Efficient and Resilient Public Building Grant

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency Office of Energy is offering the Efficient and Resilient Public Building Grant to support energy efficiency improvements at public buildings that provide local government services in Illinois. The program is supported by U.S. Department of Energy State Energy Program funding, which provides technical assistance and resources to advance state-led energy initiatives and reduce energy waste. Illinois EPA's Office of Energy is responsible for state-level program development and management. The opportunity has total program funding of $766,600, with an expected eight competitive awards ranging from $50,000 to $200,000. The number and size of awards ultimately depend on the applications received, requested funding levels, rankings, and available resources, and partial awards may be offered. Funding is intended for energy efficiency upgrades identified through an energy efficiency assessment or audit completed within the previous five years. An assessment or audit must be conducted by a third-party professional and result in written recommendations intended to improve energy efficiency or reduce energy costs, and a copy must accompany the application. Examples of eligible improvements include building envelope insulation, window replacement, indoor or outdoor lighting upgrades, programmable thermostats and occupancy sensors, heating and cooling system retrofits, and high-efficiency appliances. Applicants may also include a transfer switch for an emergency generator; unlike other listed improvements, the transfer switch does not need to have been identified in the energy assessment. Grant costs are governed by applicable federal and state requirements, including 2 CFR 200, as amended by 2 CFR 910 Subpart E Cost Principles, and 44 Ill. Admin. Code Part 7000. A required cost share applies to funded projects. Awards from $50,000 through $100,000 require a 5 percent cost share of the total award requested, while awards from $100,000.01 through $200,000 require a 10 percent cost share. Properties located in an environmental justice area of concern require a 5 percent cost match regardless of the total award requested. Cost share may consist of money spent, including personnel costs, or in-kind services used to complete the approved scope of work during the effective dates of the grant agreement. Costs incurred before the grant agreement becomes effective or after the grant period ends are not eligible for reimbursement or as match. Applicants must be capable of providing project costs up front because reimbursement for eligible costs will occur no more frequently than monthly. Eligible applicants are municipalities, counties, and other units of local government, and the proposed project must be located in Illinois. Municipalities include cities, villages, and incorporated towns. Units of local government include counties, municipalities, townships, special districts, and units designated by law as units of local government that exercise limited governmental powers or powers concerning limited governmental subjects. School districts are expressly ineligible. Applicants must be registered and pre-qualified through the GATA portal and, where applicable, be in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State. In addition to the required energy assessment or audit, applicants must submit the Uniform State Grant Application, Programmatic Risk Assessment, Application Narrative and Implementation Timeline, Conflict of Interest Disclosure and NEPA Checklist, FFATA Data Collection Form, and a completed budget. Applications are evaluated for completeness, technical merit, and compliance with grant eligibility requirements. Eligible applications are ranked based on the proposed project's monetary savings per kilowatt. If applications are tied, an application proposing installation of a transfer switch ranks higher; if both tied applications include a transfer switch, the application with the shorter project performance period ranks higher. Illinois EPA staff are responsible for evaluating applications. If available funding cannot support an application in its entirety, the review committee may determine whether a discrete portion or phase can be funded while still meeting program objectives. An appeal may address the Illinois EPA evaluation process but may not challenge evaluation scores. Appeals must be received in writing within 14 calendar days after publication of the grant award notice on GATA.Illinois.gov. Applications opened August 18, 2026 at 10:00 AM CDT and close September 30, 2026 at 5:00 PM CDT. Multiple applications are not allowed. Award notifications are expected approximately 30 days after the application close date, and fully executed grant agreements are expected approximately 45 days after award notification. Awardees may not begin reimbursable project expenses until the Illinois EPA Director has signed the grant agreement. Projects must be completed within 12 months after execution, and final payment requests must be submitted no later than 60 days after the grant agreement end date. Grantees must submit quarterly performance and financial reports, generally due October 20, January 20, April 20, and July 20, with final cumulative performance and financial close-out reports at the end of the performance period. Questions may be submitted to EPA.EnergyGrants@Illinois.gov. The program contact is Rebecca Luke, Energy Projects Coordinator, at Rebecca.Luke@Illinois.gov or 217-558-8145.

Maximize the project's monetary savings relative to kilowatt savings because eligible applications are ranked on monetary savings per kilowatt. Ensure proposed energy efficiency upgrades are supported by the required assessment or audit, except that a transfer switch does not need to appear in the assessment. Verify project costs, eligible costs, funding request, and applicable 5% or 10% cost share carefully. A transfer switch is the first tie-breaker for equally ranked applications, and if both tied projects include one, the shorter project performance period ranks higher.