GRANTS OUTLOOK 1999
With the passage of several legeslative initiatives during the 1998 sessions of the Illinois General Assembly, and the US Congress, 1999 appears to be the most promising year in recent memory for grant prospects for Illinois governments working on projects in the areas of recreation, open space and conservation.

The new federal highway bill. Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (or TEA-21), tops the list as far as dollars are concerned. Over the next five years, more than $100 million should be available through the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for efforts such as pedestrian and bicycle related development projects. As noted in the matrix on pages 32b and 32c, the deadline for the first round of project proposals will be March 1.

As part of the TEA-21 legislation, the Clean Vessel program has also been refunded and a new, although modest, program is being discussed to provide assistance to build transient facilities for targe, non-trailerable boats. Also funded in the TEA-21 legislation has been a revitalization of the Recreational Trails program, known earlier as the Symms program. This program is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR) under the general oversight of IDOT which coordinates with the Federal Highway Administration. This program is the broadest of all the trail funding sources and is available for such projects as hiking, equestrian and motorized trails as well as bicycle trails.

The major disappointment at the federal level was the failure of Congress to provide funding for state and local grants under the broadly scoped Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) program. Legislation was introduced late in the year by Senator Landrieu of Louisiana and others to combine LWCF with an effort to fund non-hunting resource projects (called Teaming with Wildlife) and funding for coastal area protection. The bill died with the end of the legislative session but may be introduced in the next session. Thus, you'll note that LWCF was removed from the Grants Outlook this year.

Returning to "the good news," at the state level the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSIAD) program continues to grow at the same robust pace as the real estate market by which it is funded. For 1999 (fiscal year 2000), slightly more than $17.7 million is expected to be authorized for open space and outdoor recreation grants to local Illinois governments.

The Public Museum Capital Grant program is a new state program with park and recreation implications. It was approved in 1998 and is expected to be funded again in 1999. The program was authorized at the $10 million level in 1998 and can provide assistance for up to one-third of the cost of museum-related capital development and land acquisition.

Another new state initiative available to local government agencies is the Off-Highway Recreational Trails program. This program is estimated to provide upwards of $200,000 per year for a variety of motorized trail facilities including those for motorcycles and snowmobiles.

The grants staff at the DNR is currently managing nearly 500 active (not yet completed) grant projects. The impact of the new programs discussed as well as full funding of most ongoing programs could result in project delays and misunderstandings. However, Illinois is blessed with a talented and well-trained group of individuals at both the state and local levels who are dedicated to ensuring that the public's money is spent efficiently to enhance open space and provide high-quality facilities. The year 1999 will be a challenging one in this regard. •

Ron Hailberg, CLP

Chief, Division of Grant Administration Illinois Department of Natural Resources

WINTER 1999 SUPPLEMENT /30a

1999 STATE AND FEDERAL FUNDING SOURCES FOR PARKS, RECREATION, CONSERVATION LANDS & FACILITIES

Program Title	Boat Access Area Development	Clean Vessel	Conservation 2000 Ecosystem Program	IL Bicycle Path Grant	IL Clean Lakes	IL Wildlife Preservation Fund ''%
Acronym/ Nickname	BOAT ACCESS	———	———	BIKE PATH	ICIP	—-——•
Purpose	Acquire and develop public boot access areas	Construct and renovate pumpout and dump stations at boot access areas	Provide financial and technical assistance for Ecosystem Partnerships	Acquire and develop local areas for public non-motorized bike paths	Technical and financial assistance for inland lakes	Mgt., site inventories or education related to stewardship of land, water, plant and animals
Administrative Agency	Illinois Deportment of Natural Resources	Illinois Department of Natural Resources	Illinois Deportment of Natural Resources	Illinois Department of Natural Resources	Illinois Environmental Protection Agency	Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Division	Division of Grant Administration	Division of Grant Administration	Office of Realty and Environmental Planning	Division of Grant Administration	Division of Water Pollution Control	Division of Natural Heritage
Program Manager	Ron Hallberg	Jan Nation	Dr. Brian Anderson	Ron Hollberg	Gregg Good	Carl Becker
Address Phone Fax E-mail	524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.782,748) 217.782.9599 rhallberg@dnr.state. il. us	524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.782.7481 217.782.9599 jnotion@dnr.state.il.us	524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.782.3715 217.524.4177 bonderson@dnr.sble. il .us	524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.782.7481 217.782.9599 rhallberg@dnr.state.il.us	Box 19276 Springfield, IL 62794-9276 217.782.3362 217.785.1225 epa1156@epa.state.il.us	524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.785.8774 217.785.8277 cbecker@dnr.state.il.us
Funding Formula and Source	Up to 90% Acq. Up to 100% Dev. State Funding	Up to 75% Federal Funding	Up to 100% State Funding	Up to 50% State Funding	Up to 60% State Funding	Up to 100% State Funding
Max	$200,000	$30,000	None	Acq. None Oev. $200,000	$75,000 (Phase 1) $300,000 [Phase 11)	$1,000
Annual Application Deadline	September 1 5:00 p.m.	Not yet determined	February 16	March 1 5:00 p.m.	August 31 (pre-app) October 31 (final app)	April 16 (*1)
Payment Method	Reimbursement of approved and accrued costs	Reimbursement	Reimbursement	Reimbursement after project completed	Reimbursement	Varies
Eligibility	Local units of government	Local units of government and others	Individuals, organizations and corporations	Local units of government	Owners/managers of publicly owned lakes	Organizations with resource inventory, mgt. and education
Available Funds FY99	$1,000,000	To be announced in spring of 1999	$3,000,000	$3,300,000	$700,000 (*4)	$40,000

* 1 Approximate annual date *2 No funding FY99 *3 Notional total $

*4 Approximate total *5 Future cycles to be determined

30b/ Illinois Parks and Recreation

local Government • Snowmobile .	Off-highway Recreation Trails Program	Open Space Land Acquisition and Development	Public Museum Capital Grant	Recreational Trails Program	TEA-21 Enhancement	Urban and Community Forestry Grant
SNOW MOBILE	OHV	OSLAD	—--—	SYMMS, RTP	Enhancements or ITEP	UCFG
Acquire, develop and rehabilitate public areas for snowmobiling	Acquire, develop, operate and maintain off-highway vehicle parks and trails	Acquire and develop outdoor recreation areas	To help museums expand and upgrade facilities to enhance their ability to meet their educational mission	Provide and maintain recreational trails and trail-related projects	Transportation-related historical, pedestrian and bike development projects	Assist local units of government to create or enhance local forestry programs
Illinois Department of Natural Resources	Illinois Department of Natural Resources	Illinois Department of Natural Resources	Illinois Deportment of Natural Resources	Illinois Department of Natural Resources	Illinois Deportment of Transportation	Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Division of Grant Administration	Division of Grant Administration	Division of Grant Administration	State Museum	Division of Grant Administration	Office of Planning and Programming	Division of Forest Resources
David Sellman	David Sellman	Ron Hallberg	Karen Fyfe	Ron Hallberg	Troci Pfeiffer	Reinee Hildebrandt
524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.782,7481 217.782.9599 dsellmon@dnr.state.il.us	524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.782.7481 217.782.9599 dsellman@dnr.state.il.us	524 S, Second St. Springfield, 11 62701 217.782.7481 217.782.9599 rhallberg@dnr.state.il.us	524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.782.7388 217.782,1254 kfyfe@museum.state.il.us	524 S. Second St. Springfield, IL 62701 217.782.7481 217.782.9599 rhallberg@dnr.state.il.us	2300 S. Dirksen Pkwy., #307 Springfield, IL 62764 800.493.3434 217,785.8140 pfeifferTL@nt.dol.state.il.us	P.O. Box 19225 Springfield, IL 62794-225 217.782.2361 217.785.5517 rhildebrandt@dnr.state.il.us
Up to 100%Dev., Up to 90% Acq. State Funding	Up to 100% State Funding	Up to 50% State Funding	Up to 33 1/3% State Funding	Up to 80% Federal Funding	Up to 80% Dev. Up to 50% Acq. Federal Funding	Up to 50% State Funding-
None	None	Acq. $400,000, Ctev. $200,000	$2,000,000	none	None	No more than 5% of total available funds
May 1 5:00 p.m.	March 1 5:00 p.m.	July1 5:00 p.m.	Not yet determined	March 1 5:00 p.m.	March 1 and Nov. 1 (In 2000, only November date will be available)	April 30 5:00 p.m.
Reimbursement after project completed	Reimbursement after project completed	Reimbursement after project completed	Reimbursement	Reimbursement	IDOT pays eligible costs on a reimbursement basis	Reimbursement after project completed.
Local units of government	Local units of government, private organizations, individuals	local units of government	Museums operated by or located on land owned by a local Government	Federal, state and local government, private organizations	State and local units of government	Units of government with forestry ordinances
$65,000	$200,000	$17,715,700	$10,000,000	$1,000,000 (*4)	$21,000,0001	$100,000

*1 Approximate annual date * 2 No funding FY99 *3 Notional total $

*4 Approximate *5 future cycles to be determined

Winter 1999 Supplement /30c

TIPS FOR GRANT SPONSORS

No matter how well a particular grant program is funded, demand always exceeds available money. Therefore, except for programs that provide assistance on a pro-rata basis, there are winners and losers. To help you be a winner more often than a loser, below are several tips from grant administrators from the Department of Natural Resources. Their suggestions will not guarantee a grant; however, the failure to follow at least most of them will surely guarantee that an application will be a waste of time and money and, possibly, an embarrassment.

• Ensure that comprehensive planning is current (less than five years old). Confirm through inventories, surveys, meetings and hearings that your project is, in fact, wanted by constituents and would rate highly as a need based on state averages and the new state plan.

• Phone or meet early with the grant staff. Often grant sponsors prepare and submit applications without ever speaking to those most knowledgeable about project eligibility, relative priorities, current trends or process details.

• Provide documents and visuals that are neat and easily understood. Wordiness, sloppy labeling, lack of scaled drawings and unreadable photocopies can set off bells in an evaluator's mind regarding the seriousness of the applicant.

• If you employ a professional to prepare a grant application (e.g., grant consultant or engineer) carefully screen and contact references to ensure that candidates have both experience and competency in the area for which funding is sought. For example, for the swimming pool feasibility Study required by OSLAD, ensure that the engineering firm can provide references for other successful pool studies.

• Especially for small districts and villages that don't prepare applications yearly, discussions with neighboring agencies that have been through a grant competition is suggested. Most agencies in Illinois are willing to share their experiences. Grant managing agencies can provide lists of previous grant recipients by area of the state.

• For larger agencies with a broader range of project needs, ensure that projects are selected that best fit the objectives of the individual grant program.

• A final suggestion: read and follow the instructions provided.

GRANTS RELATED INTERNET WEBSITES*

*(all addresses begin http://)

State

Dept. of Natural Resources Recreation Grants..................................... dnr.state.il.us/ildnr/offices/ocd/newgrnts.htm

C2000.........................................................................................................................dnr.state.il.us/c2000/c2000.htm

Illinois Arts Council ......................................................................................... www.state.il.us/agency/iac/dlines.htm

Illinois State Museum .............................................................................................................. www.museum.state.il. us

Federal

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)............................................................................. www.gsa.gov/fdac/

Department of Education.................................................................................................... www.ed.gov/funding.html

Department of Housing and Urban Development.............................................................. www.hud.gov/funds.html

Department of Interior ............................................................................................................... www.ios.doi.gov/nrl/

Department of Labor ....................................................................... www.dol.gov/dol/oasam/public/grants/main.htm

Environmental Protection Agency .............................................................................. www.epa.gov/regional/statelocal

Federal Emergency Management Agency ..................................................................... www.fema.gov/fema/5-in.htm

National Endowment for the Arts.......................................................................................................... arts.endow.gov

National Endowment for the Humanities ..........................................................www.neh.fed.us/htrol/applying.html

Foundation

The Foundation Center............................................................................................ fdncenter.org/aboutfc/about.html

Philanthropy Journal ............................................................................................. www.philanthropy-journal.org/

Other

TEA-21 ................................................................................................................................................... www.istea.org

National Trail Enhancement Clearinghouse.............................................................................. www.railtrails.org/ntec

Non Profit Resources Catalogue............................................................. www.clark.net/pub/pwalker/whats_new.html

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