Illinois Finance Authority

In April 2024, Illinois was announced as one of the recipients of an award under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund Solar for All program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) awarded $156,120,000 to the State of Illinois to implement a variety of programs over the five-year Solar for All grant period (2024-2029). The Residential Solar Outreach Grant program is one of the programs approved by US EPA.

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) of the Inflation Reduction Act, US EPA Funding Opportunity Announcement EPA-R-HQ-SFA-23-01

20 ILCS 3501/801-15, 20 ILCS 3501/850-5

N/A

Collectively, Solar for All programs will deliver on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s objectives by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution, delivering cost savings on electric bills for overburdened households, and unlocking new markets for distributed solar energy. State awards were competitive, and Illinois’ Solar for All Expansion proposal was designed to bring the benefits of solar energy to low-income and disadvantaged communities across the state. It will expand the existing Illinois SFA (ILSFA) program and Adjustable Block Program/Illinois Shines Program (Illinois Shines) with financial assistance (including grants and loans) to support health and safety and enabling upgrades, incorporate energy storage, expand residential solar, support energy sovereignty and community-driven projects, and provide critical capital to disadvantaged solar vendors to grow their businesses and capabilities. The technical assistance portion of this effort, which includes Residential Solar Outreach Grants, will improve and extend direct community engagement efforts to expand residential solar adoption, will create tools for contractors to braid multiple funding streams, and support local governments to streamline the application and permitting process. Illinois’ Solar for All Expansion programs will also leverage and build on Illinois’ soon-to-be-implemented clean energy workforce development programs to grow an equitable workforce. IFA/CB’s investment decisions in selecting projects under this program are guided by the “Climate and Equitable Jobs Act” (CEJA) and the stakeholder input received before submitting its Solar for All proposal and during the post-award Illinois Solar for All Expansion working groups convened in December 2024 and January 2025. CEJA establishes and addresses several Illinois energy policy goals and prioritizes investments for communities that experience low incomes and historic disinvestment. To determine the scope of activities of this Program, the IFA/CB gathered stakeholder feedback at a meeting on December 12, 2024. The meeting had 43 attendees, including solar developers, labor representatives, consumer advocates, government agency officials, environmental advocates, and utilities. There, the IFA/CB and stakeholders discussed outreach and engagement strategies to increase participation in the ILSFA Residential Solar (Small) program and other related issues that have been incorporated into this NOFO. Subaward Objectives: Under the administration of the IFA/CB, Illinois will hold a competitive selection process to identify projects for up to $2,600,000 of this federal funding in the first year of the grant and up to $3,000,000 per year in the second through fifth years of the grant, to be deployed in up to 30 grants of between $100,000 and $500,000, to assist non-profit organizations and units of government in improving the participation by income-qualified customers in Illinois Solar for All’s (ILSFA) Residential Solar (Small) program. Details of how the ILSFA Residential Solar (Small) program delivers incentives to customers via Approved Vendors is described in detail in the Illinois Power Agency’s Approved Vendor Manual. Grants may be used for costs associated with Eligible Activities listed below. The program will offer grants for two types of services. First, grants will be available for intensive customer outreach and support services to increase participation in the ILSFA Residential (Small) program. These services will reach beyond mere awareness and will provide personalized assistance to interested and participating residents at every step of the program’s process. Second, the program will offer funding for shared services to support organizations providing intensive customer outreach and support services, whether funded by this program or by other programs such as the IPA-funded ILSFA Grassroots Educators. Applicants applying for both types of funding should submit two applications – one for each type of funding. IFA/CB will select projects that support three core objectives: Effective Outreach and Community Engagement, Comprehensiveness of Direct and Support Services, and Increased Capacity for Implementation and Long-Term Impact. The set of metrics and strategies described below will be used to effectively track whether investments achieve these goals.

Yes

i. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and other Federal statutes and regulations prohibiting discrimination in Federal financial assistance programs apply, including provisions protecting free speech, religious liberty, public welfare, and the environment per 200 CFR 200.300(a), as well as regulations, including 2 CFR 200.300(b) prohibiting discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. ii. Consultant Cap. Grant funds available for salary paid to individual consultants is limited to the maximum daily rate for Level IV of the Executive Schedule. iii. Management Fees. Management fees or similar charges in excess of the direct costs and approved indirect rates are not allowable. iv. Real Property and Equipment. Real property and equipment are not allowable expenditures under this grant. v. Foreign Work and Materials. IFA must obtain written consent from US EPA prior to awarding a subaward that will be performed in a foreign country. Alert the IFA in the proposal if any portion of the project will be performed in a foreign country. vi. Reporting Executive Compensation. Certain subrecipients receiving federal funding may be required to report executive compensation. For more information, refer to US EPA General Terms and Conditions, section 15.3 and 15.4. vii. Conflicts of Interest. Applicants must have systems in place to address, resolve, and disclose conflicts of interest and must disclose conflicts of interest to IFA, as described in US EPA’s Conflicts of Interest policy. viii. Utilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. US EPA requires that subrecipients make good faith efforts to utilize Disadvantaged Business Enterprises when procuring services and supplies, and retain documentation of doing so. The specific six good faith efforts can be found at 40 CFR Section 33.301(a)-(f). ix. Other Ineligible Activities. Certify that the requested funding will not be used to encourage or support political activities such as the collection and dissemination of information related to potential, planned, or pending legislation or directly or indirectly support or oppose union organizing. x. Refreshments. IFA has not received advance permission from US EPA to fund light refreshments or meals served at meetings, training workshops, or outreach events. Thus, applicants may not use funds from this grant for these purposes. xi. Procurement Standards. The procurement standards in 2 CFR Part 200, including those requiring competition when the subrecipient acquires goods and services from contractors (including consultants), and Domestic preferences for procurements at 2 CFR 200.322 will apply to grant awardees. xii. Suspensions and Debarment. The applicant must certify that it is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal funds as specified in 2 CFR 200.332 and 2 CFR 180.300 and is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal funds in SAM.gov and in SAM.gov Exclusions. xiii. Proposed Costs. The applicant must certify that proposed costs are reasonable, allocable, and allowable, as defined by US EPA’s Interim General Budget Guidance. xiv. Reporting Potentially Duplicative Funding. The applicant must certify that if it or a project team member receives any other award of federal funds for activities that potentially overlap with the activities funded under this award, it will promptly notify the IFA/CB in writing. If there are identical cost items, the subrecipient must promptly notify the IFA/CB in writing of the potential duplication and eliminate any inappropriate duplication of funding.

Government Organizations;

Illinois units of government and nonprofits may apply for funding. Applicants included in the SAM.gov Exclusion List and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List will not be eligible for an award.

Collectively, Solar for All programs will deliver on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s objectives by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollution, delivering cost savings on electric bills for overburdened households, and unlocking new markets for distributed solar energy. State awards were competitive, and Illinois’ Solar for All Expansion proposal was designed to bring the benefits of solar energy to low-income and disadvantaged communities across the state. It will expand the existing Illinois SFA (ILSFA) program and Adjustable Block Program/Illinois Shines (Illinois Shines) with financial assistance (including grants and loans) to support health and safety and enabling upgrades, incorporate energy storage, expand residential solar, support energy sovereignty and community-driven projects, and provide critical capital to disadvantaged solar vendors to grow their businesses and capabilities. The technical assistance portion of this effort, which includes SolarApp+ Adoption and Implementation Grants, will improve and extend direct community engagement efforts to expand residential solar adoption, will create tools for contractors to braid multiple funding streams, and support local governments to streamline the application and permitting process. Projects must create benefits in communities where residents experience low incomes. Illinois’ Solar for All Expansion programs will also leverage and build on Illinois’ soon-to-be-implemented clean energy workforce development programs to grow an equitable workforce.

Project Grants

Government Services

To submit an application, the applicant must register and pre-qualify through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, www.grants.illinois.gov/portal. Registration and pre-qualification are required annually. Selected applicants must also register with the federal SAM.gov and must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) assigned in the sam.gov. Applicants included in the SAM.gov Exclusion List and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List will not be eligible for an award. The Grantee Portal alerts the entity alerts of “qualified” status or informs how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., missing UEI Unique Entity Identifier assigned in SAM.gov, not in good standing with the Secretary of State). Inclusion on the SAM.gov Exclusion List cannot be remediated.

N/A

This NOFO is a competitive process to solicit project applications from interested entities to meet the funding objectives of this program. This process has been designed to reduce the burden on entities seeking to apply for funding and ensure alignment on funding objectives with respondents. The competitive process will be divided into stages: a. Initial application window. The initial application process will provide respondents with an accessible, easy-to-navigate method for outlining their proposed project to IFA for selection. The application process will provide the opportunity for entities with limited bandwidth to describe their project, demonstrate the ability of their project to meet program objectives, and receive rapid feedback on their project. b. Candidate selection. IFA will evaluate projects submitted under the application process on their likelihood and ability to meet program objectives, as described further in Section E below. Based on a review of applications, projects will be identified for funding and IFA will work with selected candidates to seek approval for funding from US EPA, as required by IFA’s federal grant. c. Competitive, rolling application windows. After the initial application deadline, the IFA reserves the option to open a competitive, rolling application window for project selection. IFA anticipates that if it opens a competitive rolling application process, based on the availability of program funds, applications will be accepted on a quarterly basis and evaluated competitively as a batch, based on the ability of a project to meet program objectives.

Selection Criteria: Applications will be reviewed competitively. IFA/CB will evaluate projects for selection based on the following criteria, at a minimum: • Feasibility and Readiness: The extent to which the applicant demonstrates that it has the capacity to implement the proposed activities. • Quality and Clarity of Proposed Activities: A clear, detailed, and structured plan of activities that are designed to accomplish the program’s objectives. • Effective Outreach and Engagement: The proposal’s potential to increase the number of qualifying residents who apply for, and complete, the ILSFA Residential Solar (Small) program. Please note that mere awareness of the program, while necessary for a resident to apply, will not be considered a successful outcome. • Comprehensiveness of Services: The proposal’s potential to address barriers to ILSFA Residential Solar (Small) program participation and success. Grantees providing customer outreach and support services will be evaluated on their plans to engage in intense coordination with other available programs, such as energy efficiency and home repair programs, to reduce barriers to solar installation. Grantees providing shared services will be evaluated on their plans to engage customer outreach and support services grantees, ILSFA Grassroots Educators, and other relevant parties to determine what shared services are needed and to provide a comprehensive suite of services, as needed. • Increased Capacity for Implementation and Long-Term Impact: The proposal’s demonstration that customer outreach and shared service grantees will effectively coordinate between their own activities and complementary activities being provided by other grantees from this program, the ILSFA program administrator, Grassroots Educators, and others.

Applicants will be notified of the selection decision within 30 days after the deadline for application submission. Before IFA/CB can issue an award, each project selected by the IFA/CB must receive approval, as described above in Section B, of the US EPA program officer. Once the successful applicants receive notice of selection, the applicants may be required to submit additional information and forms necessary for the IFA/CB to submit the project for the US EPA approval. IFA/CB anticipates sending the Notice of State Award (NOSA) to successful applicants by email within 30 days of the approvals of the applicant’s project by the US EPA. NOTE: Neither the initial notice of selection, nor the Notice of State Award (NOSA) are authorization to begin performance of the project or incur costs. Costs incurred before entering into a subaward agreement with the IFA/CB will not be recoverable.

As determined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Within 30 days after the deadline for application submission.

IFA/CB will follow the appeal process under 44 ILL. Adm. Code 7000.350. IFA/CB intends to give the applicants that were not selected in this round of solicitation sufficient opportunities to develop their application further so that they may resubmit their projects in the future rounds of project solicitations as they open.

N/A

None.

Subawards to eligible entities must be used for activities to increase participation in the ILSFA Residential Solar (Small) program. For grantees providing customer outreach and support services, these activities may include, but are not limited to: a. Customer education, outreach, and assistance with ILSFA program activities; b. Coordinating with the ILSFA program administrator, Grassroots Educators, other grantees, Approved Vendors actively working in the community, and other housing-related assistance programs; and c. Assisting residents with related services that are necessary to proceed with their ILSFA application, such as funding and managing minor repairs needed before a solar system can be installed. For grantees providing shared services, these activities may include, but are not limited to: a. Coordination with customer outreach grantees and Grassroots Educators to determine the types of materials and services they need; b. Providing training to customer outreach grantees and Grassroots Educators; c. Creation and maintenance of a list of Approved Vendors open to new projects or other tools; d. Materials to facilitate customer education, outreach, and assistance, such as communications materials and a reasonable amount of branded items such as polos, tablecloths, posters, and low-cost handouts (such as stickers and pens); and e. Social media or other targeted promotional campaigns, including a limited amount of paid advertising costs. Non-eligible activities: A subaward to an eligible entity under this grant Program may not be used for: a. Activities that do not support participation in the ILSFA Residential Solar (Small) subprogram; b. Equipment purchases or rental. Equipment is defined by 2 CFR 200.1 as “tangible personal property (including information technology systems) having a useful life of more than one year and a per-unit acquisition cost that equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the recipient or subrecipient for financial statement purposes, or $10,000.” c. Software; d. Costs of acquiring “intangible property,” as defined in 2 CFR 200.1, or e. Lobbying activities, union organizing, or other activities prohibited under the terms of the federal Solar for All program.

The awarded projects will be required to report project metrics semiannually. IFA/CB may post these reports on the IFA’s public website. In addition, the applicant will be required to submit project management reports quarterly throughout the life of the project.

Recipients may be subject to annual auditing requirements.

In addition to implementing the funded project consistent with the approved project proposal and budget, applicants selected for funding must comply with applicable grant terms and conditions and other legal requirements, including GATA, and the U.S. Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide.

5H-84090801-0

N/A

$100,000-$500,000

IFA/CB will select projects that support three core objectives: Effective Outreach and Community Engagement, Comprehensiveness of Direct and Support Services, and Increased Capacity for Implementation and Long-Term Impact.

i. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and other Federal statutes and regulations prohibiting discrimination in Federal financial assistance programs apply, including provisions protecting free speech, religious liberty, public welfare, and the environment per 200 CFR 200.300(a), as well as regulations, including 2 CFR 200.300(b) prohibiting discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity. ii. Consultant Cap. Grant funds available for salary paid to individual consultants is limited to the maximum daily rate for Level IV of the Executive Schedule. iii. Management Fees. Management fees or similar charges in excess of the direct costs and approved indirect rates are not allowable. iv. Real Property and Equipment. Real property and equipment are not allowable expenditures under this grant. v. Foreign Work and Materials. IFA/CB must obtain written consent from US EPA prior to awarding a subaward that will be performed in a foreign country. Alert the IFA/CB in the proposal if any portion of the project will be performed in a foreign country. vi. Reporting Executive Compensation. Certain subrecipients receiving federal funding may be required to report executive compensation. For more information, refer to US EPA General Terms and Conditions, section 15.3 and 15.4. vii. Conflicts of Interest. Applicants must have systems in place to address, resolve, and disclose conflicts of interest and must disclose conflicts of interest to IFA/CB, as described in US EPA’s Conflicts of Interest policy. viii. Utilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises. US EPA requires that subrecipients make good faith efforts to utilize Disadvantaged Business Enterprises when procuring services and supplies, and retain documentation of doing so. The specific six good faith efforts can be found at 40 CFR Section 33.301(a)-(f). ix. Other Ineligible Activities. Certify that the requested funding will not be used to encourage or support political activities such as the collection and dissemination of information related to potential, planned, or pending legislation or directly or indirectly support or oppose union organizing. x. Refreshments. IFA/CB has not received advance permission from US EPA to fund light refreshments or meals served at meetings, training workshops, or outreach events. Thus, applicants may not use funds from this grant for these purposes. xi. Procurement Standards. The procurement standards in 2 CFR Part 200, including those requiring competition when the subrecipient acquires goods and services from contractors (including consultants), and Domestic preferences for procurements at 2 CFR 200.322 will apply to grant awardees. xii. Suspensions and Debarment. The applicant must certify that it is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal funds as specified in 2 CFR 200.332 and 2 CFR 180.300 and is not suspended, debarred, or otherwise excluded from receiving Federal funds in SAM.gov and in SAM.gov Exclusions. xiii. Proposed Costs. The applicant must certify that proposed costs are reasonable, allocable, and allowable, as defined by US EPA’s Interim General Budget Guidance. xiv. Reporting Potentially Duplicative Funding. The applicant must certify that if it or a project team member receives any other award of federal funds for activities that potentially overlap with the activities funded under this award, it will promptly notify the IFA/CB in writing. If there are identical cost items, the subrecipient must promptly notify the IFA/CB in writing of the potential duplication and eliminate any inappropriate duplication of funding.

If any assistance is needed in accessing application materials or submitting application due to limited Internet access or other limitations, the potential applicant should contact Claire Brinley at 312-651-1319.

160 N. LaSalle Street, Suite S-1000, Chicago IL 60601

https://www.il-fa.com/programs/sfa

US EPA Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) programs: https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund, US EPA Solar for All: https://www.epa.gov/greenhouse-gas-reduction-fund/solar-all

N/A

FY 2025 : $2,600,000
FY 2026 : $3,000,000
FY 2027 : $3,000,000
FY 2028 : $3,000,000
FY 2029 : $3,000,000