The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has launched its annual Women’s HERstory Month campaign. It aims to celebrate and support women-owned businesses, entrepreneurs and future female founders throughout Illinois.
“This Women’s History Month, DCEO is proud to uplift our state’s women-owned businesses,” DCEO Director Kristin Richards said in a news release. “Ensuring Illinois continues to be the best place to live, work and do business means supporting and investing in all Illinoisans, including women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs, throughout March and beyond.”
As part of the month-long HERstory celebration, DCEO is hosting events and launching a social media campaign. It’s also sharing new resources to elevate and promote Illinois’ entrepreneurial women.
M re than 458,000 Illinois businesses are women-owned businesses. But women business owners and entrepreneurs – especially women of color – have historically experienced barriers in accessing financial and social capital and other key business resources. DCEO prioritizes creating an equitable business environment. It does that through targeted initiatives and resources such as the Connecting HER to Illinois Business Resources Guide.
Strengthening the ecosystem
“DCEO is committed to collaborating to continue to strengthen the state’s entrepreneurship ecosystem to empower, connect, and advance women-owned businesses and future women entrepreneurs and founders to help them thrive in Illinois,” Women’s Business Development Manager Michelle Lura White said in the HERstory release. “Prioritizing different types of investment in female founders, entrepreneurs, and businesses is essential in building strong local economies throughout every community in our state.”
DCEO’s Office of Minority Economic Empowerment (OMEE) works to create an inclusive business environment for communities that have faced systemic challenges to growth. It includes women business owners and entrepreneurs and businesses owned by people of color. OMEE hosts dozens of events and provides year-round support including connections with grants, technical assistance, and incentives to bolster women entrepreneurs and women-owned enterprises.
Events include:
Throughout March, DCEO is hosting HERstory events and elevating resources to advance women-owned businesses throughout the state. All events are free to attend; additional information and registration can be found on the DCEO website. Among the DCEO’s events for Women’s HERstory are:
- Overview of Mentoring Programs for Women Entrepreneurs (Virtual) will be from 10-11 a.m., Thursday, March 21. Register here. The event is tailored for women-owned businesses of all stages and industries, future women business owners, and aspiring female entrepreneurs, with all genders welcome to join.
- First Annual Asian Women’s Summit (In-person) will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, March 22 the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago in Chicago. Register here. The summit is tailored for Asian American and Pacific Islander professional women from all sectors and AAPI university female students. Attendees from all backgrounds (genders/ethnicities/races/etc.) are welcome to join.
