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 SolarApp+ Adoption and Implementation Grant program is one of the program 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

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Illinois Solar for All Overall Objectives: 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). SolarApp+ Adoption and Implementation Grants are one of these programs. 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 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. 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 Subaward Objectives: Under the administration of the IFA/CB, Illinois will hold a competitive selection process to identify projects for up to $300,000 per year of this federal funding, to be deployed in up to 10 grants of up to $30,000, to assist units of government in adopting and implementing the SolarApp+ solar permitting software platform. SolarApp+ is a free online platform developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to streamline and automate the permitting process for residential solar energy systems. SolarApp+ standardizes plan reviews and compliance checks, allowing for faster approval of permits, reducing administrative burdens for local governments, and expediting solar adoption. Grants may be used for costs associated with adopting and implementing SolarApp+, as well as costs associated with updating residential electrical codes, if needed, where that effort is paired with efforts to adopt and implement SolarApp+. IFA/CB will select projects that support three core state objectives: Administrative Efficiency, Community Impact, and Long-Term Sustainability. The set of metrics and strategies described below will be used to effectively track whether investments achieve State goals. 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 in December, 2024. The meeting had 31 attendees, including representatives of a large group of municipalities, solar industry advocates and developers, labor representatives, consumer and environmental advocates, government officials, and utilities. There, the IFA/CB and stakeholders discussed barriers to adopting SolarApp+ and other related issues that will be incorporated into an accompanying NOFO. IFA/CB will assess the effectiveness of objectives highlighted here, through the Program implementation. Specifically, the State will assess whether the objectives established under this Program have resulted in projects that generate the greatest benefit in streamlining residential solar permitting decisions.

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;

Only units of government that issue permits for residential rooftop solar energy installations are eligible for this funding. Applicants included in the SAM.gov Exclusion List and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List will not be eligible for an award. In addition, projects must create benefits in communities where residents experience low incomes. Thus, eligible units of government must contain one or more census tracts identified by either: a. The Restore, Reinvest, and Renew (R3) Program’s R3 Areas map, which includes areas where residents have historically been excluded from economic opportunities, as evidenced by rates of child poverty, unemployment, gun injuries, and incarceration, among other factors; or b. The Illinois Solar for All program’s Income-Eligible Census Map, which identifies census tracts where at least half of the households earn an income of 80% or less of the Area Median Income.

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.

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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. 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 applying unit of government demonstrates that it has the capacity to implement the proposed activities and has policies in place, or a willingness to put policies in place, to adopt and implement SolarApp+ and facilitating codes updates, if needed. • Quality and Clarity of Proposed Activities: A clear, detailed, and structured plan of activities that are designed to accomplish the program’s objectives. • Expected Improvement in Administrative Efficiency: The potential to reduce the time and effort needed to make permitting decisions, both for the applying unit of government and for parties seeking permits. • Expected Impact on the Community: The potential to increase the installation of residential rooftop solar installations, including those participating in Illinois’ Solar for All program and those located in census tracts identified by the R3 Areas map or as Income-Eligible on the Illinois Solar for All program’s Income-Eligible Census Map. • Long-Term Sustainability: The potential for the results of the grant to persist over time. That is, extent to which applications lead to the full integration of SolarApp+ with the funded jurisdiction’s processes; training for staff, relevant vendors, and installation contractors; and connections to ongoing technical assistance. Further details will be described in the accompanying NOFO.

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 preliminary approval 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.

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None.

Subawards to eligible entities under this award must be used for activities to adopt and implement SolarApp+. Subawards may also be used for activities to update codes to those supported by SolarApp+, as described in Section C.3., above. These activities may include, but are not limited to, the following: a. Community and stakeholder outreach and education on SolarApp+ and, if necessary, facilitating codes updates; b. Staff and policymaker education on SolarApp+ and, if necessary, facilitating codes updates; c. Technical working groups to implement SolarApp+ and, if necessary, facilitating codes updates; d. Coordination with third-party permit review vendors; e. Training for permitting staff and vendors; f. Training for solar installation contractors who must file for permits via SolarApp+; g. Training for solar installation contractors, if necessary, on facilitating codes updates; and h. other activities that are necessary to adopt and implement SolarApp+ and any facilitating codes updates. Non-eligible activities: A subaward to an eligible entity under this grant Program may not be used for: a. Activities that do not support the adoption and implementation of SolarApp+ or, if necessary, facilitating codes updates; b. Equipment purchases or rental; c. Software (other than SolarApp+ which is available free of charge); 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. Restrictions on indirect costs: US EPA General Terms and Conditions, Sec. 18; Assistance Amendment between IL Finance Authority and US EPA (limiting budget to 10% de minimus rate).

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

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$20,000-$30,000

IFA/CB will select projects that support the adoption and implementation of SolarApp+ to further three core state objectives: Administrative Efficiency, Community Impact, and Long-Term Sustainability.

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.

Application forms and instructions are available at the IFA/CB website at https://www.il-fa.com/programs/sfa. 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

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FY 2025 : $300,000
FY 2026 : $300,000
FY 2027 : $300,000
FY 2028 : $300,000
FY 2029 : $300,000