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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
FOURTH INSTALLMENT SPENDING PLAN FOR THE BUDGETED FY2026 EQUITY AND INCLUSION SPECIAL PURPOSE FUND
WHEREAS, in November 2021, the Cook County Board of Commissioners passed Resolution No. 21-5542 creating a special purpose fund for Equity and Inclusion (“Equity Fund”) dedicated to addressing historical disparities and disinvestment communities that are marginalized or have experienced other social and economic disparities; and
WHEREAS, through the Equity Fund, intentional investments from government resources are allocated to address historical and continued disparities and disinvestment, (as defined in the Equity Report) and to bring advocates, service providers, and other partners to the table as thought partners and decision-makers; and
WHEREAS, since the establishment of the Equity Fund, the administration and the Equity Fund Taskforce have worked diligently to design and implement the broad range of Equity Fund systemic recommendations and initiatives across the six Policy Roadmap pillars; and
WHEREAS, since its inception, the County has invested nearly $200M in the Equity Fund, allocating revenue from the general fund and a diversified stream of revenue including the Casino Tax, Cannabis and Firearm taxes, the latter being designated specifically to the Justice Advisory Council’s legacy grant portfolio.
WHEREAS, for the development of the FY26 Fourth Installment Spending plan, members of the Equity Fund Taskforce participated in the County’s first participatory budgeting pilot to help determine the recommendations and initiatives that would be prioritized for funding through the Equity Fund which is set forth below.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Cook County Board of Commissioners supports the Fourth Installment Spending Plan totaling $85.6M which does not contemplate a new allocation of funding to the Equity Fund, but instead leverages the accumulated unspent, unallocated Equity fund reserves of approximately $63.7M. Said spending plan includes carry-forward expenditures that have been previously approved in the amount of $53.1M and an additional $32.5M in new funding recommendations from the Taskforce itself. Any carryover estimates provided below will be adjusted once the fiscal year closes and final reconciliations will be provided by the Bureau of Finance through its monthly revenue and expense reports.
1. The Cannabis Business Development Program under the leadership of the Bureau of Economic Development will carry forward an estimated $389,321 to support grant awards for social equity applicants, with the goal to enhance economic opportunity for those within communities most impacted prior to the legalization of cannabis.
2. The Cook County Land Bank Authority will carry forward an estimated $2,502,144 to continue supporting the administrative and operational costs of their work to increase affordable housing stock and economic opportunity in systematically disadvantaged communities.
3. The Community Engagement Pilot Program under the leadership of the President’s Office, will carry forward an estimated $510,028 which includes a new nominal allocation of $1,000, to continue strengthening the County’s ability to conduct meaningful and authentic community engagement to residents and other stakeholders across Cook County.
4. The Health Equity in all Policies (HEiAP) Equity Fund recommendation 1.1, led by the Cook County Department of Public Health (CCDPH) will carry forward an estimated $507,540, to continue its efforts to operationalize health equity across CCH and community partners and municipalities.
5. The Property and Taxation recommendation 2.1, led by the President’s Office and the separately elected property tax stakeholders, will carry forward an estimated $619,469, to continue the support of research needed to help inform the ongoing collaborative work to reform Cook County’s property assessment and taxation system.
6. The Bureau of Economic Development, in furtherance of recommendation 2.9, will be allocated $5,000,000 to continue supporting its Transforming Places Initiatives in partnership with United Way of Metro Chicago. Through this initiative, Cook County will continue to support highly vulnerable communities over a sustained period to ensure implementation and capacity-building and help attract additional public, private, and philanthropic resources.
7. The Bureau of Economic Development, in furtherance of recommendation 2.6, will be allocated $7,500,000 to support the Guaranteed Income Pilot, an ARPA initiative geared towards supporting residents’ economic security and increasing economic mobility and opportunity. The Guaranteed Income Pilot is currently being funded through ARPA, and this allocation will ensure that the Bureau has the needed resources to provide direct financial assistance to residents across Cook County in future funding cycles.
8. The Justice Advisory Council will be allocated a total of $37,622,103 which includes a carry forward estimated at $17,622,103 in addition to a second installment of $20,000,000 to administer the scaling of CVI strategies and investments in partnership with the Government Alliance for Safe Communities (GASC), an unprecedented collaboration between leaders at the State of Illinois, City of Chicago and Cook County. Established in 2021, GASC has worked closely together to sustainably reduce gun violence and increase community safety in the communities and municipalities most impacted by the gun violence crisis in our region.
9. The Equity in Transit recommendation 4.1, led by the Department of Transportation and Highways, will carry forward an estimated $2,063,119 to continue to support the implementation of a regional income-based fare model as the second phase of the Fair Transit Pilot, which launched during the pandemic in 2020.
10. The President’s Office, in furtherance of recommendation 4.2 will carry forward an estimated $850,000 to support the implementation of digital navigators as part of its broader Digital Equity Action plan.
11. The Department of Environment and Sustainability, in furtherance of recommendation 5.1, will carry forward an estimated $1,650,000 to continue its work to improve community health and resilience in communities within suburban Cook County.
12. Led by the President’s Office, the Equity in Grantmaking recommendation 6.1, will carry forward an estimated $26,342,866 to continue supporting the implementation of a comprehensive equity-centered grantmaking strategy to promote equitable access and capacity building training and resources for community-based organizations funded by the County and through the Government Alliance for Safe Communities (GASC).
13. The remaining $32.5M of the unspent, unallocated reserve will be used in future years to continue providing resources to support the Equity Fund recommendations and related initiatives and to serve as a stop gap as the County works to shore up the longer-term sustainability planning for our ARPA initiatives and those that are most closely aligned to the goals and priorities of the Equity Fund. The President’s Office will provide advance notice to the Cook County Board of Commissioners regarding any allocation of the reserve.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Justice Advisory Council will carry forward an estimated $3,189,373 from the FY2025 Equity Fund allocation into FY2026 to continue addressing community safety through a holistic approach. These efforts include continued investments in promising Community Based Violence Intervention (“CVI”) strategies through its Gun Violence Prevention Grant Portfolio, housing and wrap-around services for returning residents through its Returning Resident Grant Portfolio, and Capacity Building Grant Portfolio. Starting in FY2027, these efforts will be funded exclusively by the General Fund appropriation. To facilitate this transition, for FY2026 the Justice Advisory Council will use this estimated carryover from the Equity Fund in the amount of $3,189,373 and a General Fund appropriation of $31,810,627, totaling $35,000,000, to advance community safety.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Cook County Budget Director and Comptroller shall be authorized to execute any additional budgetary transfers or chargebacks to effectuate these programs and the spending plan provided herein; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Cook County Budget Director and Comptroller shall continue providing financial updates on the Equity Fund as part of the monthly Revenue and Expense report provided to the Cook County Board of Commissioners Finance Committee; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED A presentation on the annual progress of the Equity Fund will be made to the Finance Committee of the Cook County Board within 60 days of the close of the County’s fiscal year.
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