Law Enforcement Camera Grant

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training & Standards Board administers the Law Enforcement Camera Grant to support Illinois law enforcement agencies in acquiring and operating camera technology. The program builds on an Illinois camera grant initiative that began approximately 20 years ago with in-car recording devices and has expanded as officer-worn body cameras have become important tools for evidence collection, accountability, training, transparency, and community engagement. The General Assembly established the Law Enforcement Camera Grant Fund as a special fund in the State treasury and authorized grants to eligible Illinois units of local government and public universities. The program operates under applicable provisions of the Law Enforcement Camera Grant Act, the Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act, and related administrative requirements. Grant funds may be used to purchase or lease in-car video cameras for law enforcement vehicles, purchase or lease officer-worn body cameras and associated technology, provide training to law enforcement officers in camera operation, and pay data storage and related licensing costs associated with officer-worn body cameras. Purchasing or leasing can include advance funding that an eligible unit of local government can use to obtain equipment rather than limiting assistance to reimbursement of costs already incurred. ILETSB identifies advance payment, working capital, and reimbursement as allowable reconciliation methods when the recipient qualifies. Pre-award costs are permitted, with the stated period of performance running from July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2030. The source identifies $56,797,771 in opportunity funding and separately describes roughly $55 million as available through the NOFO. The stated maximum award is $3,000,000. Indirect costs are not allowable, and the detailed eligibility and payment provisions state that cost sharing or matching is not required or allowed. Eligible applicants are Illinois law enforcement agencies of units of local government or public universities that are recognized by the Board. An eligible agency must maintain its active law enforcement officer roster with the Board, demonstrate compliance with mandated Board training requirements, comply with applicable reporting requirements under the Law Enforcement Camera Grant Act and Law Enforcement Officer-Worn Body Camera Act, and be registered and qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act Grantee Portal. GATA qualification includes verification of a valid FEIN, current public SAM.gov registration, valid UEI, exclusion and sanctions status, applicable Illinois Secretary of State good standing, and Illinois Stop Payment status. Entities on the Illinois Stop Payment List or Federal Excluded Parties List when the application is submitted will not be considered for an award. Applicants may submit only one application. Applications were required to be submitted through AmpliFund. The application period opened October 15, 2025 at 9:00 AM CDT and closed December 31, 2025 at 5:00 PM CST. The standard application package includes the Uniform Grant Application, Uniform Budget Template, Conflict of Interest Disclosure, Mandatory Disclosures, confirmation of a public agency roster on file with LEDI, mandated-training compliance, completed and approved ICQs before an award can be issued, and UCR compliance. Program-specific documentation depends on the payment request. Reimbursement requests require detailed invoices within the permitted pre-award period, zero-balance invoices and proof of payment, and, for in-car cameras, installation documentation. Advance-payment requests require signed lease agreements or quotes with detailed per-unit costs covering applicable equipment, accessories, training, and data storage. Applicants also submit an agency roster and a mandated-training compliance roster printed from LEDI, including firearm training compliance. The award specifies funding terms and conditions resulting from pre-award risk assessments and the review process and must be accepted in AmpliFund by an authorized representative. The release of the NOFO does not obligate the Board to make an award. Agreements and budgets involving subrecipients and subcontractors must be pre-approved by and filed with ILETSB, while the successful applicant remains responsible for their performance. Grantees are subject to the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act, applicable Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements, procurement standards, fiscal and programmatic monitoring, and statewide audit requirements. Periodic Performance Reports and Periodic Financial Reports are required at least quarterly and generally must be submitted within 30 calendar days following the covered period. A final closeout report is required within 45 calendar days after the period of performance ends. The anticipated start date for awards was April 1, 2026, while the stated period of performance is July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2030 to accommodate allowable pre-award costs. Law enforcement agencies receiving applicable camera funding also have annual statutory reporting obligations on or before May 1 of the year following receipt of the grant and each May 1 thereafter during the grant period. These annual dates are reporting requirements and do not establish recurrence of the application opportunity; the source expressly classifies the submission timeline as one time. Questions about the opportunity could be submitted through December 31, 2025 at PTB.Grants@illinois.gov. The named agency contact and opportunity manager is Allison Mesecher, telephone 217-782-4540. Additional grant information is available through the Illinois Law Enforcement Training & Standards Board grant information resources.

Confirm GATA registration and qualified status before submission; verify every active officer's mandated-training compliance and document inactive or leave status as required; ensure reimbursement invoices, proof of payment, installation records, and the pre-award budget reconcile exactly; ensure advance-payment quotes or leases contain detailed per-unit costs and reconcile to budget totals; be prepared to hold awarded advance funds in a segregated interest-bearing account as required.