Unsewered Communities Construction Grant (UCCGP)

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) administers the Unsewered Communities Construction Grant Program (UCCGP), which provides critical funding to help Illinois communities that currently lack wastewater collection and treatment facilities. The program is designed to support local government units in constructing necessary infrastructure to protect public health and the environment. Funding is made available through the State of Illinois via the Build Illinois Bond Fund and Anti-Pollution Bond Fund. The program is currently anticipated to distribute approximately $20,000,000 per year through 4 to 10 individual grant awards. The primary objective of the UCCGP is to enable unsewered communities to construct new wastewater collection and/or treatment facilities where none exist today. Eligible expenses include design engineering, construction engineering, and construction-related activities. Notably, the program allows inclusion of costs related to the abandonment of old septic systems. However, ineligible costs include land acquisition, project planning, rehabilitation of existing facilities, and expenses related to future growth or development. Applicants must submit a comprehensive Project Plan and other required documentation, which will undergo a thorough evaluation based on a detailed scoring rubric. The maximum grant amount covers a percentage of construction costs based on the applicant’s Median Household Income (MHI) relative to the state average. Eligibility for the UCCGP is limited to local government units within Illinois that meet the definition under Illinois law. This includes counties, municipalities, townships, sewerage or utility authorities, sanitary districts, public water districts, and other relevant political subdivisions. All applicants must be in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State and must have registered and pre-qualified through the Illinois GATA Grantee Portal. Required documents include a Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance, a completed Uniform Grant Budget Template, a detailed Project Plan, and both Fiscal and Administrative Risk and Programmatic Risk Assessment Questionnaires. Submission of applications is via email or physical delivery. Evaluation of submitted applications involves a multi-step process assessing technical merit, completeness, and alignment with program objectives. Key scoring criteria include whether the project will eliminate untreated wastewater discharges, whether it serves Environmental Justice areas, the type of treatment connection being constructed, project readiness, and whether a user charge ordinance is in place. The highest scoring applications will receive funding until the allocated amount is exhausted. In cases of tied scores, preference is given to projects serving larger populations. For this funding cycle, applications opened on September 12, 2022, and were accepted through November 15, 2022, at 12:00 PM CST. The timeline for awards included notifying applicants of receipt within 21 days of the deadline, notifying unsuccessful applicants within 60 days, and issuing Notices of State Award by February 15, 2023. Final grant agreements were expected to be executed by April 14, 2023. Contact for the program is Lanina Clark, reachable at lanina.clark@illinois.gov or (217) 782-2027. Fiscal questions may be directed to Max Paller at max.paller@illinois.gov or (217) 558-3386. Additional information is available on the IEPA website. It is important to note that IEPA is not obligated to make any awards under this NOFO.

Applicants should ensure all pre-qualification requirements are met well in advance of submission and should prepare a complete Project Plan that thoroughly addresses alternatives analysis, user charge system, and environmental considerations.