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SCALE

SCALE Program Under Construction...

Major Changes Ahead!

Application Deadline: TBD

The Streambank Cleanup And Lakeshore Enhancement (SCALE) program provides funds to assist groups that have established a recurring stream or lakeshore cleanup. Funds are typically used for safety attire, dumpster rentals, landfill tipping fees and promotional materials. Funds cannot be used for water quality monitoring, invasive species removal or food/drink. The two-year funding is provided by Illinois EPA through Section 319 of the Clean Water Act.

SCALE is limited to organizations that have an established, recurring streambank or lakeshore litter cleanup.  Projects are selected for funding based on their event’s proximity to Illinois EPA’s priority waters, the number of people participating in past events, and the size of the event area.

Changes to SCALE include:

  • Applicant must be pre-qualified in the Illinois Grants Portal (https://grants.illinois.gov/portal/)  before submitting a SCALE application (FEIN, DUNs Number, and SAM Cage Code required)
  • Submittal of the:
    • Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance (under development)
    • Uniform Budget Template
  • Completion of the Fiscal and Administrative Risk Assessment (ICQ) annually
  • Completion of the Programmatic Risk Assessment
  • Execution of the Uniform Grant Agreement (including specific budget breakdown) with Illinois EPA.
  • Submittal of receipts for grant expenses to Illinois EPA.

In 2018, applicants now have the option to apply for SCALE as either a Level 1 or Level 2 project.

Level 1 projects support a cleanup event(s) for the applicant organization and its partners.

Level 2 projects support the applicant organization cleanup event  plus Subawards to help other organizations conduct a cleanup (different location/waterbody and different date).

Level 2 projects require the Applicant/Grantee to:

  • Identify proposed Subaward recipients at the time of application.
  • Collect the Subaward recipient’s cost documentation and reporting requirements and submit them to Illinois EPA in a timely manner.
  • Provide a detailed budget at the time of application. In addition to the organization cleanup costs, the budget can include:
    • Administrative costs for management of Subawards.
    • Indirect Costs, if the Grantee has an approved state or federally negotiated Indirect Cost Rate. Or, with the submittal of proper documentation, the Grantee can use the 10 percent de minimus rate.
    • Salary; requires time sheets for the involved staff for 100 percent of their employed time (not just the grant work) throughout the entire 24-month project period.

SCALE’s mission remains... to support local community and citizen-organized lake and river litter collection events to maintain or improve local water quality.

Please visit this page for updates on SCALE and for the Uniform Grant Application, it will be posted soon.

Historical Scale Reports: