The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (the “Department” or “DCEO”) is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (“NOFO”) to offer grants to qualifying Illinois grocery stores for energyefficient equipment upgrades.
Donor Name: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
State: Illinois
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 03/25/2024
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 1 Year
Details:
The Illinois Grocery Initiative Equipment Upgrades Program, authorized by Public Act 103-0561, will provide grants for energy-efficient equipment upgrades for existing independently owned for-profit grocery stores, cooperative grocery stores, or not-for-profit grocery stores. This represents a significant step in addressing one of the challenges for grocery stores located in food deserts.
While the Illinois Grocery Initiative is intended to reduce or eliminate the existence of “food deserts1” in Illinois and will prioritize stores located in food deserts, the Equipment Upgrades Program is not limited to establishments located in food deserts. These grants are intended, however, to facilitate energy-efficient equipment investment to stores located in food deserts, areas that could become food deserts, and other areas that are underserved to a lesser degree.
Funding Information
Total amount of funding expected to be awarded through this NOFO is $3,500,000. Awards will range from $25,000 to $250,000.
Project Period
The period of performance is expected to be Q2CY24 through Q4CY25.
Eligibility Criteria
An entity must be registered in the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal at the time of grant application. The portal will verify that the entity:
- Has a valid FEIN number
- Has a current SAM.gov registration, SAM.gov registrations must be marked as “public” to allow the GATA Grantee Portal to expedite the review of the federal information;
- Has a valid UEI number
- Is not on the Federal Excluded Parties List
- Is in Good Standing with the Illinois Secretary of State
- Is not on the Illinois Stop Payment list
- Is not on the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Provider Sanctions
Eligible Applicants include
Eligibility for this program will be constrained by characteristics of prospective store ownership and the intended offerings of the store.
- Grants will be limited to projects making energy-efficient investments in existing bricks and mortar operations in Illinois.
- This grant opportunity will be limited to independently owned grocers or cooperatives with fewer than 500 employees and no more than 4 grocery stores.
- Grocery locations must be consistent with the following to be eligible:
- The store Is or will be classified as a supermarket or other grocery retailer in the 2022 North American Industry Classification System under code 445110, a meat retailer under code 44524, a fruit and vegetable retailer under code 44523, or a fish and seafood retailer under 44525.
- The store cannot derive more than 30% of its revenue from alcohol and tobacco sales.
- The store must accept or will accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children benefits.
- The store must contribute to diversity of fresh foods available in the community by selling fresh foods such as meats, fruits and vegetables that have not been processed in any manner.
For more information, visit DCEO.
