Certified Local Government Program Matching Grants

The Certified Local Government Program Matching Grants program supports participating Illinois city and county governments in developing and sustaining effective local historic preservation programs and carrying out projects critical to preserving local historic resources. The Illinois State Historic Preservation Office, part of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, administers the program using federal Historic Preservation Fund funding received from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. The National Park Service requires at least 10 percent of Illinois' annual Historic Preservation Fund allocation to be subgranted exclusively to participating Certified Local Governments. The manual states that Illinois currently has 81 Certified Local Governments and, contingent on resolution of the federal fiscal year 2026 budget, approximately $150,000 is anticipated to be available competitively for this grant round. Eligible activities include survey projects, National Register nomination and listing revision projects, planning projects, and public education projects. Survey activities may identify and document buildings, archaeological sites, landscapes, historic districts, and other historic resources and must comply with applicable professional and preservation standards. Planning activities can include comprehensive community preservation plans, archaeological resource protection plans, revisions of existing planning documents, feasibility studies, structural assessments, and related architectural planning work. Public education may include preservation outreach, information distributed through various media, audio-visual presentations, websites, and temporary or permanent exhibits. Acquisition or repair of historic buildings, structures, or landscapes; projects involving active religious organizations or structures used for religious purposes; and historical markers or signage are identified as ineligible. All funded projects must be planned and undertaken in accordance with applicable Secretary of the Interior standards. The program requires a local match. The manual specifies a 70 percent SHPO federal share and a 30 percent local share. The local share may be supplied by the grantee or non-federal third parties through eligible cash or in-kind contributions. Reimbursable expenses may include the grantee's cash spent on project contracts, consultants, goods and materials, qualifying overhead, and eligible staff time. Non-reimbursable expenses that may count toward the local match include catering for meetings and workshops, durable equipment purchases, qualifying donated cash or goods and services from non-federal third parties, and volunteer time. Federal-source cash generally cannot be counted as local match, except Community Development Block Grant funds as applicable. Grants operate on a reimbursement basis, so grantees must have the financial resources necessary to complete project work before receiving reimbursement. Eligibility is restricted to participating Illinois Certified Local Governments, described as participating city and county governments. Before receiving a state grant, an entity must satisfy Illinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Act requirements. Project Managers and consultants participating in grant-funded activities must meet applicable National Park Service Professional Qualifications Standards and receive SHPO approval in writing. Applicants must follow municipal or county procurement or subcontracting procedures. A Certified Local Government may submit up to two applications in a grant round, but each proposed project requires a separate application. National Register nomination applicants must obtain a preliminary determination of eligibility from IDNR SHPO National Register staff before submitting the grant application. Applications must be submitted electronically through the specified AmpliFund opportunity and were due by 5 P.M. on Friday, April 17, 2026. A complete package includes the completed online application, a resume for the Project Manager, resumes for applicable outside consultants, contractors, or other individuals responsible for project oversight, and relevant cost estimates, maps, drawings, or photographs. Consultant resumes may follow the selection process when the consultant or subcontractor has not yet been hired. A Determination of Eligibility Letter from SHPO National Register staff is required for National Register nomination applications and recommended for Survey or Inventory projects. For application-content questions, the manual identifies Jon Pressley at Jon.L.pressley@illinois.gov and, for registration questions, the DNR Grants Main Line at 217-782-7481 and DNR.Grants@illinois.gov. Survey and National Register project questions may also be directed to Andrew Heckenkamp at andrew.heckenkamp@illinois.gov or 217-785-4324. SHPO staff evaluate and score applications. The sample evaluation sheet assigns 40 points to project scope, including the clarity of proposed activities and their relationship to local preservation needs; 30 points to administration, including personnel, methods, and the feasibility of the schedule; and 30 points to budget considerations. Before scoring proceeds, the project costs and activities must be eligible for a CLG Grant. After review and scoring, applicants are notified whether they have received an award and the amount awarded. Successful applicants enter into a Grant Agreement with IDNR SHPO. Projects must be periodically submitted to SHPO for review and comment, and final drafts of project publications require SHPO approval before printing. Failure to obtain timely review may result in non-payment. The manual contains conflicting performance-period information that should be verified rather than reconciled by assumption. Page 10 identifies the 2026 CLG grant period as October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2027, while page 13 states that the Project Period begins when the grantee and IDNR sign the Grant Agreement and ends September 30, 2026. The manual also contains some apparently carried-forward fiscal-year references in its post-award provisions. Reporting and reimbursement are generally handled quarterly, and completion reporting contains both narrative and financial portions. Records generally must be retained for five years following completion of project work, subject to longer retention when litigation, claims, or audits remain unresolved. The April 17, 2026 application deadline has passed as of August 12, 2026. Because the program is tied to recurring annual Historic Preservation Fund allocations and grant rounds, the next cycle is anticipated around April 2027 for data-entry planning purposes, but the manual does not provide an official next-round opening date or deadline.

Contact IDNR SHPO staff before submitting to confirm project fit; clearly describe activities and connect them to identified local preservation needs; use qualified and SHPO-approved personnel; provide a realistic achievable schedule; make the budget reasonable, necessary, and sufficiently detailed; ensure project costs and activities are eligible before submission