Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program - Round 3

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.

Details

• Awarding Agency: Environmental Protection
• Departments: Bureau of Water - IFAS
• CSFA Number: 532-00-2476
• CSFA Popular Name: Unsewered Communities Planning Grant Program
• Funding Opportunity Number: 25-2476-03
• Announcement Type: Initial Announcement
• Award Type: Competitive
• Total Funding Available: $1,000,000.00
• Expected Number of Awards: 50
• Funding Sources: State
• Capital Grant: No
• Indirect Costs Allowed: Yes
• Posted Date: 2024-12-10

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
d. Construction 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.

Funding Restrictions

See the Funding Source Description for more information.

State Award Notices

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.

Reporting

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.

Additional Information

https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/grants-loans/unsewered-communities.html

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.