Illinois Finance Authority

The Illinois Finance Authority was awarded $14,962,506 in federal grant funds to strategically deploy electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other fueling infrastructure projects in urban and rural communities in publicly accessible locations, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods.

Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program established under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (“Bipartisan Infrastructure Law” or “BIL”), Funding Opportunity Number 693JJ323NF00004

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

N/A

The program prioritizes projects that expand access to EV infrastructure in rural areas, low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, and communities with limited private parking or a high proportion of multi-unit dwellings. It also aims to enhance geographic diversity, meet current and anticipated market demands, and minimize charging or refueling times. By focusing on public EV charging capacity in dense urban areas, rural communities, and small towns, the initiative ensures access to charging solutions outside of designated alternative fuel corridors, emphasizing local and community-based infrastructure to serve all Illinois residents effectively.

Yes

See NOFO.

Government Organizations; Education Organizations; Nonprofit Organizations;

Only partners included in the Illinois Finance Authority's 2023 winning Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant application are eligible to apply. A list of named eligible entities is available at https://www.il-fa.com/programs/cfi.

The Community Charging Program is part of the State of Illinois’ larger effort to ensure that the distribution of the benefits of the clean energy economy are accessible to all Illinois residents. In Illinois’ recently-passed Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, the State established an ambitious goal to reach one million EVs by 2030, and the Governor has made a commitment to make Illinois the best state to build, own, and drive an electric vehicle.

Project Grants

Economic Development

N/A

Only partners included in the Illinois Finance Authority's 2023 winning Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant application are eligible to apply. A list of named eligible entities is available at https://www.il-fa.com/programs/cfi.

Applicants must confirm pre-approved charging sites and submit National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents if not previously provided. Submissions will be uploaded via the State of Illinois Grant Management System.

Approval is dependent on the complete submission of required documents.

Applicants will be notified of the decision within 5 business days after the deadline for application submission. IFA/CB anticipates sending the Notice of State Award (NOSA) to successful applicants by email within 30 days of application submission. NOTE: The Notice of State Award (NOSA) is not authorization to begin performance of the project or incur costs.

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

Within 5 business days from the application submission.

N/A

N/A

Applicants are required to provide a cost match of at least 20% of the total project costs.

Eligible Project Costs include: 1. Costs to acquire and install on-site electric service equipment (e.g., service connection, power meter / submeter, transformer, breaker panel upgrade, and customer feeder installation) not to exceed $120,000 in reimbursable costs, though exceptions that exceed this limit will be considered on a case-by-case basis; 2. Costs of minor grid updates (work necessary to connect a charging station to the electric grid distribution network like extending power lines or upgrading existing power lines); 3. Costs to procure and install, upgrade, and/or replace existing EV charging equipment to meet NEVI minimum standards and requirements; 4. Costs to procure and install EVSE-related hardware and software; 5. Fixed operating and maintenance costs (up to five years after the charging station is commissioned) including: A. Charging equipment lease fees (if site applicant chooses lease option for charging equipment rather than purchase option). The lease costs are only eligible if paid in advance through a contract. B. Cellular network fees, internet service fees, or similar fees. C. Charger network fee; 6. Costs of engineering, design and permitting; and 7. Costs for additional ports or chargers beyond the NEVI requirement of four 150kW ports per EV charging site may be considered if each additional port meets the same criteria listed for the minimum four 150kW ports in 23 CFR 680 (each additional port is capable of simultaneously charging at 150kW or greater with a CCS Type 1 connector, etc.). While these costs may be considered, it is not guaranteed that they are to be eligible for grant funds. Ineligible Project Costs include, but are not limited to: 1. Costs incurred prior to a fully executed grant agreement with IFA; 2. Costs not related directly to vehicle charging; 3. Costs for lobbying, or for the intervention in state, federal regulatory, or adjudicatory proceedings; 4. Costs for construction or general maintenance of building and parking facilities (if not related directly to vehicle charging); 5. Costs of major grid upgrades not within reason at the Grantor’s discretion (e.g., lengthy line extensions, bulk power transmission upgrades, or substation upgrades); 6. Costs for additional ports or chargers that do not meet the same criteria listed for the minimum four 150kW ports in 23 CFR 680; 7. Costs to acquire and install on-site electric service equipment (e.g., service connection, power meter / submeter, transformer, breaker panel upgrade, and customer feeder installation) that exceed the $120,000 reimbursable cost limit for electric service equipment, though exceptions will be considered on a case-by-case basis; 8. Utility service upgrade costs covered by the utility; 9. Costs covered by programs or tariff rules of the electric utilities; 10. Costs for research projects; and 11. Administrative costs, including overhead and indirect costs (e.g., office supplies, rent, marketing, and advertising).

IFA Reporting Requirements: Quarterly construction invoices and supporting documentation. Annual operations and maintenance (O&M) invoices and supporting documentation. Close-Out Report Package which includes all financial, performance, and other reports as required by the terms and conditions of the Federal award, submitted no later than 60 calendar days following grant close-out. Federal Data Submittals: In addition to the State reporting required per Article 10, Article 11 and Part Two of this Agreement, the Grantee shall also be responsible for submitting the required Federal Data Submittals. Once the EV charging station is operational and in service, the Grantee shall be required to submit the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) NEVI data reports as outlined in 23 CFR 680.112 on a one-time, quarterly, and annual basis. Federal NEVI data submission requirements from 23 CFR 680.112 have been broken down into nine modules by the FHWA: Module 1: Station Location (One-Time) Module 2: Charging Sessions (Quarterly) Module 3: Uptime (Quarterly) Module 4: Outages (Annual) Module 5: Maintenance Costs (Annual) Module 6: Station Operator Identity (One-Time) Module 7: Station Operator Program (Annual) Module 8: Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Information (One-Time) Module 9: Capital and Installation Costs (One-Time) Federal Data Submittal Frequency Data submission frequency requirements per 23 CFR 680.112 are broken down into quarterly, annual, and one-time submissions: Quarterly Data (Modules 2, 3, and 4): Data collection starts the day an EV charging station becomes operational on the Initial Operation Date. All data for a calendar quarter shall be submitted no later than 10 businesses days following the end of calendar quarter. Example: A EV charging station that became operational on January 16th shall report quarterly data on that station from January 16th to March 31st, and the report shall be submitted no later than 10 business days after March 31st. Annual Data (Modules 5 and 7): All data for a calendar year shall be submitted no later than 20 business days prior to March 1st of the current year for EV charging stations that become operational in the preceding year. Annual data may be submitted as soon as the data is available, and modules can be submitted independently. Example: For an EV charging station that became operational any time during the 2024 calendar year, all annual modules shall be submitted no later than 20 business days before March 1, 2025. One-time Data (Modules 1, 6, 8, and 9): One time data shall be submitted no later than 20 business days before March 1st of the current year for an EV charging station that became operational in the preceding year. One-time data may be submitted as soon as the data is available, and modules can be submitted independently. Example: An EV charging station that became operational any time during the 2024 calendar year may submit one-time data any time in 2025, but all one-time modules shall be submitted no later than 20 business days before March 1, 2025. Federal Data Submittal Details Each module can be submitted to the EV-ChART portal in the format prescribed by the EV-ChART Data Input Template using a CSV file that is no greater than 10 MB. Modules must be submitted no later than the deadline described in the above section. For more guidance on the data format and preparation requirements for the modules, the Grantee can utilize the EV-ChART Data Format and Preparation Guidance Version 2.0 issued by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Emergency Incident Reporting Requirement. During the Period of Performance, Grantor shall be notified within 24 hours after the Grantee becomes aware of any of the following critical events by emailing federalfunding@il-fa.com: DOT.NEVIAdmin@illinois.gov: One or more charging plugs are inoperable for more than 24 hours. All publicly available DCFC plugs at the site are inoperable for more than 15 minutes. One or more pieces of equipment essential to the operation of the charging units/station experience a system failure. Other incidents related to charging electric vehicles such as: Damage to an electric vehicle as a result of connecting to or receiving electricity from the station, Any other safety related incident, such as an accident or fire, at or near the charging station, or Any time emergency responder personnel are dispatched to or near the charging station.

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.

HEPN-IL-1224-Y406-0001

N/A

Range: $20,000-$1,800,000. Average: $350,000

As part of the winning proposal submitted in May 2023, the state identified 845 Level 2 chargers, 36 DC fast chargers, and dozens of Project Partners committed to supporting the initiative. This proposal marked an unprecedented collaboration among four state agencies, two constitutional offices, local governments, educational institutions, utilities, and community organizations to expand EV charging infrastructure. The effort focuses on 273 publicly accessible EV charging sites across Illinois, strategically selected to align with state and federal electrification goals.

All projects funded under this program must comply with 23 CFR Part 680 of the Code of Federal Regulations, covering: Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA): Requires payment of prevailing wages on federally funded construction projects. Buy America, Build America (BABA): Mandates the use of domestically produced materials and components. The Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) ensures that EV chargers acquired through the NEVI Formula Program will be assembled in the United States and comply with BABA requirements for manufactured products. Applicants should describe in detail their ability to comply with BABA in their application. The applicant and all members of the project team shall comply with FHWA’s Buy America Requirements in 23 U.S.C. 313 and 23 CFR 635.410, and in the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) (Pub. L. No. 117-58, div. G §§ 70901–70927). NEVI Compliance: Ensures adherence to National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) standards. The NEVI Standards and Requirements are found in a final rule as published in the Federal Register issued by the USDOT and FHWA on February 28, 2023. The standards and requirements establish EVSE regulations, setting minimum standards and requirements for projects funded under the NEVI formula program. See National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Standards and Requirements for more details. Consumer Protection Regulations: Guarantees fair pricing, transparency, and non-discriminatory access to public charging stations. Historic Preservation Requirements: Ensures compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) if infrastructure impacts protected sites. Americans with Disabilities Act: EV charging stations must comply with ADA and Section 504 requirements and be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities, including those using wheelchairs and other assistive equipment and devices. See here for the U.S. Access Board Design Recommendations for Accessible Electric Vehicle Charging Stations. Additionally, per 23 CFR Part 680, the workforce installing, maintaining, and operating chargers must have appropriate licenses, certifications, and training. Electricians who install, operate, or maintain the EVSE must meet one of the following requirements: Certification from the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training Program (EVITP). Graduation or a continuing education certificate from a registered apprenticeship program for electricians that includes charger-specific training and is developed as part of a national guideline standard approved by the Department of Labor in consultation with the Department of Transportation. Certification from the Illinois Commerce Commission EV Charging Station Installer Program.

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

U.S. Department of Transportation Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi/

There are no prior example projects as this is a new program. Example projects could include publicly accessible electric vehicle charging stations, such as those located at a public library, a public park, a public university, or any other public facility.

FY 2025 : $4,488,752
FY 2026 : $5,985,002
FY 2027 : $4,488,752