ETIP Strategic Sectors Single Company Grant Program

The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity is offering the ETIP Strategic Sectors Single Company Grant through the Employer Training Investment Program to support workforce development and economic competitiveness for Illinois employers. The opportunity is identified under Funding Opportunity Number FY26-1 and CSFA Number 420-45-0516. The program is designed to provide reimbursement funding to qualified Illinois companies that invest in structured employee training programs for their full-time Illinois-based workforce. The grant program places emphasis on strategic sectors identified in the 2024 Illinois Economic Plan, including Quantum Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Microelectronics, Clean Energy Production and Manufacturing, Advanced Manufacturing, Next Generation Agriculture, Ag Tech, Food Processing, and Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics. The initiative is intended to improve worker skills, increase productivity, expand company competitiveness, and support job retention and expansion within Illinois. The grant program will reimburse up to 50 percent of approved eligible training expenses for participating employers. Companies are required to provide at least an equal match amount toward eligible project costs. Eligible expenses include instructor wages and fringe benefits, tuition and educational fees, training materials, training equipment or facility rental, trainee travel expenses, and trainee wages and fringe benefits for eligible full-time employees. Eligible employees must be full-time Illinois-based workers employed at least 35 hours per week or otherwise recognized as full-time by industry standards. Training activities may include instructor-led classroom training, virtual instructor-led sessions, e-learning programs, and structured on-the-job training when appropriate. The program specifically supports training connected to new technologies, process improvements, export expansion, implementation of quality systems, new product lines, new machinery, regulatory compliance, workforce expansion, and vocational or technical skill development. The NOFO also identifies several ineligible activities and restrictions. Grant funds cannot be used for GED or college tuition reimbursement, professional continuing education, strategic planning development, conferences or seminars without a certificate of completion, consulting fees, team-building activities, or basic soft-skills training. The program does not support training costs for part-time, seasonal, temporary, or contract workers. Pre-award costs are prohibited, and all reimbursable expenses must occur after execution of the Notice of State Award. Ineligible entities include units of government, charities and nonprofits, retail sales and food service businesses, insurance services, financial management firms, and fitness centers. Companies whose primary business is training or education are also not eligible. The Department reserves the right to deny reimbursement requests that do not align with program requirements or approved training plans. Eligible applicants must maintain an active Tier II REV, EDGE, or MICRO program agreement and must have Illinois-based operations. Applicants are required to complete registration and prequalification through the Illinois GATA Grantee Portal, including maintaining valid SAM registration, a UEI number, good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, and compliance with exclusion and stop-payment requirements. Priority consideration will be given to applicants operating in targeted economic sectors, companies located within Enterprise Zones, Opportunity Zones, Energy Transition Zones, or Underserved Areas, and applicants with demonstrated success managing DCEO workforce development grants. Applicants may submit one application per facility and may revise denied applications that failed due to scoring deficiencies if the project was otherwise eligible. The application process requires submission through the State of Illinois Smartsheet application portal. Required application materials include the Uniform Grant Application, Uniform Budget, Conflict of Interest Disclosure, Mandatory Disclosure, Program Application, ETIP Schedules A through C, W-9 Form, IRS Letter 147C, and Authorized Designee Form. The Program Application requires extensive operational and training information, including trainee classifications, training schedules, trainer information, project budgets, narrative budget explanations, and documentation of company operations and workforce trends. Applicants are encouraged to combine files when necessary because the submission portal limits uploads to ten documents. The Department also provides optional disclosure and financial confidentiality forms for applicants seeking protection of proprietary information under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted. The NOFO was posted on November 14, 2025, and there is no fixed application deadline. The anticipated award start date is December 15, 2025, with a projected performance period extending through August 31, 2027. Complete applications are reviewed through a merit-based evaluation process governed by GATA regulations. Evaluation criteria include geographic and economic need, project readiness, company participation in other DCEO incentive programs, trainee wage levels, measurable training objectives, quality of the training program, capital investment, and overall value-added economic impact within Illinois. Applications scoring above 70 points may receive funding recommendations. Grantees selected for award will be required to submit quarterly financial and performance reports, maintain detailed supporting documentation, comply with monitoring and audit requirements, and demonstrate measurable training outcomes, including employee retention and job creation impacts. Program contact information includes Sergio Talavera at sergio.talavera2@illinois.gov and the DCEO Grant Help Desk at CEO.GrantHelp@illinois.gov.

Align the proposal with strategic sectors identified in the Illinois Economic Plan. Demonstrate measurable training objectives tied to productivity, competitiveness, capital investment, or job retention. Emphasize readiness to launch training quickly and document strong prior grant management capacity. Highlight location advantages such as Enterprise Zones or Opportunity Zones when applicable.