Grant Assistance
Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant Program for Stormwater Management
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency recently announced the $5 million Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant Program for Stormwater Management (IGIG). According to the Illinois EPA, Green Infrastructure refers to "any stormwater management technique or practice employed with the primary goal of preserving, restoring, mimicking, or enhancing natural hydrology. Green infrastructure includes, but is not limited to, methods of using soil and vegetation to promote soil percolation, evapotranspiration, and filtering or the harvesting and reuse of precipitation." The program is intended to fund projects that protect or improve water quality in Illinois through the implementation of practices such as:
- green roofs
- permeable paving
- trees and tree boxes
- vegetated filter strips
- bioinfiltration / bioretention swales / rain gardens
- stormwater wetlands / detention basins
- rain water harvesting (cisterns, rain barrels, and stormwater reuse systems)
- stream, riparian, and floodplain restoration Green Infrastructure images
Conservation Design Forum would be pleased to assist you in developing and evaluating potential projects as well as applying for funding through this initiative. Conservation Design Forum has been involved in the promotion, design, engineering, and installation of Green Infrastructure practices for over 15 years and has been quite successful in assisting communities and other organizations in obtaining similar grants from Illinois EPA and other funding sources.
Please contact Tom Price at 630.559.2004 (tprice@cdfinc.com) for more information. The IEPA Bureau of Water can be reached at 217.782.3362.
General program details are as follows. The Request for Proposals, additional program details, supplemental attachments and budget forms, and the Illinois EPA program presentation are available here.
- Eligibility: Projects located within Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) areas and Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) areas. Grant recipients can be any organization that can legally accept funds from the state of Illinois. Applicants are typically municipalities, sanitary districts, and watershed groups but any private or public institution is eligible.
- Application Deadline: 5:00 p.m., December 15, 2010.
- Minimum Match Requirement: 15-25% of the total project cost, depending on project category.
- Project Length: 6-36 months or 6-24 months, depending on the project category.
- Project Categories:
- Combined Sewer Overflow Rehabilitation ($300,000 to $3 million): implement practices to improve water quality by reducing/eliminating CSO overflows.Priority given to applications that propose to remediate overflows, are discharging to an impaired waterway, and are implementing a Long Term Control Plan.
- Stormwater Retention and Infiltration ($100,000 to $750,000): priority projects will improve water quality by limiting nonpoint source pollution from entering an impaired waterway.
- Green Infrastructure Small Projects ($15,000 to $75,000): priority given to applications that improve water quality by managing stormwater in highly visible, publicly accessible demonstration sites.
Links
Illinois Green Infrastructure Grant Program for Stormwater Management (IGIG)
Request for Proposals
Illinois EPA Bureau of Water
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact CDF
Thomas Price
tprice@cdfinc.com
(630) 559-2004
General Grant Assistance
Projects that incorporate green development strategies into site development and buildings are excellent candidates for a wide variety of public and private foundation funding. Our staff has extensive established networks with many of these entities and regularly prepares grant applications and administers the funding process through project completion. Numerous funding programs are available that provide cost assistance in design, implementation, and management. We often help clients use existing resources as “matching funds” to help expand the scope of their projects.
Specific grant related services that CDF offers include: research, writing, preparation of planning and design exhibits, and long-term research, coordination and follow-up with the funding entity.
To help with research and funding opportunities CDF developed a sister company, Conservation Research Institute (CRI). CRI is a private not-for-profit corporation, that seeks to improve the understanding of citizens about the complexities of our culture's relationship to the earth and its resources. Accurate up to date research helps the development community plan better projects when combined with a land use ethic. CRI can play a key role in soliciting grant funding for projects based on principles of sustainability.
Here is a sample of the grants we have successfully helped our clients achieve:
US EPA, Section 319(h)
Chicago Wilderness Grants
Illinois Department of Agriculture Conservation Practices, Streambank Stabilization and Restoration Practice Grant
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Great Lakes Coastal Restoration Grant
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Open Space Lands Acquisition and Development
Illinois Department of Transportation, Green Communities Grant
Iowa Department of Agriculture, I-Jobs grant program
Iowa Department of Economic Development, Community Development Block Grant Program
Iowa Department of Economic Development, Main Street Challenge Grant Program
Iowa Department of Natural Resources State Revolving Fund, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
Iowa Department of Transportation, RISE Grant program
Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development Land Stewardship Grant
Chicago City Hall Green Roof
Kresge Foundation Headquarters Permeable Pavement
Kresge Foundation Headquarters Rainwater Cistern
Iowa Green Streets Pilot Project
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Surgical Pavilion