Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 52, December 27, 2024
Grant opportunities and awards will be administered in a manner
that complies with all State requirements applicable to each funding
opportunity, including, but not limited to, GATA and all applicable State laws.
Applicants and grant recipients shall review all application materials and
grant award documents which will include the specific applicable requirements
for the grant opportunity. The Department reserves the right to suspend or
terminate a grant agreement or withhold any future year funding for
non-compliance with these provisions.
a) Application Process
1) The Department will post one or more NOFO
on the GATA Grantee Portal seeking applications contingent upon available
funds. Applicants shall submit their application materials by the deadlines set
forth by DCEO in the Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) which will be at
least 30 days after posting the NOFO.
2) Applicants are required to submit the
following:
A) the name of the
applicant;
B) whether the applicant
is a unit of local government, independently owned for-profit grocery store,
co-operative grocery store, or not-for-profit grocery store;
C) the operating name of the grocery
store;
D) the location of the
grocery store;
E) a detailed
explanation of how the grocery store proposes to use any award;
F) two or more letters in support of the
application from entities that represent the relevant community, with at least
one such letter coming from a local elected official;
G) for an applicant seeking a grant or other
financial assistance for a new grocery store in a food desert, as described in
Section 645.30(b), the applicant should submit a detailed financial plan that
includes:
i) the grocery store's projected
costs, revenues, and profits;
ii)
the amount and sources of other investments in the planned grocery
store;
iii) the long-term assets,
including but not limited to real property and equipment, that the grocery
store has already secured or still needs; and
iv) the projected number of employees of the
grocery store.
H) for an
applicant seeking a grant or other financial assistance to establish a new
store in a food desert for an independently owned for-profit grocery store,
co-operative grocery store, not-for-profit grocery store or municipality-owned
grocery store as described in Section 645.30(c), a detailed financial plan that
includes:
i) The grocery store's projected
costs, revenues, and profits;
ii)
The amount and sources of other investments in the planned grocery
store;
iii) The long-term assets,
including but not limited to real property and equipment, that the grocery
store has already secured or still needs; and
iv) The projected number of employees of the
grocery store; and
I)
for an independently owned for-profit grocery store, co-operative grocery
store, municipally owned grocery store, or not-for-profit grocery store, a
detailed explanation of the ownership and operation structure, including the
location of all primary owners.
b) Grant Award Selection
1) Grants will be awarded by DCEO to grantees
following a merit review by DCEO pursuant to GATA requirements (44 Ill. Adm.
Code 7000.350). In evaluating
applications, the Department will consider all requirements as set forth in
this Part.
2) In reviewing
applications, the Department will prioritize applicants that:
A) are units of local government;
B) are seeking to establish, or have already
established and are operating, grocery stores with local ownership;
C) are seeking to establish, or have already
established and are operating, grocery stores with less than $5 million in
annual revenue;
3) In
addition, the Department may prioritize applicants by geography, where
applications involving areas of higher poverty, lower income, or greater
geographic distance from the nearest grocery store receive greater
consideration.
4) Applicants may
appeal any denial pursuant to the process described in 44 Ill. Adm. Code
7000.350(g).
c) Grant Disbursements
Disbursement of grant funds from the Department will be made in
accordance with a schedule included in the grant agreement. The Department will
disburse funds based on the outcomes outlined in the grant agreement.
d) Grant Performance, Monitoring
and Reporting Requirements
Grant recipient shall comply with all GATA and Department
requirements for grant performance, administration, monitoring and reporting,
including monitoring any subrecipients.
e) Grant Extensions
Contingent upon the availability of funds and consistent with
GATA as applicable, the Department may negotiate grant extensions and add funds
for grant projects that were originally competitively awarded and performed
successfully.
f) Records
Retention
A grant recipient shall maintain, for the period of time set
forth in the GATA rules (44 Ill. Adm. Code 430(a) and (b)), adequate books, all
financial records and supporting documents, statistical records, and all other
records pertinent to the program. If any litigation, claim, or audit is started
before the expiration of the retention period, the records must be retained
until all litigation, claims or audit exceptions involving the records have
been resolved and final action taken. Grant recipients shall be responsible for
ensuring that contractors and subrecipients comply with the retention
requirements.
g) Project
Labor Agreement
Pursuant to the Project Labor Agreements Act [30 ILCS 571] and
Executive Order 02-19, the Department will evaluate each application to
determine if a project labor agreement would advance the State's interests of
cost, efficiency, quality, safety, timeliness, skilled labor force, labor
stability, or the State's policy to advance minority-owned and women-owned
businesses and minority and female employment. If a project labor agreement
would advance those interests, then the Department may require one as part of
the agreement.