(30 ILCS 780/5-30)
Sec. 5-30. Community Technology Center Grant Program.
(a) Subject to appropriation, the Department shall administer
the Community Technology Center Grant Program under which the
Department shall make grants in accordance with this Article
for planning, establishment, administration, and expansion
of Community Technology Centers and for assisting public hospitals,
libraries, and park districts in eliminating the digital divide. The purposes
of the grants shall include, but
not be limited to, volunteer recruitment and management, training and
instruction, infrastructure, and
related goods and services, including case management, administration, personal information management, and outcome-tracking tools and software for the purposes of reporting to the Department and for enabling participation in digital government and consumer services programs, for Community Technology Centers and public
hospitals, libraries, and park districts.
No Community Technology Center may receive a grant of more than $75,000 under
this Section in a particular fiscal year.
(b) Public hospitals, libraries, park districts, and State educational
agencies, local educational
agencies, institutions of higher education, senior citizen homes, and other public and
private nonprofit or for-profit agencies and organizations are eligible
to receive grants under this Program, provided that a local educational
agency or public or private educational
agency or organization must, in order to be eligible to receive grants under
this Program, provide computer access and educational services using
information technology to the public at one or more of its educational
buildings or facilities at least 12 hours each week. A group of eligible
entities is
also eligible to receive a grant if the group follows the procedures
for group applications in 34 CFR 75.127-129 of the Education Department General
Administrative Regulations.
To be eligible to apply for a grant, a Community
Technology Center must serve a
community in which not less than 40%
of the
students are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch under the national
school lunch program or in which not less than 30% of the students
are eligible
for a free lunch under the national school lunch program; however, if funding
is insufficient to approve all grant applications for a particular fiscal year,
the Department may impose a higher minimum percentage threshold for that fiscal
year. Determinations of communities and determinations of the percentage of
students in a community who are eligible for a free or reduced price lunch
under the national school lunch program shall be in accordance with rules
adopted by the Department.
Any entities that have received a Community
Technology Center grant under the federal Community Technology Centers Program
are also eligible to apply for grants under this Program.
The Department shall
provide assistance to Community Technology Centers in making those
determinations for purposes of applying for grants.
The Department shall encourage Community Technology Centers to participate in public and private computer hardware equipment recycling initiatives that provide computers at reduced or no cost to low-income families, including programs authorized by the State Property Control Act. On an annual basis, the Department must provide the Director of Central Management Services with a list of Community Technology Centers that have applied to the Department for funding as potential recipients of surplus State-owned computer hardware equipment under programs authorized by the State Property Control Act.
(c) Grant applications shall be submitted to the Department on a schedule of one or more deadlines established by the Department by rule.
(d) The Department shall adopt rules setting forth the required form
and contents of grant applications.
(e) (Blank).
(f) (Blank).
(g) Duties of the Digital Divide Elimination Working Group include all of the following: (1) Undertaking a thorough review of grant programs available through the federal |