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FY 2026 Round 1 School Maintenance Project Grant

Open for Applications: October 16, 2025, to January 30, 2026

The Fiscal Year 2026 Round 1 School Maintenance Project Grant application period is open from Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, to 4 p.m. Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. Applications must be submitted through the School Maintenance Project Grants system accessed through IWAS by 4 p.m. Jan. 30, 2026 -- no exceptions.

There is approximately $40 million available for the FY 2026 Round 1 School Maintenance Project Grant. Grants will be approved up to the amount released by the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.

The School Maintenance Project Grant (SMPG) is a dollar-for-dollar state matching grant program that will provide awards up to $50,000 to grantees exclusively for the maintenance or upkeep of buildings or structures for educational purposes. Ongoing operational costs, including in-house labor for SMPG projects not contracted out, cannot be included for any School Maintenance Project Grant. A project may involve different types of work on a single building or on several buildings or structures. There is no limit to the cost of a project; however, grant awards shall not exceed $50,000 per grant award, and applicants shall provide a match from local funds equal to the grant amount requested. An applicant must not begin work on any of the projects listed on the application prior to submission of the application in IWAS. However, submission of the application does not guarantee a grant will be approved or awarded. All project activities must be expended or legally obligated within two years of disbursement by the state. If funds have been obligated by the grantee but not fully expended two years after disbursement, 90 calendar days will be allowed to liquidate all obligations.

Eligible Applicants: Any school district, cooperative high school, Type 40 area vocational center, special education cooperative established by school districts, Regional Offices of Education (ROEs), or Intermediate Service Centers (ISCs) may apply for the grant. Grantees that have not completed reporting or repayment requirements from the 2023 grant cycle will not be eligible for a new grant until the 2023 requirements are met.

A summary of the steps that are necessary to fully execute the FY 2026 Round 1 SMPG are as follows:

1. Complete and submit the SMPG Grant Application via IWAS. Local board approval is required for completion of this step. (A board resolution is NOT required.) NOTE: ROEs/ISCs can apply through the IWAS system this year.
2. Review and approval by regional superintendent within two weeks of submission.
3. Review and approval by ISBE School Business Services Department.

Please refer to these instructions when filling out the application.

Within each round, grants shall be awarded in order of the five priorities:

1. “Emergency projects” are projects made necessary by a disaster as described in School Construction Law, Section 5-30 (1). Conditions caused by age or lack of timely maintenance shall not constitute an emergency. Costs of an emergency project that are covered by insurance may not be claimed as part of an emergency project.
2. “Health/Life safety (H/LS) projects” are projects to remodel or improve an existing structure (within the existing exterior walls) to correct a violation of the Health/Life Safety Code for Public Schools (23 Ill. Adm. Code 180) or to provide handicapped accessibility or school security (e.g., providing a secure entrance or vestibule to prevent an active threat or active shooter). Applicants selecting H/LS as a source of local matching funds must have an approved amendment in the H/LS system.
3. “State priority projects” are projects necessary for energy conservation or that adapt a building or structure to better serve students in a specific program for which the applicant receives funding under the School Code (e.g., preschool education, school technology).
4. “Permanent improvement projects” are projects designed to upgrade or install building systems (e.g., air conditioning, electrical, or plumbing systems) or involve other improvements to a building or structure so that the building or structure is better adapted to the applicant educational programs.
5. “Other projects” that don’t fit in any of the above categories.

All grant awards will be awarded to emergencies first, followed by the H/LS priority, and then to the other priority levels until funds run out. Applications in the priority level where funds run out before all applications can be awarded will be ranked and awarded by the district’s need index within that priority level. The amendments that are required for H/LS priority level B must be approved prior to the submission of the grant application.

IMPORTANT REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANT RECIPIENTS:

• Quarterly expenditure reports are no longer required for FY 2026 due to Public Act 104-0391.
• ISBE will no longer monitor the completion of quarterly reports for the FY 2024 and 2025 grant cycles. Grantees can complete a final expenditure report for these years without completing quarterly expenditure reports.
• The final expenditure report is due within 20 calendar days after the project is completed. It should describe the use of the grant funds and actual project expenditures. If actual project expenditures are less than expected (so that the amount of the grant is greater than 50 percent of the total project expenditures), the applicant shall refund the amount of the grant that is in excess of 50 percent of actual project expenditures, including any interest earned on the unexpended portion.
• All project activities must be expended or legally obligated within two years of disbursement by the state. If funds have been obligated but not fully expended two years after disbursement, 90 calendar days will be allowed to liquidate all obligations.

Contact the School Business Services Department at SMPG@isbe.net​ or 217-785-8779 if you have questions.