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Illinois State Designated Cultural Districts 2025 NODO

Program Overview

The State-Designated Cultural Districts program is an initiative that was launched in 2023 and is administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity’s (DCEO) Office of Economic Equity & Empowerment (OE3), formerly the Office of Minority Economic Empowerment (OMEE). To date, OE3 has designated ten (10) Cultural Districts, five in 2023 and five in 2024 to foster cultural growth, economic vitality, and community pride in regions across the State.

The purpose of this Notice of Designation Opportunity (NODO) is to designate an additional five (5) State-Designated Cultural Districts that build on existing strong cultural identities and promote economic development.

DCEO will competitively select no more than five (5) geographical areas as State-Designated Cultural Districts to receive a designation in early 2025. Those interested in applying for 2025 designations should submit their application via the guidelines outlined within the NODO. 

Priority will be given to proposed Cultural Districts that:

  • Are in a region that does not already have a State-Designated Cultural District;
  • Are in underserved areas with documented economic disinvestment;
  • Have development plans that include and prioritize the preservation of local businesses and retention of existing residents and businesses; and
  • Possess an education framework in place informed with a vision of food justice, social justice, community sustainability, and social equity.

Following the selection of the final designations, DCEO will make $3 million available through a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for designated Districts to apply for funding. This funding will be tailored to meet the needs of individual Cultural Districts and support the program’s goals of fostering economic development while preserving each community’s unique cultural identity. 

Eligible Applicants

Municipalities or 501(c)(3) organizations located in Illinois are eligible to apply to be a State-Designated Cultural District if the applicant:               

  • Demonstrates the community seeking certification has been historically impacted and is currently at risk of losing their cultural identity because of gentrification displacement, or the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Demonstrates a history of economic disinvestment.
  • Demonstrates strong community support for the Cultural District designation through active and formal participation by community organizations and municipal and regional government agencies or officials.

Multiple municipalities, 501(c)(3) organizations, and other units of local government (counties, townships, special districts, school districts) are encouraged to collaborate on applications with one (1) eligible entity serving as the primary applicant.

Registration and Pre-qualification

To be eligible for the program, applicants must have an active GATA registration and be qualified on the GATA Grantee Portal (https://grants.illinois.gov/portal/) at the time the application is submitted.  The portal will verify that the entity:

  • Has a valid FEIN number;
  • Has a current SAM.gov registration, SAM.gov registrations must be marked as “public” to allow the GATA Grantee Portal to expedite the review of the federal information;
  • Has a valid UEI number (https://sam.gov);
  • Is not on the Federal Excluded Parties List (verified at https://sam.gov);
  • Is in Good Standing with the Illinois Secretary of State (This is not required of governmental entities), as applicable;

Is not on the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Provider Sanctions list

FAQ's and Information Webinar

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document with questions about the process is available here.

Applicants are encouraged to attend a webinar. If you are unable to attend the webinar, a recording will be posted on this website.

  • Friday | November 1, 2024 | 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
  • Wednesday | November 6, 2024 | 10:00 - 11:00 AM
  • Wednesday | November 13, 2024 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Recording

Application Instructions

Applicants must fill out the documents outlined below and complete the Smartsheet Application Form by December 16, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. Late submissions will not be reviewed or accepted.

As part of the application, please submit the following documents via the File Upload Option within the Smartsheet Application Form: