Opportunity Overview
Open now. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) has opened the IGI – Grocery Rescue Program, Funding Opportunity Number FY27-3, under CSFA 420-35-3295. DCEO lists an application period from September 10, 2026 through June 30, 2027 at 5:00 PM. The public DCEO page does not separately identify a time zone, so Atlas does not infer one.
Funding
DCEO lists $4.5 million in estimated total program funding, approximately three to five anticipated awards, and an award range of $100,000 to $1.5 million. The program uses State funding. The FY27-3 NOFO Supplement requires an applicant contribution equal to 25% of total project costs, described as a 1:3 match. Match must come from documented non-State sources such as local, federal, or private investment; in-kind contributions and costs incurred before receipt and acceptance of the Notice of State Award do not count toward the match. Indirect costs are allowed only on operational expenditures, not capital expenditures.
Purpose and Eligibility
The program is intended to facilitate reopening grocery stores in low-access census tracts, preserve fresh-food access and economic stability, and keep suitable grocery buildings from falling into disrepair. Applicants must be pre-qualified through the Illinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) process. A qualifying project must reopen a grocery store at a specific Illinois location that experienced a grocery closure within the 12 months before application, and former owners involved in that closure are ineligible. The site must satisfy the current low-access tract test and have tract median family income below $116,620. Eligible structures can include qualifying for-profit and nonprofit corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, agricultural cooperatives, local governments, sole proprietors, and special-act corporations. Stores generally must fit the applicable grocery classification, derive no more than 30% of revenue from alcohol and tobacco, sell fresh foods, and prepare to accept SNAP and WIC.
Application Requirements
DCEO lists the NOFO Supplement, Program Application, Uniform Application, Uniform Budget, Mandatory Disclosure, and Conflict of Interest Disclosure among the required application materials. Submission is through DCEO’s SmartSheet application form. DCEO also lists a non-mandatory technical-assistance session for September 16, 2026 at 2:00 PM.
Atlas Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 72/100. This is a substantial Illinois food-access and community-infrastructure opportunity, and the FY27-3 NOFO Supplement now resolves the core match and applicant/site eligibility rules. Applicant-specific fit still requires a verified closed-store site, eligible ownership structure, documented match, GATA status, and project readiness.
N9+ Fit Score: 0/100. This program is focused on grocery-store rescue and food-access infrastructure. Atlas will not force a telehealth or remote physical-examination technology use case into the opportunity.
Next Action
Identify Illinois grocery operators and recently closed store sites that satisfy the verified current-round eligibility rules, confirm the 25% project-cost match, GATA status, project readiness, recipient history, and Email Opt-Out status before any outreach.
Official source: Illinois DCEO – IGI Grocery Rescue Program.