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The goal is to administer workforce training programs that support efforts to recruit, hire, promote, retain, develop, and train a diverse and inclusive workforce in the film industry. The training program will provide real-world, practical job skills to fulfill the demand of producers and studios, while providing job opportunities for Illinois residents, including unemployed individuals and individuals with barriers to employment. The film and TV production industries are significantly growing in Illinois. In 2026, film production revenues hit a record high of $700 million, shattering pre-pandemic levels in 2019 by $70 million1. Illinois ranks first in the nation in filming permit requests. However, the State’s revenues and rankings are at risk because there are not enough trained and qualified crew members for new productions. Producers and industry representatives have reported to the Illinois Film Office (“IFO”) that they struggle to find qualified people and cannot commit to productions in Illinois because there are not enough trained crew members to fully staff them.

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35 ILCS 16/46

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The objective of the program is to train Illinois high school graduates (or equivalent) in entry level film and television production positions. These positions can include on set training (production assistants, hair and make-up, set construction/set building), office training (office production assistants, location assistants, production accountants), and other entry level positions to meet the increased demand for more workers to staff the growing number of productions in Illinois. The specific goals of this program are to: Successfully train and place students in paying positions on TV and film productions in Illinois Provide career pathways for students to succeed in the film and TV industry ? Increase the number of productions and associated jobs in Illinois ? Change the perception that Illinois is “all booked up” with a lack of trained crew members ? Improve communication and coordination between producers and workforce training programs to increase the number of people graduating from those programs ? Work with groups that do workforce training to ensure a close match with what productions need ? Expand employment opportunities for Illinois residents, including unemployed individuals and individuals with barriers to employment ? Help grow and support new training programs across the state.

Yes

The following are requirements for all job training programs funded through this grant: 1. Students must have a high school degree or GED; 2. Students must be Illinois residents and be authorized to work in the state; 3. Students must be able to enter the workforce after completing the training; 4. 50% of each cohort must reside in an underserved area as defined by the Economic Development for a Growing Economy (“EDGE”) Tax Credit Act2; 5. Each grantee should plan on enrolling three cohorts of 12-15 students over the course of the grant term. 6. Each grantee must include hands-on sustainability training as part of their training program.

Nonprofit Organizations; Education Organizations; For-Profit Organizations;

An entity must be registered in the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, https://grants.illinois.gov/portal/, at the time of grant application. The portal will verify that the entity: • Has a valid FEIN number • Has a valid UEI number (https://sam.gov); • Has a current SAM.gov registration (https://sam.gov); • Is not on the Federal Excluded Parties List (verified at https://sam.gov); • Is in Good Standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, as applicable • Is not on the Illinois Stop Payment list and • Is not on the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Provider Sanctions list (https://www.illinois.gov/hfs/oig/Pages/SanctionsList.aspx)

DCEO will prioritize geographic diversity to help grow and guide workforce training programs outside of the Chicago area. Further, 50% of the funds appropriated for this program will go to organizations in underserved areas. Illinois residents, including unemployed individuals and individuals with barriers to employment.

Project Grants

Economic Development

Applicants must submit a project narrative that describes in detail how the award will be executed. The project narrative should include enough information for DCEO to understand the scope of the project, the budget, including a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with each budget line and any additional necessary detail to enable DCEO to manage the grant agreement activity against planned project performance. Applicants must submit a project narrative that describes in detail how the award will be executed. The project narrative should include enough information for DCEO to understand the scope of the project, the budget, including a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with each budget line and any additional necessary detail to enable DCEO to manage the grant agreement activity against planned project performance. The Project Narrative must include evidence of capacity, quality and need as defined in A standard application package must be submitted to and reviewed by DCEO. Each package must contain the following items: ? Uniform Grant Application in fillable PDF format. Signature page must be printed, signed, scanned and submitted with application. ? Uniform Budget utilizing the template provided by DCEO for this project. The entire budget with all worksheets included even if the worksheets are not relevant to the grant opportunity must be submitted with the application materials. Signature page must be printed, signed, scanned and submitted with application. ? Conflict of Interest Disclosure ? Mandatory Disclosures ? Program Application A Program Application must be complete that will consist of the following information. The Program Application can be accessed on the website that you obtained these application documents. The information below is a summary of the program application. All programs must consist of the following program requirements: The following information must be included in the program application: • An overview of the job training program, including details on the type(s) of jobs that students will be preparing to receive, course information and timeline. Include the steps you will take to launch this job training program. • Detailed description of any previous experience in administering job trainings similar to this grant opportunity and the outcomes in previous programs • A detailed plan to recruit students • Staffing plan to administer this program, including details on past experience of staff members in job training programs and professional experience in the field. • A description of applicant’s current relationship with Film and TV productions in Illinois and how that will be utilized to place students who successfully complete the training program. • Plans for a job placement pipeline for students that complete the training program • Plan for mentoring students to be in the film and tv field. • Plans for assisting students in entering the workforce after completing the training

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Grant application forms are available at the web link provided in the “Grant Application Link” field of this announcement or by contacting the Program Manager: Peter Hawley Illinois Film Office Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity 555 W. Monroe St. Suite 1200 Chicago, IL 60661 Tele: 312-515-9230 Email: peter.hawley@illinois.gov 2. Content and Form of Application Submission. A standard application package must be submitted to and reviewed by DCEO. Each Grant application forms are available at the web link provided in the “Grant Application Link” field of this announcement or by contacting the Program Manager: Peter Hawley Illinois Film Office Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity 555 W. Monroe St. Suite 1200 Chicago, IL 60661 Tele: 312-515-9230 Email: peter.hawley@illinois.gov 2. Content and Form of Application Submission. A standard application package must be submitted to and reviewed by DCEO. Each package must contain the following items: ? Uniform Grant Application in fillable PDF format. Signature page must be printed, signed, scanned and submitted with application. ? Uniform Budget utilizing the template provided by DCEO for this project. The entire budget with all worksheets included even if the worksheets are not relevant to the grant opportunity must be submitted with the application materials. Signature page must be printed, signed, scanned and submitted with application. ? Conflict of Interest Disclosure ? Mandatory Disclosures ? Program Application Disclosures ? Program Application

Grant proposals will be reviewed on a competitive basis. Each proposal will be scored on a 100-point scale. The Department shall consider the following criteria when evaluating the application submittal: Grant proposals will be reviewed on a competitive basis. Each proposal will be scored on a 100-point scale (or on a percentage scale). The Department shall consider the following criteria when evaluating the application submittal: Need, Capacity, and Quality. All applications must indicate the program meets the following requirements or the application will be deemed ineligible. Students must have a high school degree or GED to be enrolled in the job training program; 2. Students must be able to enter the workforce after completing the training; 3. 50% of each cohort must reside in an underserved area as defined by the EDGE Act. Each grantee must enroll three cohorts of 12-15 students over the course of the grant term. Need- Identification of stakeholders, facts, and evidence that demonstrate the proposal supports the grant program purpose Training program identifies the film crew jobs that training will be provided for and demonstrates the ability to prepare students for employment. 10% Demonstrates that relationships with the film and tv productions will result in job placement 10% Capacity- The ability of the applicant to execute the project according to requirements of the grant program. Timeline of program is reasonable to ensure that program will meet the requirements of this grant program. 20% Demonstrates that previous experience leading similar job training programs and past success that will be utilized in this grant program. 10% Demonstrates that staffing plan is sufficient to administer this program. 10% Quality- The totality of features and characteristics of the project that indicate its ability to satisfy the requirements of the grant program The job placement plan demonstrates the ability to place students in film and tv jobs. 5% Mentoring plan demonstrates the ability for students to be placed in jobs and remain in the field. 5% Recruitment plan demonstrates the ability to surpass the minimum requirements of this grant program (50% of students reside in an underserved area, students with high school degree or GED and three cohorts of 12-15 students) 10% Applicant demonstrates the tourism impact this project will have on the local areas. 10% Applicant provides estimated outcomes that reflect the intent of this marketing opportunity.

Applications will be graded using the Merit Review Process and scored on the criteria. The Department will designate an Evaluation Committee to grade each application received for this funding opportunity. The final score of each Committee member will be calculated and an average of all scores will be the final applicant score. Grants will be awarded Grant proposals will be reviewed on a competitive basis. Awards will be made by awarding the highest scoring applicants in order. 50% of the funds are reserved for organizations that are located in an underserved area, as defined by the Economic Development for a Growing Economy Tax Credit Act. . The Merit Based Review process is subject to appeal. However, competitive grant appeals are limited to the evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. Only the evaluation process is subject to appeal. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the Department within 14 calendar days after the date that the grant award notice has been published.

July 17, 2026

20-30 business days after the deadline

The Merit Based Review process is subject to appeal. However, competitive grant appeals are limited to the evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. Only the evaluation process is subject to appeal. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the Department within 14 calendar days from the date of the denial letter. The written appeal shall include the name and address of the appealing party, the identification of the grant and a statement of reasons for the appeal. To file an appeal, applicants must submit the appeal in writing and in accordance with the Merit-Based Application Review Appeals Process listed on the Grant Opportunities page of the DCEO website: https://www2.illinois.gov/dceo/AboutDCEO/GrantOpportunities/Pages/MeritAppReview.aspx.

No

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This opportunity does not allow reimbursement of pre-award costs. In order to charge indirect costs to a grant, the applicant organization must have an annually negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA). There are three types of NICRAs: Grant award and Payment Terms: Successful applicants will be invited to negotiate a grant with the Department. The executed grant agreement will specify conditions for payment and a payment schedule. In general, grantee(s) will receive reimbursement payments and may be subject to proration, dependent upon the grantee meeting performance targets. Grantees may be eligible for a working capital advance to cover the first two months of the program. Applicants must submit a project narrative that describes in detail how the award will be executed. The project narrative should include enough information for DCEO to understand the scope of the project, the budget, including a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with each budget line and any additional necessary detail to enable DCEO to manage the grant agreement activity against planned project performance. The Project Narrative must include evidence of capacity, quality and need.

Grantees funded through this NOFO are required to submit in the format required by the Grantor, at least on a quarterly basis, the PPR and PFR electronically to their assigned grant manager. The first of such reports shall cover the first three months after the award begins. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.328, Periodic Financial Reports shall be submitted no later than 30 calendar days following the period covered by the report. Pursuant to 2 CFR 200.329, Periodic Performance Reports shall be submitted no later than 30 calendar days following the period covered by the report. Any additional reporting requirements will be disclosed in the NOSA. Grantees are required within 45 calendar days following the end of the period of performance to submit a final closeout report in the format required by the Grantor

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(As of Jan 2026), IFO have trained over 550 individuals through our workforce program, and more than 60% have been offered short-term or long-term work opportunities. Somebody Somewhere, The Bear, The Deli Boys, Chicago Med, Fire, PD, as well as independent film productions and commercials, and opportunities with Disney, Roku, and Lifetime, to name a few.

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555 W Monroe St, 12th Floor Chicago, IL 60661, 1011 S 2nd St Springfield, IL 62704, 1020 S Spring St Springfield, IL 62704

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6/18/2026

Other;

FY 2022 : $1
FY 2023 : $1,000,000
FY 2024 : $1
FY 2025 : $1
FY 2026 : $1,000,000