patterns

I analyze patterns in money movements, laws, bills, and systemic structures all the time. But someone asked me to try something new: take a look at a grant and see if it was designed to favor a particular group.

So, I did.

The Family Advocate Program grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services is meant to fund organizations that support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Sounds great in theory. But when you break it down, the structure looks familiar, the kind where an “open” competition isn’t really open at all.

The eligibility criteria require an applicant to have deep experience in providing these exact services. The funding history? Same amounts, same patterns, year after year. The renewal language? It’s written in a way that gives existing recipients a major advantage. And who just happens to be a past recipient? The Arc of Illinois, an organization already running a state-funded Family Advocate program.

This is how the system works. Not always through outright corruption, but through carefully crafted rules that make it nearly impossible for a new player to break in. The money flows predictably. The same hands catch it. And the cycle continues.

Fair competition? Maybe on paper. But in reality, it’s a controlled environment where the outcome is all but decided before the process even begins. Whether it’s state grants or entire industries, the playbook doesn’t change, only the names on the check.

If you’re in cannabis and want to talk about that game, we’ll be F'nAround at the Flower Expo next week. Just remember, we don’t sugarcoat shit or hide the truth from anyone else!