Section 3060.40  State Pheasant Fund Grant Program

a)         Eligibility Requirements

1)         Eligible recipients are limited to appropriate not-for-profit organizations.

2)         Eligible projects are limited to projects with the purpose of wild pheasant conservation.  The projects may include land acquisition, pheasant habitat improvement on public or private land, pheasant research or education of the public regarding pheasants and pheasant hunting.

b)         Application Procedures

1)         Grant applications for funding assistance under this program shall be submitted to the Department at One Natural Resources Way, Springfield, Illinois 62702-1271, Attention:  Office of Resource Conservation.  The application deadline will be August 1.  Application forms and instructions are available through the Department.  Applications received after the deadline will be returned to the applicant and not considered by the Department.

2)         Applications shall contain all of the following required information:

A)        the name and address of the applicant

B)        the name of a contact person

C)        a daytime telephone number and e-mail address (if available) for a contact person

D)        a comprehensive project description with justification, including:

i)          plan for implementation

ii)         map of project area

iii)        number of acres to be improved

iv)        amount  of habitat to be established or managed, including species to be planted or eliminated

v)         if with cooperators, plat map showing each property to be developed and copy of a farm program contract for each committed cooperator involved in the project or estimated acreage.  (Committed cooperators will be given priority over estimated acreage.)

vi)        target audience for education projects, with objectives, methodology, measurable outcomes and products resulting from the project that can be used after completion

E)        comprehensive plan for the operation and maintenance of the project, including supervision, estimated costs (including any and all fees) and storage location, if applicable

F)         a comprehensive funding/budget summary, including:

i)          actual cash contributions other than the grant amount

ii)         documented purchase price of equipment or commodities

G)        description of plan for general public access or use (or lack thereof)

H)        signature of the applicant or authorized individual for applicant

c)         Project Evaluation and Procedures

1)         All applications received on time and containing the information required by the application packet will be reviewed by Department staff.  Incomplete applications will be returned to the applicant for completion and resubmittal.  Submitting an incomplete application does not extend the application deadline beyond the designated deadline date.  All complete, eligible and timely applications will be forwarded to the State Pheasant Committee for funding recommendations.

2)         The State Pheasant Committee shall evaluate  and prioritize each application according to the following criteria: completed application, past grant performance of the applicant, eligibility, feasibility, adverse impacts, quality of the proposed habitat, priority for the Department, the applicant's cost-share match and the applicant's plan for general public access to and/or use of the proposed habitat development or equipment purchase.  The Committee shall provide to the Director all eligible applications and a prioritized list of recommended projects deemed to be consistent with the purposes of the State Pheasant Fund.

3)         The Director shall make the determination of what grants shall be awarded after considering the recommendations of the State Pheasant Committee.  Applicants shall be notified of the Director's decision.

(Source:  Amended at 32 Ill. Reg. 19781, effective December 4, 2008)