Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program

Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program is sponsored by Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA). This program utilizes a portion of the Illinois EPA Water Pollution Control Loan Program Loan Support funds to assist communities with planning for wastewater infrastructure in unsewered areas.

Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program - Round 3 Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program - Round 3 IEPA is making $1 million available for the next round of Planning Grants to assist small and disadvantaged communities in developing a Project Plan that identifies a solution to their wastewater collection and treatment needs.

A well-developed Project Plan would allow communities to apply for the Construction Grant to construct wastewater collection and/or treatment solutions for areas where wastewater collection and/or treatment are presently non-existent or inadequate. Funding Opportunity Number https://il. amplifund.

com/Public/Opportunities/Details/c98f8c15-3e68-4075-8202-616b4b2e6cfd Funding Source Description The UCPGP will utilize a portion of Illinois EPA Water Pollution Control Loan Program (WPCLP) Loan Support funds generated from loan repayments. Illinois EPA expects to award a total of $1,000,000 and anticipates distributing this amount across thirty-three (33) to fifty (50) awards.

Funding will be limited to a maximum of $30,000 per applicant. The Illinois EPA may elect to partially fund an application by funding discrete portions or phases of the project scope of work. This could be due to ineligible project components identified in the application or not enough UCPGP funds being available to fully fund the entire project.

Costs of reporting efforts related to any reporting requirements of the UGA can be included in the third-party contract and are considered an eligible grant cost. Examples of ineligible activities, tasks, and components that shall not be funded through the UCPGP are provided below. The list is not all-inclusive: a.

Land Acquisition Costs b. Design Engineering Costs c. Construction Engineering Costs e.

Planning activities related to the rehabilitation of existing wastewater collection and/or treatment facilities f. Planning activities related to future growth or development projects NOTE: Costs incurred prior to the fully executed agreement date of the signed Uniform Grant Agreement (UGA) or after the grant agreement term ends ARE INELIGIBLE. See the Funding Source Description for more information.

Expected Number of Awards Indirect Cost Description Submission Timeline Additional Information Incomplete applications shall not be considered for funding, and preclude the Illinois EPA from making an award to the applicant. Applications for the UCPGP Grant Program will be accepted until funding has been expended. Allow Multiple Applications Question Submission Information Question Submission Email Address EPA.

IFASGrants@Illinois. gov Applicant Eligibility Information Beneficiary Eligibility Information Credentials Documentation Eligibility Information Additional Eligibility Information Applicants must be in good standing with the Secretary of the State.

Eligible proposals will come from a local government unit within the State of Illinois, as defined in Title 35 of the Illinois Administrative Code Part 662 as follows: Local Government Unit − A county, municipality, township, municipal or county sewerage or utility authority, sanitary district, public water district, improvement authority or any other political subdivision whose primary purpose is to construct, own, operate and maintain wastewater treatment facilities, including storm water treatment systems, or public water supply facilities or both.

[415 ILCS 5/19. 2(g)] An entity shall not apply for a grant until the entity has registered and pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, https://grants. illinois.

gov/portal/. Registration and pre-qualification are required annually. During GATA pre-qualification, verifications are performed including a check of the federal Debarred and Suspended list and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List.

An automated email notification from the GATA Portal to the entity alerts them of ‘qualified’ status or informs how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., inactive Unique Entity ID (UEI), not in good standing with the Secretary of State). A federal Debarred and Suspended status cannot be remediated. APPLICANTS THAT ARE INELIGIBLE UNDER THIS NOFO: a.

Private homeowners and/or business owners b. Applicants with an MHI equal to or greater than the 150% of the State average MHI c. Entities that have NOT satisfied the following GATA pre-qualification requirements: i.

Registered with the System for Award Management (SAM) (www. SAM. gov) ii.

Have a valid Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number iii. Completed an Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ) as the fiscal and administrative risk assessment for the current fiscal year – FY 2025 iv. In good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State v.

Not currently debarred by the State of Illinois and/or federal government vi. Not on the Federal Excluded Parties List vii. Not on the Illinois Stop Payment List viii.

Not on the sanctioned party list of the Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services ix. Not on the SAM.

gov Exclusion List Additional Information URL https://epa. illinois. gov/topics/grants-loans/unsewered-communities.

html Additional Information URL Description Additional information about the UCPGP can be found on IEPA’s Unsewered Communities webpage. Check out the Unsewered Communities Grant Programs which describes the programs' objectives and requirements.

The IEPA has the right to use (including, but not limited to, citing, circulating, displaying, and reproducing) all products that result from the Grantee receiving financial assistance under the grant agreement whether the product is developed by the Grantee or a sub-grantee. The IEPA is not obligated to make any grant award as a result of this NOFO.

Award Administration Information If the grantee of a UCPGP grant is at any time offered any State, federal, or local grant or any other funding source, to assist in the payment of expenses for which the UCPGP grant payment has been issued, the recipient shall reimburse the State of Illinois for any UCPGP grant funds used to pay expenses or offered to be paid under another grant or funding source.

Each grantee must agree to comply with all applicable federal and State requirements. This includes Uniform Administrative Requirements, 2 CFR § 200 and GATA. These can have a significant impact on the costs and complexity of a project.

UCPGP grantees will be expected to submit a completed and signed Certifications and Assurances Acknowledgement Form confirming that they will comply with all State and federal mandates. All projects require, at minimum, annual reporting of progress and a final project evaluation and report. Specific reporting requirements will be detailed within the UGA and will be determined based on the applicant’s scored risk assessments.

Progress reports shall include both a PERIODIC FINANCIAL REPORT, a PERIODIC PERFORMANCE REPORT, and a BRIEF PROJECT NARRATIVE.

State Awarding Agency Contacts If you have any programmatic questions regarding the UCPGP, this NOFO, or the UCPGP application, contact the Illinois EPA’s Infrastructure Financial Assistance Section staff at: Illinois Environmental Protection Agency 1021 North Grand Avenue East Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276 Email: Jillian. fowler@illinois. gov – Jillian Fowler Rachael.

heaton@illinois. gov – Rachael Heaton Julie. matthews@illinois.

gov – Julie Matthews Kaitlyn. m. holtsclaw@illinois.

gov – Kaitlyn Holtsclaw Phone: (217) 782-2027 (Kaitlyn Holtsclaw) If you have fiscal and administrative questions regarding the Uniform Grant Application, the Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program Uniform Grant Budget Template, Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ), or pre-qualifying through the GATA Grantee Portal, contact the Illinois EPA’s Fiscal staff at: Illinois Environmental Protection Agency 1021 North Grand Avenue East Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276 Email: EPA.

GATA@illinois. gov If the applicant fails to meet deadlines throughout the grant execution process and within the UGAs deliverables and milestones, the IEPA reserves the right to relinquish the reserved grant funds. The IEPA will provide ample notification prior to grant fund relinquishment, including but not limited to email correspondence, phone calls, and the mailing of a certified notification letter.

IEPA is not obligated to make any grant award as a result of this NOFO. Grantees are required to submit complete applications. An entity shall not apply for a grant until the entity has registered and pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, https://grants.

illinois. gov/portal/ . Registration and pre-qualification are required annually.

During GATA pre-qualification, verifications are performed including a check of the federal Debarred and Suspended list and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List. An automated email notification from the GATA Portal to the entity alerts them of ‘qualified’ status or informs how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., inactive Unique Entity ID (UEI), not in good standing with the Secretary of State).

A federal Debarred and Suspended status cannot be remediated. An individual grant will be for a maximum amount based upon the Median Household Income (MHI) of the applicant’s service population as a % of the state average MHI as follows: APPLICANT MHI VS STATE AVERAGE MHI MAXIMUM GRANT AMOUNT Below 100% of the State Average $30,000 100 – 109. 9% of State Average MHI $27,500 110 – 119.

9% of State Average MHI $25,000 120 – 129. 9% of State Average MHI $22,500 130 – 139. 9% of State Average MHI $20,000 140 – 149.

9% of State Average MHI $17,500 150% and above the State Average MHI NOT ELIGIBLE FOR GRANT FUNDING Review and Selection Process All UCPGP applications shall be reviewed for completeness, technical merit, and cost effectiveness. Applications found to be complete shall undergo a comprehensive, merit-based review performed in compliance with GATA Legislation 30 ILCS 708 and 2 CFR 200 Uniform Requirements.

An appeal process is available to applicants and other interested parties; however, appeals are limited to the Illinois EPA evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. An appeal must be submitted in writing to the following address: Illinois EPA, Attn: Infrastructure Financial Assistance Section, Bureau of Water, 1021 N.

Grand Avenue, Mail Code #15, P. O. Box 19276, Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276 and must be received within 14 calendar days after the date that the grant award notice has been published by the Illinois EPA on Grants.

Illinois. gov. The written appeal shall include, at a minimum, the following: the name and address of the appealing party, identification of the grant, and a statement of reasons for the appeal. Illinois EPA shall acknowledge receipt of an appeal within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date the appeal was received.

When an appeal is received, the execution of all grant agreements that Illinois EPA intends to make under this NOFO shall be stayed until the appeal is resolved, unless the Illinois EPA determines the needs of the State require moving forward with execution of the remaining grant agreements. The State need determination and rational shall be documented in writing.

Illinois EPA shall respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by Illinois EPA within the time period set in the request.

The Director of the Illinois EPA may appoint one or more Appeal Review Officers (ARO) to consider the grant-related appeal and make a recommendation to the Director of the Illinois EPA or designee for resolution. The ARO shall make a recommendation to the Director of the Illinois EPA or designee as expeditiously as possible after receiving all relevant, requested information.

In determining the appropriate recommendation, the ARO shall consider the integrity of the competitive grant process and the impact of the recommendation on the Illinois EPA. The Illinois EPA shall resolve the appeal by means of written determination, which shall include, but not be limited to: review of the appeal, appeal determination, and rationale for the determination.

Anticipated Announcement Dates Applications for the UCPGP Grant Program will be accepted until funding has been expended.