Connect Illinois Broadband Grant Program
CSFA Number: 420-27-2681
STATE AGENCY INFORMATION
Agency Name
Department Of Commerce And Economic Opportunity (420)
Agency Identification
43-1
Agency Contact
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Short Description
Grant program for internet service providers to expand their networks.
Federal Authorization
ARPA
Illinois Statue Authorization
30 ILCS
Illinois Administrative Rules Authorization
IL Admin Code
Objective
Goal is to extend high speed internet to residents of Illinois through broadband network construction grants.
UGA Program Terms
Within thirty (30) days of the execution of the Agreement, the Grantee will provide a detailed timeline of projected deliverables, which must be approved by Grantor. The timeline and any subsequent revisions shall be incorporated by reference into this Agreement. The timeline will be submitted in conjunction with the initial Periodic Performance Report (PPR). The timeline will be used to measure performance throughout the life of the Award and will be updated and reported on each PPR reporting due date.
Eligible Applicants
Government Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations; For-Profit Organizations;
Applicant Eligibility
Eligible applicants for this program include an incorporated business or partnership; a political subdivision; a nonprofit organization; a cooperative association; or a limited liability corporation organized for the purpose of expanding broadband access. Illinois public school districts are eligible to apply but may be encouraged to leverage other available federal or education-specific funding prior to an award.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Illinois residents
Types of Assistance
Project Grants
Subject / Service Area
Economic Development
Credentials / Documentation
• Has a valid FEIN number; • Has a valid DUNS number; • Has a current SAM.gov account; • Is not on the Federal Excluded Parties List; • 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.
Preapplication Coordination
GATA pre-qualification
Application Procedures
A standard application package must be submitted and reviewed by the Department. Each package should contain the following items: i. Uniform Grant Application in fillable PDF format. (print, sign and scan signature page with submission) ii. Uniform Capital 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. (print, sign and scan signature page with submission) iii. Conflict of Interest Disclosure iv. Mandatory Disclosures This Notice of Funding Opportunity also requires the submission of the following other programmatic specific items (See Application Packet Part 2 for details of these requirements): v. Cover Page vi. Broadband Application vii. W-9 form
Criteria Selecting Proposals
Merit review and geographical dispersion.
Award Procedures
merit- based review
Range of Approval or Disapproval Time
30-60 days
Appeals
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. 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.
Uses and Restrictions
Applications should be classified under one of three categories: (a) Broadband Access for Illinois homes, businesses, and community anchor institutions in unserved or underserved areas; (b) Broadband Innovation for economic development and related applications; or (c) Urban Broadband for expanded access and/or innovation in qualified Illinois cities or metropolitan areas of 75,000 residents or more. All Connect Illinois projects must include infrastructure expansion scalable to speeds of at least 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload upon deployment.
Reports
quarterly reporting using PPR and PFR
Account Identification
ARPA Capital Projects Fund
Obligations
CY $46,317,672.00
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$1-10,000,000.00
Program Accomplishments
Passes connected
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIHgL03-pGU
Regional or Local Assistance Location
N/A
Headquarters Office
500 East Monroe Springfield, IL 62701 and 555 W Monroe St, 12th Floor Chicago, IL 60661
Program Website
https://dceo.illinois.gov/aboutdceo/grantopportunities/2366-2005-2681-2006.html
Example Projects
Broadband network construction
FUNDING INFORMATION
Funding By Fiscal Year
FY 2020 : $50,000,000
FY 2021 : $50,000,000
FY 2022 : $1
FY 2023 : $300,000,000
FY 2024 : $1
Federal Funding
Notice of Funding Opportunities
| Agency ID | Award Range | Application Range |
TOP 5 ACTIVE AWARDS
| Agency ID | Grantee Name | Start Date | End Date | Amount |
| 21-431011 | Diverse Communications Inc | 12/01/2023 | 11/30/2025 | 9,300,000 |
| 21-431047 | Shelby Electric Cooperative | 01/01/2024 | 12/31/2025 | 9,000,000 |
| 21-431048 | Shelby Electric Cooperative | 01/01/2024 | 12/31/2025 | 9,000,000 |
| 21-431061 | Wabash Telephone Cooperative Inc | 01/01/2024 | 12/31/2025 | 8,309,434 |
| 21-431004 | CIRBN LLC | 12/01/2023 | 11/30/2025 | 8,000,000 |