Grants

Sterling has been awarded over $300,000 in federal grant funding to improve road safety, U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Rockford, announced Monday.

Do it Best has a warehouse in Dixon.

Mt. Morris officials hope to have Zickuhr Park renovations started — and completed — next year. In January, the village of Mt. Morris received a $152,600 OSLAD grant to redevelop Zickuhr Park; the total cost of the project is $305,200.

The Rock Falls Facade Improvement Committee presented 7:24 Fitness on the Rock a check for $5,000 for their recent facade improvements, which included a new sign, new windows and doors, and paint.

DuPage County Board members could soon look for ways to spend $100,000 each to benefit county residents.

It might be an uphill swim, but Dixon Park District’s executive director believes the time is right to build an aquatics center.

During Monday’s City Council meeting, the council unanimously approved a motion to provide a letter of support to the LCCOA that will be used in its application to the T-Mobile Hometown Grants program.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources announces nearly $1 million for Natural Areas Stewardship grants.

Sweetbean Cafe and Bakery will use the grant to purchase a walk-in cooler and create service space for an espresso machine.

Libraries in 24th Senate District will receive a combined $308,000 in state grants this year

A.O. Marshall Elementary School teacher Maida Cornelio-Sauseda was presented with the Chicago Bears Classroom Legends award on Aug. 27.

Waiola Park in La Grange will get a significant upgrade next year thanks to a state grant the Park District of La Grange secured in January.

Amboy Fire Chief Jeff Bryant Sr. said the four-year grant helps pay for recruitment marketing efforts and covers the cost of onboarding, training and gear for new volunteer firefighters.

Wildcat Ridge subdivision residents claim the council is planning a sewer infrastructure project and possible annexation behind their backs. But Dixon city officials say there is no planned project, and the area would be too expensive for the city to annex and maintain.

The Healthy Forests, Wetlands, and Prairies Act would require Illinois to establish a grant program for local governments to restore degraded forests and prairies. State Senator Rachel Ventura from Joliet sponsored the bill.

The money comes from American Express and Main Street America's Backing Small Businesses grant program, which supports small businesses that positively impact the communities they serve.

State Sen. Mary Edly-Allen announced that two local fire protection districts in the 31st District are set to receive funding through the 2024 Small Equipment Grant Program.

Michael “Chester” Alamo-Costello, professor of art and design at the University of St. Francis, recently received a $6,000 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs to cover Alamo-Costello’s travel and project costs.

The grant funding will provide free tuition for accepted students into the University of St. Francis' CRSS program through June 2025.

Rock Falls city officials are seeking help from residents in identifying sites to test for hazardous substance contamination as part of an $800,000 Brownfields Multipurpose Grant the city received from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Sandwich receives funding from the DeKalb County Community Foundation develop new projects downtown.

The Romeoville Fire Department has partnered with Endeavor Health to offer tuition funding for minority students looking to become firefighters or EMTs.

Avenue A is being rebuilt from East Third Street to East 10th Street, with the exception of where it crosses Dixon Avenue, Rock Falls City Administrator Robbin Blackert said.

Group serves disadvantaged persons and people of color, including African Americans, women and persons with disabilities, in DuPage, Kane, Kendall and Will counties.

The Do it Best Foundation has announced a $5,000 grant has been awarded to Rock River Hospice and Home in Sterling.

State Senator Rachel Ventura led legislation through the Illinois senate this week which will create a grant program for local governments working to mitigate climate change.

The City of Lockport has begun the process or replacing the pedestrian bridge over the I&M Canal at 8th Street with assistance from the State of Illinois.

Joliet Junior College has received a grant from State of Illinois meant to improve its automotive technology program to address the growing demand for electric and hybrid vehicle maintenance and will soon offer a degree in the subject.

Maggie’s friends and coworkers at the Chana Education Center formed The Maggie & Amos Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, to keep their memories alive and help other schools and agencies with youth-related projects.

Lockport Township Park District, the village of Shorewood, Frankfort Square Park District and Manhattan Park District have been included among 111 parks and recreation projects for state grants.

Schools in Illinois' 49th District have received $38,549 in funding through the School District Library Grant Program for 2024, according to a statement from State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel.

The rollout of the new FAFSA form for college students seeking financial aid has encountered numerous glitches, creating stress for families trying to fill the form out quickly.

University of St. Francis in Joliet is among 10 institutions of higher learning in Illinois to get state funds to support programs that assist homeless students. The Illinois Board of Higher Education funds awarded total of $1.7 million in grants.

Almost nothing went exactly as planned with Polo’s two-year, multi-million dollar storm sewer project, but city officials still are happy with the end results.

Polo's $3.7 million Colden Street Project encompassed about 10.5 blocks, both in the downtown business district and in residential neighborhoods. It is meant to help alleviate water buildup on Illinois Route 26 — named Division Avenue in Polo city limits — during torrential rain events. The project took two years to complete and, although almost nothing went exactly as planned, city officials still say they are happy with the end results.

City Council members unanimously voted to purchase a 0.23-acre vacant lot along West First Street, between Second and Fourth avenues, for $30,000. There are plans to redevelop the property.

More than $3.7 million awarded for 19 Illinois recreational trail projects including a few in Will County

To support local holiday displays, ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus announced grants of up to $2,500 each for 18 northern Illinois communities as part of the annual ComEd Powering the Holidays Program.

The Joliet Police Department's Neighborhood Oriented Policing Team received a $1,500 grant from Walmart's Spark Good program.

Around 40 Mt. Morris residents gathered at the village hall on Aug. 1 to hear about the plan for redeveloping Zickuhr Park with the help of a state grant.

Federal money to replace lead water service lines in Amboy and Polo is on its way.

With the grant, the district can update the facility’s kitchen to an ADA-accessible teaching kitchen that will provide recreational and instructional opportunities, while also serving senior luncheons.

Dixon City Council members unanimously voted to give $40,000 to the Dixon Chamber of Commerce & Main Street to help match a state tourism grant that will fund a $180,000 marketing project

An Elmhurst University program that encourages underserved and uncertain students to embrace the idea of attending college has been awarded a highly competitive National Endowment for the Humanities grant worth $59,400.

Another stretch of trail has been completed, announced the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, which plans a celebratory gathering with special events at 10 a.m. June 10 at Danada Forest Preserve in Wheaton.

Still waiting on $6.5 million in grants, museum moves ahead on reconstruction plans.

Popus among 30 small businesses in Illinois and Wisconsin selected for grant program.

The Plainfield Park District received a $377,500 grant. The New Lenox Community Park District received a $600,000 grant.

A state grant will fund half the cost of the planned $680,000 development of a brand-new park in the Pick Subdivision called Pick Park.

Hufendick Farm will receive a $250,000 boost to help expand the family’s Plainfield butcher shop, the US Department of Agriculture announced.