Community Planning Grant

The Metro East Park and Recreation District Community Planning Grant Program supports public agencies in Madison County and St. Clair County, Illinois, with jurisdiction-wide planning intended to improve public parks, trails, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, greenspace, and local natural resources. For the FY 2027 program, MEPRD has committed a total program budget of $400,000. The program is designed to promote the development and modernization of Parks and Greenspace Master Plans, Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plans, and Natural Resources Master Plans. The Natural Resources Master Planning category was formerly identified as Forestry, Natural Habitat, and Water Quality Management Master Planning. Eligible projects include community-wide, township-wide, or county-wide Parks and Greenspace Master Planning, Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Planning, and Natural Resources Master Planning. Applicants may pursue a standalone Natural Resources Master Plan or combine it with a jurisdiction-wide Parks Plan and/or Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. Municipalities whose boundaries extend outside Madison or St. Clair Counties may use one consultant contract for a community-wide plan, but MEPRD funding may pay only the proportional planning costs associated with the geographic area located within Madison or St. Clair County. Application budgets and consultant invoices for these projects must clearly distinguish eligible in-district costs from ineligible out-of-district costs. Eligible applicants are public agencies that have statutory authority to acquire and develop land for public parks, public trails, public recreation, and/or bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure in Madison County and/or St. Clair County, Illinois. The source specifically identifies municipalities, townships, counties, transportation districts, and park districts as eligible agency types. Universities, schools, and school districts are expressly ineligible. MEPRD also provides an FY 2027 eligibility table for individual agencies and communities and advises applicants to confirm their eligibility under the criteria contained in the grant application because the eligibility table may not be complete and may contain errors. The maximum Community Planning Grant is $40,000 or 40 percent of the total project cost, whichever is less. At least 60 percent of the total project cost must therefore come from another source. Acceptable sources identified by MEPRD include federal, state, local, public, non-public, and/or monetary contributions from the applicant. The FY 2027 program has $400,000 in total funding. As of the July 15, 2026 update, no funds were shown as pending or awarded and $400,000 remained available, although MEPRD states that pending and remaining amounts may change as applications are reviewed and processed. Applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Complete applications are reviewed and awarded in the order received until the program funds are depleted or the final program deadline is reached, whichever occurs first. The application window opened July 15, 2026, at 7:30 a.m. and is scheduled to close May 31, 2027, at 3:00 p.m., unless 100 percent of program funds are depleted sooner. Applicants are instructed to download the application PDF to their computer, close browser windows, open the saved PDF locally, and complete and save the application using PDF reader or editing software. Applicants are advised to test this process before completing all application fields. Submission requires two original signed hardcopies and one high-resolution electronic copy of the final application. The supplied program webpage does not identify a separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating deadline. Awards are approved by the MEPRD Board of Directors, and approved projects are added to the program's recipient list. At the time of the supplied July 2026 information, the FY 2027 program was accepting applications and no recipients had yet been listed. The source does not provide a specific award notification date or a defined project performance period. Prospective applicants may contact MEPRD for assistance with determining project or grant-round eligibility, obtaining preliminary application review, or receiving general program assistance. The program phone number is (618) 346-4905, and the general MEPRD email address is info@meprd.org. MEPRD is located at 104 United Drive, Collinsville, Illinois 62234, with stated office hours of 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday. Applicants should verify eligibility, prepare a complete application, clearly separate eligible and ineligible costs where a jurisdiction crosses county boundaries, and submit before either the May 31, 2027 deadline or exhaustion of available program funds.

Applicants are advised to contact MEPRD for guidance and submit complete, compliant proposals that include licensed professionals and clear public engagement.