- Published: Wednesday, August 16, 2023 05:44 PM
DCEO grants can be found on their website.
Illinois Works Pre-Apprenticeship Program
What: The State of Illinois is committed to ensuring that all Illinois residents have access to careers in the construction industry and building trades, especially those who have been historically underrepresented. Community-based organizations can apply for grant funding to recruit, prescreen, and provide pre-apprenticeship skills training that help underrepresented populations successfully transition into full apprenticeship programs in construction and building trades.
Potential Applicants: Non-profits, including public colleges or universities. To fill gaps in current offerings, the state is especially looking for sites in Sangamon, Peoria, McLean, DeKalb, Kankakee, LaSalle, Rock Island, Whiteside, Marion, Lawrence, and Jackson counties as well as suburban Chicagoland. Individuals considering enrolling in pre-apprenticeship training should fill out the interest form here.
How Much: $10 million total, grants will range between $55,000 and $550,000. A separate opportunity for extensions will be available for existing programs.
Deadline: Aug. 30
Apply: Apply HERE.
Illinois Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program
What: The Illinois Clean Jobs Workforce Network Program or “CEJA Workforce Hubs” will provide pathways for careers in the renewable energy, electrification and energy efficiency industries. The program represents the largest training component of the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), providing grants to 13 hubs across the state offering training, job placement services, barrier reduction support and more. The CEJA Workforce Hubs will align with the needs of clean energy employers and provide students with nationally recognized certifications. Hubs will also deliver barrier reduction services to ensure that participants are able to complete the program.
Potential Applicants: Non-profits, community colleges, and local governments are eligible to apply and organizations are encouraged to partner with one another. Per statute, the hubs will be located in Alton, Aurora, Carbondale, Champaign, Chicago (South Side), Chicago (Southwest and West Sides), Danville, Decatur, East St. Louis, Joliet, Peoria, Rockford and Waukegan.
How Much: $37.9 million total. Awards range from $1 million to $5 million per hub.
Deadline: Sept. 1
Apply: Apply HERE.
Illinois Meat & Poultry Supply Chain Capital Grant Program
What: The Meat & Poultry Supply Chain Capital Grant Program aims to support communities by helping independently owned companies build capacity, create jobs and ultimately, strengthen our meat processing supply chain in Illinois, thereby making food products more affordable and accessible. Grant funds must be used to construct new facilities or expand processing capacity at existing facilities.
Potential Applicants: Businesses engaging in meat and poultry processing. Must be independently owned and operated and the facility must be physically located in Illinois.
How Much: $6 million total, with grants ranging from $250,000 to $1.5 million. A 4:1 match is required: grant funds may only cover up to 20% of total capital expenses.
Deadline: Rolling until Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. or until funds are depleted.
Apply: Information can be found HERE.
Connect Illinois Round 3 Broadband Grant Program
What: Connect Illinois seeks to achieve ubiquitous broadband access for homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions. Applications should be classified under one of three categories: (a) Broadband Access for unserved or underserved areas; (b) Broadband Innovation for economic development; or (c) Urban Broadband for expanded access and/or innovation in qualified Illinois cities. All Connect Illinois projects must include infrastructure expansion scalable to speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload upon deployment. Allowable costs include network design, project planning, equipment, construction, and deployment of middle mile and/or last mile infrastructure.
Potential Applicants: Businesses, nonprofits, cooperatives, school districts, and local governments. Proposals covering unserved and/or underserved areas are eligible for Connect Illinois grant funding.
How Much: $350 million total, maximum grant size of $10 million. Preference given for a 50% match, but it is not required for an application to be competitive.
Deadline: Rolling through 2024, or until funds are depleted
Apply: Information can be found HERE.
Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD)
What: OSLAD is a matching program that provides an advance payment (for development projects only) of 50% of the grant award amount shortly after the grant agreement is executed. The local agency must demonstrate and possess the ability to finance the remaining cost of an approved project prior to receipt of remaining grant funds. The program offers state-financed funding assistance to local governmental agencies for acquisition and/or development of land for public parks and outdoor recreation areas.
How much: $56 million is available for this round of OSLAD grants. In addition, IDNR will once again will provide funding to cover 100% of eligible projects located in economically distressed communities. In the most recent round of OSLAD awards announced in March, 22 underserved locations received grants for local park projects. For a list of communities that are considered economically distressed, visit here.
Apply: The application period is now open, and applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Aug. 31. Prior to applying for a grant, entities must be registered and current in the state's Grant Accountability and Transparency Act grantee portal at https://grants.illinois.gov/portal/. All applications will be accepted online in the Amplifund portal. To apply for an OSLAD grant, follow this link. For more information, visit here or call 217-782-7481.
The Green Infrastructure Grant Opportunities (GIGO) Program
The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is posted here.
What: The GIGO Program provides funding for projects to construct green infrastructure best management practices (BMPs) that prevent, eliminate, or reduce water quality impairments by decreasing stormwater runoff into Illinois' rivers, streams, and lakes. Projects that implement treatment trains (multiple BMPs in series) and/or multiple BMPs within the same watershed may be more effective and efficient than a single large green infrastructure BMP. For GIGO, green infrastructure means any stormwater management technique or practice employed with the primary goal to preserve, restore, mimic, or enhance natural hydrology. Green infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, methods of using soil and vegetation to promote soil percolation, evapotranspiration, and filtering or the harvesting and reuse of precipitation. Examples of project types/BMPs that may be funded through GIGO are provided in the NOFO.
How much: Illinois EPA anticipates project awards between $75,000 and $2.5 million. The first $5 Million in GIGO grants were awarded to eleven grantees in 2021 and 2022. Four projects have completed construction and the remaining are under construction.
Deadline: By 12 p.m. on October 18
Apply: Applicants must apply for GIGO through the GATA Grantee Portal.
