Notices of Funding Opportunities and Awards
Featured Funding Opportunity
Washington, D.C. | December 4 2026 | MEP Center State Competition (2026-NIST-MEP-01) | The NIST Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) is seeking competitive applications from eligible applicants to enter into a cooperative agreement with NIST to operate a MEP Center in the States of Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST MEP) Program is a nationwide network of Centers (referred to hereinafter as the MEP National Network™). The MEP National Network consists of NIST MEP, the MEP Centers located across the United States and Puerto Rico2, the MEP Advisory Board, MEP Center Boards, as well as over 1,440 trusted advisors and experts at approximately 460 MEP service locations, providing U.S. manufacturers with access to the resources they need to succeed. MEP Centers serve as trusted business advisors focused on transforming U.S. manufacturers’ ability to compete globally, supporting supply chain integration, providing access to technology for improved productivity, and supporting a strong manufacturing workforce.
MEP Centers work directly with area manufacturers in each state to provide expertise and services tailored to manufacturers’ most critical needs, ranging from process improvement and workforce development to business practices and technology transfer and implementation. Additionally, MEP Centers connect manufacturers with industry-led consortia, government and trade associations, universities, technical and community colleges, and research laboratories, and a host of other public and private resources to help manufacturers realize individual business goals.
Estimated Awards: 1 (Illinois). Total Funding: $29,056,495 (Illinois). Award Ceiling: $29,056,495 (Illinois). Closing Date: January 5 2026.
Funding Opportunities
Washington, D.C. | December 22 2025 | University Transportation Centers Program FY 2025 NOFO (UTCOPENCOMP2025) | In 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation selected through competition 35 University Transportation Centers Program grants authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021 to receive funds from Federal Fiscal Years 2022-2026. Now five of those UTCs are available again for a new competitive selection. These grants will receive three annual increments of funding totaling $33 million and will operate from 2026 to 2030, to establish and operate a university transportation center to advance transportation expertise and technology, provide for a critical multimodal transportation knowledge base out of the Department of Transportation, and address critical workforce needs and educate the next generation of transportation leaders. Estimated Awards: 5. Total Funding: $33,000,000. Award Ceiling: $3,000,000. Closing Date: February 20 2026.
Washington, D.C. | December 20 2025 | FY 2025 Continuum of Care Competition and Youth Homeless Demonstration Program Grants NOFO FR-6901-N-25 | *****[The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the 2025 Fiscal Year for public review. HUD understands this NOFO to be enjoined pursuant to a preliminary injunction entered in State of Washington, et al. v. HUD, No. 1:25-cv-00626-MSM-AEM (District of Rhode Island), and National Alliance to End Homelessness, et al. v. HUD, No. 1:25-cv-00636-MSM-AEM (District of Rhode Island). HUD will not implement or enforce this NOFO pending further court order. HUD will issue further clarification on the status of this or any other future Fiscal Year 2025 NOFO as necessary. HUD will provide further notice as to when the application portal will open.]***** The Continuum of Care (CoC) Program is designed to:promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness;provide funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, Indian Tribes or Tribally Designated Housing Entities [as defined in section 4 of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103) (TDHEs)], and local governments to quickly rehouse individuals and families experiencing homelessness, persons experiencing trauma or a lack of safety related to fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and youth experiencing homelessness while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused by homelessness;promote access to, and effective utilization of, mainstream programs and programs funded with State or local resources; andoptimize self-sufficiency among individuals and families experiencing homelessness.The goal of the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) is to support the development and implementation of a coordinated community approach to preventing and ending youth homelessness and sharing that experience with and mobilizing communities around the country toward the same end. The population to be served by the demonstration program is youth ages 24 and younger who are experiencing homelessness, including unaccompanied and pregnant or parenting youth. Estimated Awards: 7,000. Total Funding: $3,918,000,000. Award Ceiling: $25,000,000. Closing Date: February 25 2026.
Springfield, Ill. | December 18 2025 | Clean Energy Contractor Incubator | The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (the “Department” or “DCEO”) is issuing this Notice of Funding Opportunity to fund proposals establishing a network of Clean Energy Contractor Incubators. It is Illinois’ goal to increase business opportunities for clean energy contractors and nonprofits located in areas impacted by economic, social, and environmental challenges. This funding opportunity is targeting the following Hub locations/areas: Waukegan, Champaign, Danville, Kankakee. Estimated Awards: 4. Total Funding: $21,000,000. Award Ceiling: $2,500,000. Closing Date: February 16 2026.
Springfield, Ill. | December 18 2025 | Small Business Development Centers | The Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, which, through a shared cooperative agreement with the United States Small Business Administration (SBA), serves as host to the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Program Lead Center. Consistent with the U.S. Small Business Administration’s national program purpose, Illinois SBDCs deliver professional, high-quality, individualized, confidential one-on-one advising and technical
assistance to existing small businesses and pre-venture entrepreneurs. Centers provide professional assistance to help small businesses access capital, develop and exchange new technologies, and improve business planning, strategy, operations, financial management, personnel administration, marketing, export assistance, sales, and other areas required for small business growth and expansion, management improvement, increased productivity, and innovation. Estimated Awards: 10. Total Funding: $1,463,251. Award Ceiling: $525,000. Closing Date: “No specific due dates for applications.”
Washington, D.C. | December 15 2025 | VA Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) Program (VA-SSVF-2027) | Section 604 of the Veterans’ Mental Health and Other Care Improvements Act of 2008, Public Law 110-387 (codified at 38 U.S.C. § 2044), authorized VA to develop the SSVF Program. Supportive services grants are awarded to selected private non-profit organizations and consumer cooperatives that will assist very low-income Veteran families residing in or transitioning to permanent housing. Grantees will provide a range of supportive services to eligible Veteran families that are designed to promote housing stability. SSVF provides case management and supportive services to prevent the imminent loss of a Veteran’s home or identify a new, more suitable housing situation for the individual and his or her family; or to rapidly rehouse Veterans and their families who are homeless and might remain homeless without this assistance. VA is announcing the availability of funds for grants under the SSVF Program. Estimated Awards: 245. Total Funding: $855,000,000. Award Ceiling: $23,153,846. Closing Date: February 19 2026.
Washington D.C. | December 15 2025 | VA GPD Per Diem Only [and Service Center] NOFO (VA-GPD-PDO-FY2027) | VA’s Homeless Providers GPD National Program Office anticipates awarding new grants to community-based organizations to provide supportive housing services to facilitate Veteran engagement in permanent housing. These grants support the President’s priority to reduce homelessness and increase the excellence of and options for care, benefits, and services for veterans, as demonstrated in Executive Order 14296 – Keeping Promises to Veterans and Establishing a National Center for Warrior Independence. Awards are expected to be for three years starting on or around October 1, 2026. The goals and objective of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) are described in the Program Description section. Estimated Awards: VA anticipates awarding approximately 350 PDO grants for a total of approximately 10,500 transitional supportive housing beds and 15 SC nationwide.. Total Funding: Not specified. Award Ceiling: Not specified. Closing Date: February 18 2026.
Washington, D.C. | December 12 2025 | Endowments for Advancing the Humanities (20260210-CHE) | The purpose of this program is to fund 20-year term endowments that advance the humanities on college and university campuses and at independent educational institutions, specifically by building the organization’s capacity in research and teaching of Western civilization, American history and government, and civics. Estimated Awards: 5. Total Funding: $10,000,000. Award Ceiling: $5,000,000. Closing Date: February 10 2026.
Washington, D.C. | December 12 2025 | Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers ( 26-500) | The Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) program provides sustained support of materials research and education of the highest quality while addressing fundamental problems in science and engineering. Each MRSEC addresses research of a scope and complexity requiring the scale, synergy, and multidisciplinarity provided by a campus-based research center. The MRSECs support materials research infrastructure in the United States, promote active collaboration between universities and other sectors, including industry and international organizations, and contribute to the development of a national network of university-based centers in materials research, education, and facilities. A MRSECmay be located at a single institution, or may involve multiple institutions in partnership, and is composed of two to three Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), each addressing a fundamental materials science topic aligned with the Division of Materials Research (DMR). Estimated Awards: 5. Total Funding: $15,000,000. Award Ceiling: Not specified. Closing Date: January 27 2026.
Washington, D.C. | December 12 2025 | Collaboratory to Advance Mathematics Education and Learning (CAMEL) for K-12 (26-501) | The Collaboratory to Advance Mathematics Education and Learning (CAMEL) for K-12 initiative aims to advance mathematics learning and education through purposeful collaboration that draws on the interdisciplinary Science of Learning (including neuroscience; cognitive, developmental, and social sciences; computer science; machine learning; engineering; and education research), deep experiences in education practice and teaching, and innovations in the use of data science, AI and technology. Through an agreement with philanthropic partners, including the Walton Family Foundation (WFF), CAMEL consists of two phases. Phase I invites proposals for the creation of new research networks to support the generation of high value datasets that aim to advance math learning and education. These research networks must include researchers who study the basic science of learning, education practitioners, and data scientists. The high value dataset may come from either generating a new dataset or by increasing the value of an existing dataset. Phase II, open only to awardees of Phase I, establishes a “collaboratory,” which is a socio-technological platform that prioritizes community-building and capacity-building to sustain collaborative efforts to advance math learning and education in K-12. Expanding Participation in STEM, NSF Priorities and Gold Standard Science: NSF prioritizes cutting-edge discovery science and engineering research, advancing technology and innovation, and creating opportunities for all Americans. NSF has established priorities set forth by Congress, the administration and the NSF director to promoteNSF’s mission. Proposers should review the list ofNSF prioritiesand are encouraged to align their proposals with them, where appropriate. NSF also expects the highest standards of scientific rigor, integrity and adherence to appropriate tenets ofGold Standard Sciencein proposals, as appropriate for the field of science and research modality. Estimated Awards: 7. Total Funding: $9,000,000. Award Ceiling: $1,500,000. Closing Date: Proposals accepted anytime.
Washington, D.C. | December 12 2024 | NSF Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award (26-502) | The NSF Trailblazer Engineering Impact Award (TRAILBLAZER) program supports individual investigators who propose novel research projects with the potential to innovatively and creatively address new areas of fundamental or applied research, catalyze development of new industries or capabilities that increase the leadership position for the country, and/or make significant progress towards addressing a national need or grand challenge, particularly in current priority areas including, but not limited to, artificial intelligence (AI), bioengineering, quantum engineering, robotics, and nuclear engineering. TRAILBLAZER will support engineers and scientists who leverage their distinctive track record of innovation and creativity to pursue new research directions that are distinct from their previous or current research areas. All funded TRAILBLAZER projects will form an NSF TRAILBLAZER cohort, and principal investigators will be expected to participate in an annual meeting. TRAILBLAZER investigators may also be invited to additional activities. Estimated Awards: 5. Total Funding: $15,000,000. Award Ceiling: $3,000,000. Closing Date: July 24 2026.
Washington, D.C. | December 11 2025 | NEA Grants for Arts Projects 1, FY 2027 (2026NEA01GAP1) | Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) provides project-based funding for organizations in the areas of Arts Education, Challenge America, Dance, Design & Our Town, Folk & Traditional Arts, Literary Arts, Local Arts Agencies, Museums, Music, Opera, Presenting & Multidisciplinary Works, Theater & Musical Theater, and Visual and Media Arts. Funded activities may include a wide range of arts projects described in the application guidelines. Awards require a 1:1 cost share. We welcome applications from first-time and returning applicants; from organizations serving rural, urban, suburban, and tribal communities of all sizes; and from organizations with a range of operating budgets. Eligible applicants include: nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; and Federally recognized tribal communities or tribes. Estimated Awards: 2,000. Total Funding: $65,000,000. Award Ceiling: $100,000. Closing Date: February 12 2026.
Springfield, Ill. | December 9 2025 | National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program Round 3 Funding Updates | The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) remains committed to the installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargers through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. NEVI funds are initially directed to designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) to help build a national network of EV charging infrastructure. AFCs in Illinois are located along most Interstates. To be considered fully built-out, EV chargers must be spaced at a maximum distance of 50 miles apart and within one mile of the AFC. The third application period for Illinois’s NEVI grant program is open! This round of funding will provide up to $65 million for the construction and operation of light-duty and medium-/heavy-duty charging stations along Illinois’s public roadways, including Scenic Byways, U.S. Routes, and Interstates. Estimated Awards: “Will vary because there is no set minimum or maximum award.” Total Funding: $65,600,000. Award Ceiling: Unspecified (“No set minimum or maximum”). Closing Date: February 13 2026.
Washington, D.C. | December 9 2025 | Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants for Fiscal Year 2025 (FR-6900-N-34) | Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants support the implementation of a comprehensive plan that focuses on the revitalization of a severely distressed public housing and/or HUD-assisted housing project, while also improving the surrounding neighborhood and providing supportive services to improve quality of life outcomes for residents of the target housing project. Estimated Awards: 4. Total Funding: $75,000,000. Award Ceiling: $26,000,000. Closing Date: March 9 2026.
Springfield, Ill. | December 2 2025 | Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) | The Illinois GEAR UP (ILGU) Grant Program is designed to significantly increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. The GEAR UP Grant Program provides seven-year grants to provide services at high-poverty middle and high schools (across 12 Illinois schools districts) and through the first year of college. The services provided under this grant include: mentoring; outreach (e.g., family workshops, college visits), and supportive services (e.g., FAFSA Completion Nights, SAT/ACT Prep). A portion of the GEAR UP Grant will also be used to fund a District Coordinator for each of the schools districts participating in the grant. District Coordinators will be school-based staff, directly hired and supervised by each partner district. ILGU Coordinators will be recruited from the community, and will deliver direct services in accordance with the annual work plan developed in partnership between partner schools, the community, and ISAC. Estimated Awards: Unspecified. Total Funding: $1,354,000. Award Ceiling: Unspecified. Closing Date: January 2 2026.
Springfield, Ill. | December 1 2025 | Illinois Climate Pollution Reduction Grant: Community Geothermal Planning and Pilots Phase One Planning Grants | In July 2024, Illinois was announced as one of the recipients of an award under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grant program, created by the Inflation Reduction Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) awarded $430,251,378 to the State of Illinois to implement a variety of programs over the five-year grant period (2024-2029). Community Geothermal Planning and Pilots are one of these programs. The Community Geothermal Planning and Pilots program is designed to accelerate the deployment of community scale geothermal energy systems. These systems are intended to serve multiple buildings or clusters of homes rather than individual buildings or campuses. The program emphasizes projects that demonstrate measurable greenhouse gas reduction. Through a two-phase approach consisting of Phase One Planning Grants and Phase Two Pilot and Project Deployments, the IFA/CB will fund planning, design, and construction of community scale geothermal systems that demonstrate replicable, cost effective, and community driven models for decarbonized community or shared geothermal systems. The Community Geothermal Phase One Planning Grants will fund planning and design activities for projects that have already begun preliminary development and can demonstrate early progress toward community-scale geothermal deployment. Estimated Awards: 5. Total Funding: $1,000,000. Award Ceiling: $250,000. Closing Date: February 13 2026.
Grant Awards
Springfield, Ill. | December 25 2025 | Illinois Farmers to Benefit from $4 Million State Grant Program for Local Food-Sharing Networks | Illinois farmers and small food processors are poised to benefit from a new state initiative that will provide approximately $4 million in grant funding to help develop local food-sharing networks. The program, announced by the Illinois Department of Agriculture, targets farms and food processing businesses with fewer than 50 employees across the state. Recipients will be eligible for up to $75,000 for individual projects, while collaborative projects can receive up to $250,000. The grants are intended to strengthen local food systems, promote collaboration, and increase access to fresh, locally produced foods. The Illinois Department of Agriculture will open applications for the grant program in early January, encouraging small-scale producers and processors to apply and take advantage of this significant funding opportunity.
Washington, D.C. | December 18 2025 | More than a dozen Southern Illinois schools lose federal funding mid–school year | Several school districts across southern Illinois are facing the sudden loss of critical after-school programs following unexpected federal funding cuts midway through the school year. Officials from impacted school districts shared their concerns. They are being forced to shut down after-school programs, leaving families scrambling for childcare. The Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grant, administered by ACT Now Illinois, has been cut, impacting 32 schools statewide. Herrin Community Unit School District stated that it, along with 15 other districts in the region, including Du Quoin, will be affected.Du Quoin Community School District Superintendent Diana Rea says that funding supports after-school programs at all three of its schools, but The biggest impact will be on the elementary students. Rae said they were notified on Monday that their funding would not continue. The grant, which totaled approximately $1 million per year to Du Quoin schools, supported after-school programming, academic assistance, and student enrichment activities. Rae says 120 kindergarten through eighth-grade students rely on the after-school program each day.
Washington, D.C. | December 18 2025 | Trump administration to end grants for support services at many Illinois schools | When students at dozens of schools across Illinois return to class in January, they may find that support services they depend on, such as mental health programs and food pantries, have disappeared. The Trump administration informed ACT Now Illinois last week that it is discontinuing its Community Schools Grant, effective Dec. 31. The organization was supposed to receive $18 million in 2026 and another $37 million in the following two years, said Susan Stanton, executive director for the nonprofit that administers the grant. The grant supports programs in 32 schools with 19,000 students across 16 school districts. Two are Chicago Public Schools, while the other schools are in the suburbs or in rural communities.
Normal, Ill. | December 16 2025 | Town of Normal’s 2025 grants include nearly $3M for infrastructure, public safety and the library | The Town of Normal secured nearly $3 million in grant funding this year, including money for infrastructure, public safety and the library. The town’s 2025 grants include more than $2 million from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Special Bridge Program, aimed at replacing the Sugar Creek culvert running under Vernon Avenue near Linden Street. Town officials have not yet developed a timeline for that project.
Chicago, Ill. | December 8 2025 | Mayor Brandon Johnson, Office Of Reentry Announce New Microgrant Program To Support Returning Residents | Mayor Brandon Johnson, Mayor’s Office of Reentry Director Joseph Mapp, Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige, and United Way of Metro Chicago announced a $600,000 investment in reentry service providers which will allow organizations to expand support programs and mental health services for returning residents. The Returning with Hope Microgrant program is designed to strengthen Chicago’s reentry support network by investing in the work of smaller organizations while promoting collaboration between service providers…32 organizations, comprised of both individual applications and collaboratives, have been selected as grantees. Individual awardees will receive between $10,000 and $20,000 while collaboratives will receive between $50,000 and $60,000 to split amongst each other.
Wheaton, Ill. | December 2 2025 | DuPagePads receives historic $5 million grant from Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sánchez Bezos | DuPagePads operates the county’s first, around-the-clock interim housing shelter for people experiencing homelessness. The Wheaton-based nonprofit marked another first on Tuesday: the largest private gift in its history. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos have recognized DuPagePads with a $5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund. The 40-year-old organization plans to use the $5 million over the next five years to expand outreach, create year-round family overflow shelter and accelerate rapid rehousing for families, officials said in a grant announcement. The funds will also sustain educational and transportation supports for children experiencing homelessness.
Bloomington, Ill. | December 2 2025 | Rep. Eric Sorensen announces $5 million grant for Bloomington Transit Center | Congressman Eric Sorensen announced Tuesday that Connect Transit was awarded a $5 million federal grant for a new Downtown Bloomington transit center. The new center will provide a safe and covered place for commuters to board buses in the downtown area. The grant is from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emission grant program. The program provides funding to state and local government authorities for the purchase or lease of zero and low-emission transit buses.
Chicago, Ill. | December 2 2025 | Meridian Health Plan of Illinois Commits $1.15 Million to Expand St. Louis Area Foodbank Mobile Pantry Program | Meridian Health Plan of Illinois, Inc. (Meridian), a company of Centene Corporation (NYSE: CNC), announced it will provide a $1.15 million grant over the next three years to Food On The Move, a mobile food pantry program by the St. Louis Area Foodbank that brings healthy food to underserved populations and food deserts in urban communities and rural areas in Illinois. This partnership will deliver healthy food and essential resources to underserved communities across Illinois, aligning with Meridian’s Eat Well, Be Well initiative.
Post will be updated until the end of the month | Final update: January 7, 2026.
Information is provided as a courtesy | See the original notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) for application eligibility and requirements.