Application schedule varies. Check the IDNR Grant Opportunities for application periods: https://dnr.illinois.gov/grants.html

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) is accepting proposals for the Section 319(h) – Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Control Financial Assistance Program for Fiscal Year 2025. This program is funded through the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) under Section 319(h) of the Clean Water Act and administered by the Illinois EPA. The program provides financial assistance to projects designed to prevent, eliminate, or reduce water quality impairments caused by NPS pollution throughout Illinois’ surface and groundwater resources. NPS pollution results from rainfall or snowmelt moving over and through the ground, picking up pollutants and depositing them into lakes, rivers, wetlands, and underground water sources. Over 60% of the national documented water pollution is attributed to NPS sources. The Section 319(h) Grant Program prioritizes projects addressing Illinois waters with significant water quality impairments due to NPS pollution. Proposals that implement components of an Illinois EPA-approved watershed-based plan or Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Implementation Plan will receive higher priority, although individual best management practices (BMPs) not included in these plans are also eligible but less prioritized. Eligible project types include implementation of NPS components of approved watershed-based plans, TMDL Implementation Plans, BMP implementation, NPS information and outreach programs, NPS technical assistance, and monitoring activities. Applications involving monitoring must include a draft Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) at the time of submission, and an Illinois EPA-approved QAPP is required before grant awards are finalized. Projects may also include environmental monitoring, social indicator monitoring, and outreach efforts. Funding for the FY 2025 cycle is anticipated to total up to $4 million. Of this, up to $250,000 is allocated for Education and Information projects (minimum score 50), $150,000 for Monitoring projects (minimum score 56), and $3,600,000 for BMP projects (minimum score 59). The Illinois EPA reserves the right to award the entire $4 million to BMP projects if no Education, Information, or Monitoring proposals meet the minimum scoring thresholds. The program operates as a reimbursement grant covering up to 60% of project costs, with a 40% match required from the grantee. Matching funds must be non-federal and directly related to project tasks. The program is open to a wide range of applicants including local watershed groups, land conservancies, public and private organizations, educational institutions, local and state governments, park districts, conservation organizations, and other entities capable of managing projects and financing initial expenses before reimbursement. Ineligible activities include projects required by federal or state regulations, routine maintenance, habitat improvement, mitigation costs, and non-NPS-focused projects. Applications must be submitted through the Illinois Amplifund portal between June 6, 2025, and July 23, 2025. Incomplete applications will not be considered. No pre-application deadlines or Q&A sessions are specified. Applicants must be pre-qualified in the GATA portal and compliant with various federal and state regulations. Successful applicants must comply with extensive reporting requirements, including quarterly progress reports and a final project report documenting project execution and outcomes. Program contacts include Jeff Edstrom (epa.bowgrants@illinois.gov, 217-782-3362) for programmatic questions and the Illinois EPA Fiscal staff (epa.gata@illinois.gov, 217-782-3250) for fiscal and administrative matters. Additional program information is available at https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/water-quality/watershed-management/nonpoint-sources.html. The Illinois EPA retains the right to redistribute unused funds from terminated or incomplete projects. Applicants should also be aware of specific compliance obligations under various federal and state acts related to wetland protection, endangered species, prevailing wages, and Buy America provisions.