(525 ILCS 31/20)

Sec. 20. Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Grant Program.

(a) The Illinois Natural Areas Stewardship Grant Program is established to make grants to conservation land trusts for the purpose of promoting stewardship actions on eligible lands.

(b) A conservation land trust in good standing with the federal Internal Revenue Service may apply for a grant.

(c) An agency, organization, or entity that has taxing powers, collects taxes, or has eminent domain powers is not eligible to apply for the grant program under this Act.

(d) Eligible land held by agencies, organizations, or other entities may be the recipient of stewardship actions conducted under the grant as long as there is a properly executed agreement between the agency, organization, or entity and the conservation land trust that has been awarded the grant.

(e) The Department shall adopt administrative rules in consultation with the Commission for grant writing, the selection of grant recipients, amount of grant awards, and eligibility requirements to implement the purposes of this Act. However, the rules shall include the following requirements:

(1) amounts for match and caps for any stewardship grant under this Act; and

(2) the Commission shall be notified of any agreement between a conservation land trust and an owner of eligible lands for stewardship actions to be conducted under the grant agreement.

(Source: P.A. 100-420, eff. 8-25-17.)