At various times throughout the year the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity's Office of Employment and Training (OET) will solicit applications for projects to help us advance our mission.  Generally, funding for these initiatives will utilize federal funds from the U.S. Department of Labor under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, but other sources of funding may be available. The OET will issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) asking organizations to respond.  The NOFO is typically for a specific activity that is linked to the priorities of the State of Illinois Unified Workforce Plan.  Each NOFO will include detailed instructions for submitting an application.  These funding opportunities are limited to public and private organizations that are in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State.  DCEO selects the organizations whose responses best meets the evaluation criteria outlined in the solicitation.  

Anyone wishing to apply under one of these NOFOs must pre-qualify through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, www.grants.illinois.gov. During pre-qualification, Dun and Bradstreet verifications are performed including a check of Debarred and Suspended status and good standing with the Secretary of State. The pre-award process also includes a financial and administrative risk assessment utilizing an Internal Controls Questionnaire.

To receive additional information on Notice of Funding Opportunities subscribe to the Bidders List by filling out the subscription form for the email list.

​Search for Grant Opportunities throughout Illinois with the Illinois Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA) Search.