Chicago Groups Receive Micro-Grants After SNAP Cuts, Deportation Campaign

Funds aim to offset strain on small businesses and community organizations impacted by federal policies

Apr. 10, 2026 at 2:51am

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A dynamic, fragmented painting in shades of blue, green, and orange depicting a stack of SNAP food assistance cards, conceptually representing the disruption caused by federal policy changes impacting vulnerable communities.A vibrant, abstract illustration captures the turbulence and uncertainty faced by Chicago's small businesses and community groups due to federal cuts to food assistance and deportation efforts.Chicago Today

Mayor Brandon Johnson announced that 67 organizations across Chicago are receiving $4,500 micro-grants each through the Greater Chicago Food Depository. The money is meant to help offset the strain on Chicago's small businesses and community groups after federal deportation efforts and cuts to food assistance under the Trump administration.

Why it matters

The federal deportation campaign and cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) have had a significant impact on Chicago's small businesses and community organizations, especially those serving immigrant, low-income, and vulnerable populations. These micro-grants are an effort by the city to provide critical support during this challenging time.

The details

The micro-grant program was launched by the city in November 2025 after Johnson signed an executive order directing resources to the Food Depository to assist local organizations and businesses affected by the lapse in SNAP funding during a government shutdown. The grants are intended to help offset reduced SNAP purchasing power and drops in foot traffic from federal immigration enforcement.

  • In November 2025, Johnson signed an executive order launching the micro-grant program.
  • The SNAP funding pause was felt by many Chicagoans in early November, but small businesses and organizations were impacted months before due to increased immigration operations.
  • Expanded work requirements for SNAP recipients that went into effect this spring are expected to push about 150,000 people out of the program starting in May.

The players

Mayor Brandon Johnson

The mayor of Chicago who announced the micro-grant program to support small businesses and community groups affected by federal deportation efforts and SNAP cuts.

Greater Chicago Food Depository

The organization that is administering the $4,500 micro-grants to 67 organizations across Chicago.

Kevin Johnson Jr.

The 26-year-old lead organizer of Working Family Solidarity, a Pilsen-based community group that provides support to Black and Latino communities and received one of the micro-grants.

Dulce Morales

The 45-year-old co-founder of Cedillo's Fresh Produce, an Englewood-based farm that received SNAP benefits and a micro-grant to help offset rising operational costs.

Maria'h Foster

A representative from the group Life is Work, which plans to use its micro-grant to contribute to its existing food pantry in the Austin neighborhood.

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What they’re saying

“I have to admit, I do know that sometimes government — we can move a little slow. So the $4,500 grants that are issued, we are not just investing in services that you provide, but the leadership that you provide and the trust that you have built with residents. You embody the spirit of our collective responsibility.”

— Mayor Brandon Johnson

“Directly after SNAP benefits were cut, it became kind of Armageddon for us a little bit. One of our workers, who's a single mother of two children, had her benefits cut so this is something that is literally stopping individuals from being able to feed their children and feed themselves.”

— Kevin Johnson Jr., Lead Organizer, Working Family Solidarity

“We are still in production, but it has impacted the income that it's coming to us. We want to continue to feed people, but it's very hard when now you got to struggle with 'and should I drive or not?'”

— Dulce Morales, Co-founder, Cedillo's Fresh Produce

“It's not just Black and Latinx communities that are being impacted, aging populations, elders, individuals with disabilities, individuals who have HIV, individuals who are veterans — those are the populations that also have been vulnerable and impacted by this, that kind of get left out.”

— Maria'h Foster, Representative, Life is Work

What’s next

The city plans to continue monitoring the impact of the federal deportation campaign and SNAP cuts on Chicago's small businesses and community organizations, and may consider expanding the micro-grant program if the need persists.

The takeaway

These micro-grants represent a critical lifeline for Chicago's small businesses and community groups that are struggling to serve vulnerable populations in the face of federal policy changes. The program demonstrates the city's commitment to supporting its local organizations and ensuring residents have access to essential resources.