Illinois Grant News | November 2023

Springfield, Ill. | November 30 2023 | Governor Pritzker Announces $13 Million Investment in Job Training and Economic Development Program | Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) announced an additional $13 million investment in the Job Training and Economic Development Program (JTED) for workforce training and wrap-around services that will bolster equitable workforce recovery for Illinoisans struggling to gain meaningful employment. As part of Illinois’ workforce recovery efforts, JTED grants focus on helping increase employment among workers and industries hardest hit by COVID-19. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) process. Estimated awards: 30. Total Funding: $13,000,000. Award Ceiling: $750,000. Closing Date: January 10, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 30 2023 | Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program (USDA-NIFA-BRAP-010309) | The purpose of the Biotechnology Risk Assessment Research Grants Program (BRAG) program is to support the generation of new information that will assist Federal regulatory agencies in making science-based decisions about the effects of introducing into the environment genetically engineered organisms (GE), including plants, microorganisms — such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses — arthropods, fish, birds, mammals and other animals excluding humans. Investigations of effects on both managed and natural environments are relevant. The BRAG program accomplishes its purpose by providing federal regulatory agencies with scientific information relevant to regulatory issues. Estimated awards: 10. Total Funding: $5,500,000. Award Ceiling: $650,000. Closing Date: February 29, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 30 2023 | FY 2024 National Infrastructure Investments (DTOS59-24-RA-RAISE) | The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 (“Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” or “BIL” ) authorized and appropriated $1.5 billion to be awarded by the Department of Transportation (“DOT”) for Local and Regional Project Assistance Program Grants under National Infrastructure Investments. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) solicits applications for projects funded under the Local and Regional Project Assistance Program, known as the RAISE Grants program. If the FY 2024 Appropriations Act provides additional funding for the RAISE grants program and/or significantly different requirements for National Infrastructure Investment funds, the Department will amend this Notice with guidance on additional requirements. As with previous rounds, funds for the FY 2024 RAISE Transportation program are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. Estimated awards: 150. Total Funding: $1,500,000,000. Award Ceiling: $25,000,000. Closing Date: February 28, 2024.

Springfield, Ill. | November 21 2023 | Governor Pritzker announces $25.5 million for CEJA Equitable Energy Future Grants | Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity launched $25.5 million in funding for the Equitable Energy Future Grants Program. The program supports renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in low-income and historically disadvantaged communities. Grantees will be selected through a competitive Notice of Funding Opportunity (DCEO site) process. Estimated awards: 40. Total Funding: $22,500,000. Award Ceiling: $1,000,000. Closing Date: June 30, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 21 2023 | Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-04) | The Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant program (Community Change Grants), created by the Inflation Reduction Act, offers an unprecedented $2 billion in grants under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). The Community Change Grants will fund community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. This historic level of support will enable communities and their partners to overcome longstanding environmental challenges and implement meaningful solutions to meet community needs now and for generations to come. There will be two tracks of funding under this opportunity. Track I will fund approximately 150 large, transformational community-driven investment grants of $10 million – $20 million. Track II will fund approximately 20 meaningful engagement grants of $1 million – $3 million. Grants cannot exceed 3-years in duration. Estimated awards: 170. Total Funding: $2,000,000,000. Award Ceiling: $20,000,000. Closing Date: November 21, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 20 2023 | Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program (USDA-NIFA-HSI-010310) | The purpose of the HSI Education Grants Program is to encourage innovative teaching or education proposals with potential to impact and become models for other institutions that serve underrepresented students at the regional or national level. Projects supported by this program must include/address one or more of the following priority need areas: 1. Attract and support undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups to prepare them for careers related to the food, agricultural natural resources, and human systems and sciences in the United States; 2. Enhance the quality of postsecondary instruction within the above disciplines; 3. Provide opportunities and access to food and agricultural careers in the public, non-profit and private sectors; 4. Align the efforts of HSIs and other non-profit organizations to support academic development and career attainment of underrepresented groups. Estimated awards: 22. Total Funding: $15,332,800. Award Ceiling: $1,200,000. Closing Date: February 6, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 14 2023 | Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Programs Phase II (USDA-NIFA-SBIR-010287) | The Small Business Administration (SBA), through the SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, provides policy guidance for these programs. A main purpose of the legislation is to stimulate technological innovation and increase private sector commercialization among small business concerns and enable them to undertake and to obtain the benefits of research and development in order to maintain and strengthen the competitive free enterprise system and the national economy. The goal of Phase II is to continue research and development while increasing the focus on commercialization. The STTR program aims to foster technology transfer through formal cooperative R&D between small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. The USDA SBIR/STTR programs Assistance Listing 10.212, is therefore in a unique position to meet both the goals of USDA and the purpose of the SBIR/STTR legislation by transforming scientific discovery and innovation both social and economic benefit, and by emphasizing private sector commercialization. Estimated awards: Unspecified. Total Funding: 22,100,000. Award Ceiling: $650,000. Closing Date: March 26, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 9 2023 | Supporting Critical Open-Source Technologies That Enable a Free and Open Internet (SFOP0010120) | The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for projects to strengthen the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms online through an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure global Internet, with a focus on technology development. Competitive proposals will develop and implement programs to develop, improve, implement, and sustain open-source technologies which serve as critical foundations for a free and open Internet…In support of this goal, DRL is requesting program proposals to produce, support, innovate, implement, or advance the standardization of open-source internet technologies that provide software infrastructure and protocol functions for the sustainable protection and operation of an open, interoperable, reliable, and secure internet in ways that actively counter the progression of growing Internet restrictions by combatting repressive surveillance, censorship, and internet splintering. Estimated awards: 15. Total Funding: Unspecified. Award Ceiling: $1,000,000. Closing Date: January 11, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 8 2023 | The Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) Grants (FR-6700-N-96) | Through this NOFO, HUD is awarding Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) grants to support selected communities develop and implement systems infrastructure to better address youth homelessness. The grants will focus on systems change to create and build capacity for Youth Action Boards; collect and use data that work with at-risk youth; develop strong leaders within a community; and improve the coordination, communication, operation, and administration of homeless assistance projects to better serve youth, including prevention and diversion strategies. The goal of the YHSI is to increase the capacity of communities to better serve youth and create projects that are responsive to the needs of youth at-risk of or experiencing homelessness in the community. The objectives of this funding are to:Improve the capacity of youth in the community: Developing peer support models, including training, project design, and implementation; creating Youth Action Board training, including government rules, leadership, and other skills; community training and outreach on how to work with youth and integrate youth leadership in an authentic way.Establish partnerships: Bringing together system partners who also work with youth who are housing unstable. This could include partnerships with Tribes and cultural organizations in the community, k-12 schools, higher education, juvenile justice, child welfare, employment services, etc.Improve Coordinated Entry Systems (CES).Improve data collection and use between systems that work with youth at-risk of and experiencing homelessness.Assess, address, and improve equity in youth homeless response systems. Estimated awards: 35. Total Funding: $50,000,000. Award Ceiling: $2,000,000. Closing Date: February 15, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 8 2023 | Spurring Projects to Advance Energy Research and Knowledge Swiftly (SPARKS) (DE-FOA-0003164) | This announcement is purposely broad in scope to encourage the submission of the most innovative ideas in energy technology to support transformative energy R&D that complements ARPA-E’s primary mechanism, which is through the solicitation of research projects in focused technology programs.ARPA-E’s focused programs target specific areas of technology that the agency has identified through extensive interaction with the appropriate external stakeholders. The focused programs have significant potential impact on one or more of the statutory goals described in Section I.A of the FOA. Awards made in response to the solicitation for focused programs support the aggressive technical targets established in that solicitation. Taken in total, ARPA-E’s focused programs cover a broad swath of energy technologies and applications. However, ARPA-E wants to ensure that there are opportunities to support innovative energy R&D in new and emerging fields that either fall outside of the focused technology programs or that develop after those programs have closed. Within this general framework, ARPA-E seeks transformative ideas that enable the most efficient, economical, sustainable, and environmentally benign utilization of energy. Useful energy can take many forms, including radiant energy from lights, electrical energy for appliances, thermal energy to heat homes, mechanical energy for transportation, chemical energy in the form of food, and energy used to manufacture products. Estimated awards: Unspecified. Total Funding: $10,000,000. Award Ceiling: $500,000. Closing Date: September 30, 2029.

Washington, D.C. | November 8 2023 | Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models (24-507) | The Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models (IHBEM) Program supports research that incorporates research on social and behavioral processes in mathematical epidemiological models. The program provides support for projects that involve balanced participation from the mathematical sciences and from the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. The purpose of the Incorporating Human Behavior in Epidemiological Models activity is to support interdisciplinary collaborations that integrate research on behavioral and/or social processes in mathematical epidemiological models. Projects supported under this activity should be collaborative in nature and depend for their advancement on the coordinated interaction of two or more PIs/co-PIs, with balanced participation from both the mathematical sciences and the social, behavioral, and economic sciences. Additional participants from other disciplines, especially the biological sciences, are also welcome. Each project should focus on a significant and well-delineated research challenge that integrates behavioral and social processes into mathematical epidemiological models. Estimated awards: 15. Total Funding: $5,500,000. Award Ceiling: Unspecified. Closing Date: February 14, 2024.

Washington, D.C. | November 8 2023 | International Research Experiences for Students (24-506) | The International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) program supports international research and research-related activities for U.S. science and engineering students. The IRES program contributes to development of a diverse, globally engaged workforce with world-class skills. IRES focuses on active research participation by undergraduate and/or graduate students in high quality international research, education and professional development experiences in NSF-funded research areas. The overarching, long-term goals of the IRES program are to enhance U.S. leadership in science and engineering research and education and to strengthen economic competitiveness through training the next generation of science research leaders. Estimated awards: 25. Total Funding: $25,000,000. Award Ceiling: Unspecified. Closing Date: February 5, 2024.

Springfield, Ill. | November 6 2023 | Energy Efficiency Trust Fund Grant Program | Illinois EPA Office of Energy intends to award funding to public housing authorities, units of local government (municipalities, counties or townships), or nonprofit organizations for implementation of energy efficiency improvements benefiting residents receiving housing assistance from a state or federal program. Funding will be awarded for single family or duplex residential properties located in an area of environmental justice concern with residents participating in federal, state, or local public housing programs, housing choice vouchers, rental assistance, or subsidized housing assistance programs. Estimated awards: Unspecified. Total Funding: $5,000,000. Award Ceiling: $500,000. Closing Date: Funds exhausted.

Washington, D.C. | November 3 2023 | NIAID Research Education Program Advancing the Careers of a Diverse Research Workforce (PAR-23-282) | The NIH Research Education Program (R25) supports research education activities in the mission areas of the NIH. The overarching goal of this R25 program is to support educational activities that encourage individuals from diverse backgrounds, including those from groups underrepresented in the biomedical and behavioral sciences, to pursue further studies or careers in research. To accomplish the stated over-arching goal, this NOFO will support educational activities with a primary focus on: Courses for Skills Development Research Experiences Mentoring Activities. Estimated awards: Unspecified. Total Funding: Unspecified. Award Ceiling: $351,000 (direct costs) per year (five year period of performance). Closing Date: September 7, 2026.

Springfield, Ill. | November 2 2023 | Driving a Cleaner Illinois – Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) EV Charging (24-3234-01) | This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is to inform potential applicants of the availability of funds from the Rebuild Illinois capital program for electric vehicle projects authorized under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act as part of the Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program. Under this NOFO, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) will fund a portion of the eligible costs associated with new commercial grade Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC, also known as Level 3) charging stations for light-duty electric vehicles to be located at publicly accessible charging station locations in Illinois. Preference will be given to both Environmental Justice communities and to projects outside the three priority areas outlined in the Volkswagen Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP) that have not previously been eligible for Illinois EPA EV charging infrastructure funds. Estimated awards: Unspecified. Total Funding: $27,000,000. Award Ceiling: Unspecified. Closing Date: December 22, 2024.