Ten months after announcing but then stalling a grant program to help small businesses that struggled during the pandemic, Cook County is preparing to relaunch it.

       The so-called Source Grow Grant program, announced last September, was halted after a white business owner sued, claiming it was discriminatory and treated applicants “differently based on their owners’ race, and specifically prioritizes ‘persons of color.’”

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       The suit left applicants hoping for a piece of the $71 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding in limbo. Though the county denied the program was discriminatory, it officially pulled the plug on it in March, opting to “restructure and redesign” it. Now successful applicants likely won’t see payouts until early next year.