Illinois Local Food Infrastructure Grant

Created by the Local Food Infrastructure Grant Act (505 ILCS 92) and administered by IDOA beginning Illinois FY2025. Assists Illinois applicants with purchasing, leasing, renting, building, or installing infrastructure to increase market access of Illinois agricultural products, including value-added processing, livestock processing, milling, dairy, refrigerated vehicles, food hubs, and community kitchens.

Illinois resident entities (registered to do business in Illinois, home-based in Illinois) that store, process, package, aggregate, or distribute value-added agricultural products, limited to: an Illinois farm, cooperative, slaughter/processing facility, food business, or food hub each with fewer than 50 employees; an Illinois nonprofit; or a unit of Illinois local government. Requires active GATA registration and SAM.gov qualification at time of application.

Individual project grants: $1,000–$75,000. Collaborative project grants (lead entity receives funds): $1,000–$250,000. 25% match required except for high-need projects (match waived). $1.8 million available for Illinois FY2027. Ineligible costs: labor, marketing/promotion, production agriculture (hoop houses, irrigation, breeding, animal housing), wages, travel, building purchase/rental, land acquisition. Statutory authority: 505 ILCS 92; 8 Ill. Adm. Code 340.

Pre-register in SAM.gov, the GATA Grantee Portal, and IL.amplifund.com (Euna Grants). Complete grantee pre-qualification (authentication, registration, fiscal/administrative and programmatic risk assessments) and maintain 'Qualified' status through the review date. Submit within Euna Grants. 2026 cycle: opens Feb 18, 2026, closes Mar 27, 2026, awards sent May 1, 2026, funds must be spent by June 30, 2026.