Illinois wants to help non-profits and small businesses in areas hard hit by poverty and violence. Grants are available using proceeds from the tax on the sale of adult-use marijuana.
Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton says 25 per cent of the tax revenue is earmarked for the R-3 Program - which stands from Restore, Re-invest, and Renew. And the goal is to make up for what she says is the damage done by the war on drugs in Illinois' "most vulnerable communities."
"Where there is the highest rate of gun injuries, gun violence injuries, unemployment, highest rates of child poverty, and commitments to and returns from the Illinois Department of Corrections."
Grants can be used for a variety of programs, including drug treatment, violence prevention, economic development, legal aid, youth development, and helping former prisoners.
Maps showing eligible areas of Illinois are available online - and they include neighborhoods along the Mississippi River in Rock Island, Moline, and East Moline, plus parts of Sterling, Dixon, Kewanee, Galesburg, Monmouth, and Macomb.
Applications for grants from the R-3 Program are due by next Monday ( 7/20 ), and awards will be announced in August.
