Illinois Grocery Initiative - Equipment Upgrades Grant

Funder: Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)

The Illinois Grocery Initiative - Equipment Upgrades program, managed by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, offers grants for energy-efficient equipment upgrades to qualifying grocery stores. This initiative aims to combat food deserts in Illinois by supporting independently-owned grocers, cooperatives, and not-for-profits, ensuring access to fresh foods while promoting sustainability. Eligible entities must meet specific criteria, including a minimum match requirement for project costs.

NOTE: For your application to be considered, your entity must be pre-qualified see Letter of Inquiry deadline above.
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 energy efficient equipment upgrades.
The Illinois Grocery Initiative Equipment Upgrades Program, authorized by Public Act 103-0561, will provide grants for new energy-efficient equipment upgrades for existing independently-owned for-profit grocery stores, cooperative grocery stores, or not-for-profit grocery stores.
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 and sustainability for stores located in food deserts, areas that could become food deserts, and other areas that are underserved to a lesser degree. These grants will reimburse costs for the purchase and installation of new energy-efficient equipment.

Eligibility

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.Eligible Expenses:The following expenditures will be eligible for reimbursement under this program, insofar the equipment will result in energy efficiency improvements:Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) equipmentRefrigeration units and freezersLighting systemsCost Sharing or Match RequirmentCost sharing or Matching is required for this opportunity. Applicants are required to provide 25% of the total project costs, representing a 1:3 match. These matching funds can come from any non-state sources such as local municipal funds, federal funds, or private investment. This grant opportunity is limited to capital improvement expenses.Applicants may submit one application per location per round for this opportunity.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 numberHas 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 informationHas a valid UEI number Is not on the Federal Excluded Parties List Is in Good Standing with the Illinois Secretary of StateIs not on the Illinois Stop Payment list (verified once entity is registered in GATA Grantee Portal); andIs not on the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Provider Sanctions list.

Ineligibility

The grant will not compensate for indirect costs, overhead or administrative expenses associated with the execution of the project.Entities on the Illinois Stop Payment List and/or the Federal Excluded Parties List at time of application submission will not be considered for an award.This opportunity does not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs.