Chicago Awards $3.7M to Black-Owned Funkytown Brewery for Near West Side Taproom

The City of Chicago awarded Funkytown Brewery a $3.7 million community development grant to help fund a new brewery, distribution and retail facility and a tap room on the Near West Side, the cofounders say. Funkytown was founded in 2021 by childhood friends Rich Bloomfield, Greg Williams and Zach Day and plans to move out of its current incubator arrangement and into a dedicated space aimed to open by 2027.

Bloomfield, Williams and Day grew up together in west suburban Oak Park and began planning to make beer in 2017 after they “tried craft beer” once they had money from working jobs and finishing college. Greg Williams described the city award as “a sense of gratitude from the city. They see what we're doing, and they're very appreciative and respectful of our efforts.” Williams has framed the project as part of a push to increase Black ownership in craft beer, saying “Less than 1% are Black-owned, so it's crucial for us to grow and show that everyone drinks beer, and we want to be in that space as well.”

Funkytown currently produces its beer at a beverage incubator, Pilot Project Brewing, located at 2140 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Logan Square, where Bloomfield led a tour of the operation. Bloomfield said of the grant and the expansion plans, “This just takes our home brew to the next level.” On the brewery’s recipe goals he added, “You're supposed to enjoy the flavor and be able to enjoy more than one, so we have moderate alcohol levels,” and “We keep the bitterness low, because we're trying to encourage new beer drinkers into the space.”

The company positions its beers as “easy-drinking” with moderate alcohol and low bitterness to appeal to new drinkers and underserved communities. Bloomfield also noted the geography of craft brewing when describing the expansion strategy: “Craft breweries tend to be in predominantly white areas. If they're not in Black neighborhoods or marketed towards underserved groups, it feels like you're left out.”

Key details about the municipal award remain unreported by the parties: the city has not provided a specific Near West Side address for the planned facility, the name of the city grant program or department that issued the $3.7 million award, nor a line-item budget or any grant conditions tied to job creation, timelines or community benefits. Funkytown has stated a target opening of 2027 but has not released a construction or permitting schedule.

The public response has been mixed online. Commenters on an aggregation page called out municipal priorities with lines such as, “3.7 million dollars for beer, no grocery stores, no housing or substandard, lots of lead in the water going to substandard housing,” while others argued against government involvement in alcohol funding, writing, “Totally wrong, never encourage drinking, especially by government. Alcohol has destroyed many lives and families.” One commenter added a racial accusation in a single word: “Racist!”

Funkytown’s founders say the grant will let them scale from contract production at Pilot Project to an owned brewery, distribution and tap room on the Near West Side. Greg Williams summed the company’s public goal plainly: “Just continue to grow, and keep it funky.”