Learn about lending options for your business!

Join us for this small business roundtable as we discuss:

Small Business Loan Products
SBA Lending
Alternative Lending
Financial Coaching

We are partnering with small business and alternative lenders to get you resources and give you a place to ask questions about lending for your small business!

Thank you to our event partners:
Belmont Central Chamber of Commerce
Foundation of Little Village
Portage Park Chamber of Commerce

Thank you to our event sponsor:
Huntington Bank

RSVP encouraged but not required

Small Business Saturday and Free Pictures with Mr. & Mrs. Claus

Come join us for a jolly good time at our Small Business Saturday event! Get ready to meet the one and only Mr. & Mrs. Claus for some unforgettable pictures. This in-person event will be held at 3150 N Central Ave. Support your local small businesses while spreading holiday cheer with the Claus couple. Don't miss out on this festive opportunity! During this event we will also be celebrating the Grand Opening of two new businesses at the Crecer Business Incubator, Herb & Sip and Laura's Sweet Treats!

Save the date! Come celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month in Belmont Cragin! 10 businesses in Belmont Cragin will be hosting various live music, performances, and arts activities between 11:00am - 6:00pm. This is a FREE family-friendly event.

Looking for a fun, free, family friendly event during the week? Stop by the Crecer Business Incubator for a night of FREE Diamond Dots and shopping! You will have an instructor who will provide all the materials and instruction for the night for free!

This new series happens over three consecutive Tuesdays and features a new, family friendly arts activity every week in addition to new small businesses featured each week. We are hosting FREE Loteria, Sip and Paint, and Diamond Dots over the three weeks and you might even see a live band while you are there! Light snacks are provided for free and you are able to support local businesses by purchasing food and refreshments from one of the businesses in the space.

This event series is your opportunity to have a fun, family friendly night out with friends and neighbors while also supporting local Belmont Cragin small businesses.

Crecer Business Incubator Program Information Session

• Wednesday, September 6, 2023

• 5:00 PM 6:00 PM

• Crecer Business Incubator (map)

The Crecer Business program is opening up for a year 3! Want to learn more about the program and how it works?

Join us for an informational session on September 6 at 6pm at 3150 N. Central Ave., Chicago, IL 60634.

To Register for this FREE Seminar please visit:

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZAqde2prTgsHtaBGiiosoNkoVRbf...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.
For more information please contact the Northwest Side Community Development
Corporation at 773-283-3888 or via email at jvazquez@northwestsidecdc.org

Featured Speaker:
Dr. Marius Dancea

EmpowerLinked

To Register for this FREE Seminar please visit:

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZYqceyrqD0rE9IUefH1PIbhyPnJY...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.
For more information please contact the Northwest Side Community Development
Corporation at 773-283-3888 or via email at jvazquez@northwestsidecdc.org.

Únase a Small Business Majority, la Cámara de Comercio Hispana de Illinois y Northwest Side CDC en un seminario web en honor al Mes de la Herencia Hispana. Si usted ha considerado iniciar un negocio en la industria alimentaria o actualmente tiene una empresa basada en alimentos, este es un seminario web al que debe asistir.

Regístrese hoy en este seminario web »

Join the Northwest Side CDC, Portage Park Chamber of Commerce and other Northwest Side Chambers of Commerce for this amazing networking event opportunity.

The guest speakers will be three administrators at Wright College: Dr. David Potash – President; Adam Kashuba – Director of Adult Education; and Sandra Payan Cataño – Community Relations Strategist.

The Portage Park Chamber of Commerce will provide the food and drinks for this event.

This is a free event!

To fill out the form in the link below:
https://forms.office.com/r/LbbzK4kyiz

Learn more about the Neighborhood Business Development Center Program hosted at the Northwest Side CDC. We are proud partners with the City of Chicago to provide you with FREE training, advising, and resources to help start or grow your small business.

All of our programs are English/Spanish bilingual and are accessible right here in your neighborhood-Belmont Cragin. Register for this f session where we will tell you more about how we can support your small business.

Obtenga más información sobre el Programa del Centro de Desarrollo de Negocios Vecinales alojado en el Northwest Side CDC. Estamos orgullosos de ser socios de la Ciudad de Chicago para brindarle capacitación, asesoramiento y recursos GRATUITOS para ayudarlo a iniciar o hacer crecer su pequeña empresa.

Todos nuestros programas son bilingües inglés/español y son accesibles aquí mismo en su vecindario-Belmont Cragin. Regístrese para esta sesión f donde le diremos más sobre cómo podemos apoyar a su pequeña empresa.

Experience Belmont Cragin like never before as we transform the Belmont Central parking garage into an immersive experience showcasing local retail vendors, artists, and food vendors! Join us as the space is illuminated in vibrant colors, dressed up in exciting decorations, and filled with colorful tents showcasing our community's rich culture and small business community.

This is a free event and family friendly!

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Experimente Belmont Cragin como nunca antes mientras transformamos el estacionamiento de Belmont Central en una experiencia inmersiva que muestra a los vendedores minoristas, artistas y vendedores de comida locales. Únase a nosotros mientras el espacio se ilumina con colores vibrantes, se viste con decoraciones emocionantes y se llena de carpas coloridas que muestran la rica cultura de nuestra comunidad y la comunidad de pequeñas empresas.

¡Mercado! is a unique event series in Belmont Cragin that supports Latinx arts and culture, artisan small businesses, and food vendors. ¡Mercado! activates unique and unexpected spaces to provide an immersive experience bringing guests into new and sometimes overlooked spaces. Dance, theatre, artists, live music and food and retail vendors come together to give visitors an all-encompassing experience that shows off the best of Belmont Cragin.

Occurring over four dates this year, the first event takes place at Workshop 4200. As the first- ever CREATORSPACE™, Workshop 4200 is a unique place for artists, artisans, and creators of all stripes. It's a place where connections are made & collaborations are born. As the first 'test' of a big idea, Workshop 4200 is a living social experiment based on the notion that creative small businesses do better when they are supported & encouraged, both by those with resources to help them succeed and their creative peers.

As always, ¡Mercado! is a free event and is family-friendly.
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¡Mercado! es una serie de eventos únicos en Belmont Cragin que apoya las artes y la cultura latinx, las pequeñas empresas artesanales y los vendedores de comida. ¡Mercado! activa espacios únicos e inesperados para brindar una experiencia inmersiva que lleva a los invitados a espacios nuevos y, a veces, pasados ​​por alto. Danza, teatro, artistas, música en vivo y comida y vendedores minoristas se unen para brindar a los visitantes una experiencia integral que muestra lo mejor de Belmont Cragin.

Con cuatro fechas este año, el primer evento se lleva a cabo en Workshop 4200. Como el primer CREATORSPACE™, Workshop 4200 es un lugar único para artistas, artesanos y creadores de todo tipo. Es un lugar donde se hacen conexiones y nacen colaboraciones. Como la primera "prueba" de una gran idea, Workshop 4200 es un experimento social viviente basado en la noción de que las pequeñas empresas creativas funcionan mejor cuando cuentan con el apoyo y el aliento, tanto de quienes tienen los recursos para ayudarlas a tener éxito como de sus pares creativos.

Como siempre, ¡Mercado! es un evento gratuito y es familiar.

To Register for this FREE Seminar please visit:

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZEuceirrTgpHdAa-lYDs...

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.

For more information please contact the Northwest Side Community Development
Corporation at 773-283-3888 or via email at jvazquez@northwestsidecdc.org.

Día del Niño/Day of the Child is a traditional family holiday celebrated in Mexico in April that honors children, celebrates their importance in society and promotes their well–being.

This FREE event is being held in Belmont Cragin, in beautiful Blackhawk Park. Come join and play in inflatable bounce houses, get your face pained, see your favorite tv characters, play games, dance to some music, get free books, and so much more!

As it is spring, let’s have the children wear bright colors to celebrate their youth and the coming of spring.

Allies for Community Business (A4CB) offers term loans and lines of credit from $500 to $100,000 to early, emerging, and established businesses in Illinois and Indiana. Join us on Wednesday, April 6 at 9:30am to learn about the loans and lines of credit offered by A4CB.

Learn how to apply during the training and take advantage of their discounted 3% interest rate, available for a limited time only. A4CB is different from other lenders: they do not use credit scores and do not judge the value of personal assets. Instead, they evaluate how well business owners have managed their debts over the past two years and how much cash they have available to make monthly loan payments.

Are you a storyteller or a poet? Do you write raps or short stories? Do you want to improve your skills with the help of a professional? Join us for a free, Eng/Esp bilingual workshop on creative writing and storytelling.

This two-part series will help you fine-tune your style of writing, regardless if it's rap, poetry, songs, narratives, or drama and is open to all skill levels. Refreshments will be provided.

The writing workshop will be held 3/12 from 4-7:00 and the open mic night will be held 3/19 from 4-8:00 pm. Both sessions will be held in collaboration with Aguijón Theater. All materials will be provided.

Are you a storyteller or a poet? Do you write raps or short stories? Do you want to improve your skills with the help of a professional? Join us for a free, Eng/Esp bilingual workshop on creative writing and storytelling.

This two-part series will help you fine-tune your style of writing, regardless if it's rap, poetry, songs, narratives, or drama and is open to all skill levels. Refreshments will be provided.

The writing workshop will be held 3/12 from 4-7:00 and the open mic night will be held 3/19 from 4-8:00 pm. Both sessions will be held in collaboration with Aguijón Theater. All materials will be provided.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

12:00pm

Featured Speaker: Joanna Hernandez, RAZZO Marketing Group

To Register for this FREE Seminar please visit: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYvdOGgqDMiE9N_12RWDYDaGbyWXrMoPqrP

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the event.

For more information please contact the Northwest Side Community Development Corporation at 773-283-3888 or via email at jvazquez@northwestsidecdc.org.

The Northwest Side CDC, in partnership with the City of Chicago, is hosting a community meeting to receive resident input as they work on the “We Will’ plan. “We Will Chicago” is a new citywide planning intuitive under Mayor Lori. E. Lightfoot that will encourage neighborhood growth and vibrancy while addressing social and economic inequities. Your participation will help promote the goals of using meaningful and inclusive engagement to shape the plan.

Join us on February 15th to lend your voice during this planning process. Hearing from residents on what matters most to us is how we can keep our city thriving!

As a thank you to residents who attend and help towards this initiative, there will be food served and the first 30 residents will receive a $25 gift card.

If you are not able to make the in-person meeting, you can join virtually:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81124801947...

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El Northwest Side CDC, en asociación con la ciudad de Chicago, está organizando una reunión comunitaria para recibir comentarios de los residentes mientras trabajan en el plan "We Will". “We Will Chicago” es una nueva planificación intuitiva para toda la ciudad bajo la dirección de la alcaldesa Lori. E. Lightfoot que fomentará el crecimiento y la vitalidad de los vecindarios al mismo tiempo que aborda las desigualdades sociales y económicas. Su participación ayudará a promover los objetivos de utilizar un compromiso significativo e inclusivo para dar forma al plan.

Acompáñenos el 15 de febrero para prestar su voz durante este proceso de planificación. ¡Escuchar a los residentes sobre lo que más nos importa es cómo podemos mantener nuestra ciudad próspera!

Como agradecimiento a los residentes que asistan y ayuden con esta iniciativa, se servirá comida y los primeros 30 residentes recibirán una tarjeta de regalo de $25.

Si no puede asistir a la reunión en persona, puede unirse virtualmente:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81124801947...

The Santa Parade is back! This year the parade kicks off at New Life Covenant located at 5100 W Diversey Ave and ends at Riis Park. Mr and Mrs. Claus will hang around after the parade at Riis Park for photos! Hang out safely along the parade route to catch your favorite local organizations and businesses show off their holiday spirit and pick your FAVORITE, most decked-out car!

SAVE THE DATE! Following our ¡Mercado! en la Noche event that transformed the first floor of the Belmont Central Parking Garage, we are reimaging this event to celebrate Small Business Saturday. Food vendors, art and retail vendors, and live performances will come back to help you kick off your holiday shopping! Stay tuned for more information

Food, Vendor, Artist application is live:

https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx...

November 3, 2021
2pm -3pm

Get ready your website ready for the holiday season with our Website and Search Engine Optimization Basics for Small Business Owners.

During this training, you will learn the following:

- What is Search Engine Optimization
- How to get more leads and sales from your website.
-Tips to increase website visits.

To register, email your your full name and business name to Ehrenm@emproltd.com

Workshop will be lead by Ehren Muhammad: Owner and Project Manger of EMPro, Ltd.

Are you looking to apply to the Back to Business Grant? The Northwest Side CDC is taking things on the road and we will be helping business owners looking to apply for the grant at La Trailita 5940 W. Diversey Ave. on Monday September 20 from 6pm to 8pm.

You will need the following documents to apply for the grant on the spot.

• 2019 Business Taxes

• 2020 Business Taxes

• 1 Business Bank Statement from 2020 from between April and December

• The Most recent Bank statement

• ID

• Business bill with you business address.

For questions call 216-260-6345.

Calling business owners in Belmont Cragin! Would you like to take a leadership role in the community? Join the Northwest Side CDC and local business owners for our Monthly Merchant Group Meeting at Cragin Public Coffee from 1:00pm to 2:30pm