission of Business Enterprise Development is to increase the pool of qualified, diverse vendors who are in position to participate in Cook County contracting opportunities. The office strives to monitor and track all contracts to ensure compliance with the MWBE ordinance by promoting racial parity, contract diversity and continued transparency with industry best practices. Click here to learn more.