The Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (IHCC), established in 1990 as the Mexican American Chamber of Commerce of Illinois and rebranded in 2002, operates as a 501(c)(6) business association serving Latino entrepreneurs statewide. ¹ With a membership network exceeding 100,000 Hispanic-owned businesses, the IHCC positions itself as the largest Latino business organization in the Midwest. ²

IHCC claims to foster economic growth through advocacy, business development resources, and training programs aimed at enhancing competitiveness in the marketplace. The chamber has since expanded its role in facilitating access to government contracts, capital, and technical assistance, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises. ²

Leadership

The Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is governed by Jaime di Paulo who has worked as president and CEO since January 2019. Over his leadership, the organization reports doubling its membership base. ³ Di Paulo’s leadership priorities include expanding training programs for small businesses, improving access to credit, and increasing Hispanic participation in government contracting opportunities. Under his tenure, the IHCC secured a $2.5 million state grant in 2021 to establish the Center for Hispanic Entrepreneurs, a dedicated facility for business development initiatives. ³

Programs

Through its partnership with the business incubator 1871, the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce administers the LTNtech program, which connects Hispanic-owned technology startups with mentorship and venture capital networks. The organization also hosts an annual procurement summit that matches minority-owned businesses with contracting opportunities from public agencies and corporate entities. ⁴

The IHCC operates programs such as the Illinois Small Business Development Center, which claims to aid small businesses in areas including finance, marketing, and operations. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Cook County COVID-19 Small Business Assistance Program was created to provide individualized business counseling to stay afloat throughout the pandemic. Through this program, businesses applied for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, which were used to cover payroll costs where many of these loans would later be forgiven by public grants. ⁵

Government Grants

The Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has recently been covered in the Prairie State Wire’s “Illinois DOGE” profile series, which focuses on nonprofit organizations that receive most of their funding from government sources to provide services that often overlap with those offered by the state. According to the report, from 2020 to 2025, the IHCC received a total of 43 separate contracts and grants from the state of Illinois, amounting to $11,481,145. ⁶ In 2023, the organization’s annual revenue was reported at $3,426,614, with government and taxpayer grants comprising $2,246,463, or 66 percent of total operating revenue. Employee salaries accounted for $1,433,404 of the IHCC’s spending, and president and CEO Jaime di Paulo’s compensation was $116,419. The profile notes a significant increase in taxpayer support for the IHCC, rising from $491,276 in 2019 to nearly $4 million in 2023, representing an 800 percent increase in state funding during that period. ⁷

The profile also highlights IHCC’s recent activities, including the publication of a guide offering operational support and legal resources for business owners who are illegal immigrants, using state funds to advise on preparation for government audits and immigration enforcement actions. ⁶ The organization’s leadership, including CEO Jaime di Paulo, has publicly advocated for business sustainability programs and protections for businesses owned by illegal immigrants, and has called for amnesty at press conferences alongside elected officials. Additionally, the IHCC has played a major role in the Illinois Tollway’s “Technical Assistance Program,” receiving $3,772,622 in taxpayer grants from 2020 to 2025 to recruit racial minority business owners for state contract training. The IHCC’s government funding also includes 27 grants totaling $5,324,445 for public benefit programs, two grants totaling $809,900 for tourism promotion, and three grants totaling $1,574,179 for financial assistance.  ⁶

1. Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, “About IHCC,” last modified 2025, accessed May 27, 2025, https://ihccbusiness.net/about-ihcc/.
2. Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 2024 Annual Report, accessed May 27, 2025, https://ihccbusiness.net/2024-annual-report/.
3. “Jaime di Paulo – IHCC Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,” IHCC Business, accessed May 27, 2025, https://ihccbusiness.net/team/jaime-di-paulo/.
4. Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. 2025. “LTNtech.” Accessed May 27, 2025. https://ihccbusiness.net/ltntech/.
5. Innovations of the World, “Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce: Helping Latino-Owned Businesses Grow,” Innovations of the World, accessed May 27, 2025, https://innovationsoftheworld.com/illinois-hispanic-chamber-of-commerce-helping-latino-owned-businesses-grow.
6.  “Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce,” Prairie State Wire, accessed May 27, 2025, https://prairiestatewire.com/stories/669932490-illinois-doge-profile-illinois-hispanic-chamber-of-commerce.
7. Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation. 2025. “Full Filing for Fiscal Year Ending December 2023.” ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed May 27, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/352417992/202403199349305405/full.