Section 340.30  Proposal Eligibility

a)         Allowable Costs

1)         All grant funding must be used for purchasing, leasing to own, renting, building or installing infrastructure related to the processing, storage, aggregation, or distribution of value-added agricultural products. [505 ILCS 92/15(4)]

2)         Allowable expenses include, but are not limited to, costs to purchase, lease, or install:

A)        Equipment used in the production of value-added agricultural products [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(A)].

B)        Sanitizing equipment.

C)        Milling or pressing equipment [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(B)].

D)        Honey processing equipment and packaging including mini extractors lines, extractors, uncappers, dehydrators, creamers, warmers, heated sumps, bottling tanks and bottlers.

E)        Syrup processing equipment and packaging including syrup evaporators, cookers, finishers, canners and bottlers.

F)         Creamery or milk product processing and packaging equipment [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(C)].

G)        Food hub development or expansion [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(D)].

H)        Cooler walls, freezers and refrigeration units [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(E)].

I)         Grading, packing, labeling, packaging, or sorting equipment [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(F)].

J)         Refrigerated trucks [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(G)].

K)        Custom exempt mobile slaughter units that meet all Federal and State regulations, including being licensed as an IDOA Type II slaughter/processing facility [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(H)].

L)        Livestock, meat, and poultry, processing equipment (including fixtures or equipment necessary to expand animal throughput, processing capacity, the amount or type of products produced or processing speed, equipment necessary for compliance with federal hazard analysis and critical control point (HACCP) plan) [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(H)].

M)       Agroforestry processing equipment [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(I)].

N)        Local fish, wild caught fish, and shrimp processing [505 ILCS 92/15(4)(J)].

O)        Aquaponic and or hydroponic equipment.

P)         Equipment for school meal scratch cooking (including, but not limited to refrigerators, freezers, ovens (convection, combi, or steamer), warming/holding equipment, serving tables (hot or cold), milk coolers, or dish machines.

3)         Grant funding may only be used for the project as described in the application.

b)         Ineligible costs. Grant funding cannot be used for any of the following parts of a proposal:

1)         Labor, marketing, or promotion or for the costs of production agriculture, including the costs for the purchase of hoop houses, irrigation, breeding, animal housing or other infrastructure related to starting or increasing agricultural production. [505 ILCS 92/15(4)]

2)         Wages or travel costs.

3)         Portions of a project that have already received funding or been reimbursed by another federal or state grant program.

4)         Purchase or rental of a building or facility.

5)         Land acquisition or associated fees.

c)         Grant funding cannot be used to recoup previously-spent money on the project.

d)         Grant funding can only be used for expenses incurred after the date of the application.