Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle Announces Nine Additional Recipients of Cannabis Development Grants

COOK COUNTY, IL—Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle recently announced that nine social equity cannabis license holders will each receive a $75,000 Cook County Cannabis Development Grant, reaffirming the County’s commitment to expanding economic opportunity and repairing long-standing inequities. The grants will help offset expenses associated with opening and operating a cannabis-based business for entrepreneurs who were approved in 2024 but did not initially receive funding at the time due to limited available resources. 

“This funding will provide a critical boost for businesses operating in the emerging cannabis industry,” said President Preckwinkle. “By continuing to invest in entrepreneurs and communities that have been disproportionately impacted by decades of inequitable drug enforcement and cannabis prohibition, we are advancing both economic opportunities and equity throughout Cook County.” 

The Cannabis Development Grant program accepted applications for six weeks beginning in May 2024 and announced awards in September of 2024. With $3.6 million allocated to the program at the time, the County awarded grants to 40 businesses. The County’s 2025 budget included additional funding to support eligible applicants that did not receive funding in 2024 and to launch a technical assistance program.  

Among the nine new grant recipients, seven operate as transporters and two operate as dispensaries. The $75,000 grants are based on the 2024 guidelines and funding levels. 

Adrian Arellano, co-founder of High Road Delivery, a Chicago-based transporter that opened in 2023, said funding will support his business in multiple ways. 

“Providing this grant funding to our small, independently owned business will allow us to hire additional staff to better meet our clients’ demands and pay down debt that was incurred as a result of high barriers-to-entry when first starting out in this market,” Arellano said. “It’s amazing to see how far High Road Delivery has come in a span of three years, and thanks to Cook County, we will only continue to grow in the years to come.” 

Based on feedback received from grant recipients, the County recently launched Cook County CannaBiz Pathways, a no-cost advising program for cannabis entrepreneurs. Through a partnership with the Women’s Business Development Center, the program includes cohort-based learning, one-on-one advising, and webinars and online workshops, helping entrepreneurs navigate a highly regulated industry. 

The next cohort will meet online on a weekly basis from January 27 through March 3, 2026, and is open to all Cook County cannabis-license holders. Topics will include compliance, operations, marketing and financial readiness. Applications for the six-week cohort will be accepted through January 22, 2026. 

Cook County Commissioner Bill Lowry (3rd District) also played an instrumental role in establishing the grant program.  

“The Cook County Cannabis Development Grant program stands as a catalyst for progress across our county,” Lowry said. “It strengthens and empowers social equity licensees, brings long-overdue resources to communities that have carried the greatest burdens of past injustices, and fuels the growth of small businesses that keep our local economy vibrant. This initiative reflects our promise to invest in people, expand opportunity and build a more equitable Cook County for all.” 

The Cook County Cannabis Development Grant program and Cook County CannaBiz Pathways are funded by the Cook County Equity Fund, created to address historic and continued disinvestment in marginalized communities. 

For a full list of Cook County Cannabis Development Grant recipients, visit cookcountyil.gov/service/cannabis-development-grant.