Co-Leading Informational Grant's Session in Lewistown.
- Abi Amstutz
- Jul 21, 2025
- 3 min read
Local communities gain awareness of state funding sources at Extension program.
No matter the size of the community, there are always projects that need addressed. And many times, those projects are also in need of funding sources. A recent meeting facilitated by University of Illinois Extension helped community leaders connect with three state funding sources.
“As I work with our local government leaders, a common situation that comes up is the fact that many communities are not aware of all of the state’s grant programs,” explained Richard Proffer, Illinois Extension community and economic development educator. “I wanted to plan an event where rural town leaders could learn about the grant opportunities in an approachable format and take away practical information to help their communities.”
On February 18, the Rural Town Leader Funding meeting included presenters from the three largest state funding organizations: Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, and Illinois Office of Broadband. Nineteen rural community leaders representing eight towns and organizations, ranging from Bath to Canton, attended.
The presentations were tailored to the rural community audience to increase the practical takeaways for the leaders. DCEO’s North Central Regional Managers, Lauren Gibson and Mark Adams, talked about their programs aimed at total community and economic development. The topics included loans, grants, tax credits, incentives, workforce development programs, grocery store incentives, and small business development programs.
CEJA talked about the energy transition community grant. Matthew Swaine, CEJA grants manager, explained how this program came about and who could qualify (everyone in the room qualified, yet very few knew about it); the grant is based on the closing of coal mines and plants and is designed to ease the economic stress those closures created.
Lead for America Fellow Abi Amstutz-Spencer represented Illinois Office of Broadband. She talked about the state’s broadband programs along with her community work.
Bath Village Trustee Merritt Pratt shared with Proffer, “Why did we not know this before today?”
“You were right, Richard, we did not know what we were missing out on,” stated Jerad Schier, Manito Village Trustee.
There were attendees from outside Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties who were referred by one of the state agencies. Also, Economic Development and Infrastructure Project Leader Mark Slover, representing State Representative Travis Weaver, was in attendance.
The response from the meeting is a testament to the hunger for this type of information. One school district has applied for some of the broadband and CEJA grants. Three leaders took the information back to their town councils for review, to decide how best to proceed as a group.
*Abi's experience as a public speaker shined, her comfortability to discuss large impactful topics- such as community infrastructure, broadband adoption, and collaborative resourcing further exemplify her ability to think outside the box and engage with people from all walks of life. She was especially passionate about co-op funding and planning options for internet in rural communities, who are often left behind in technological development.
This event left a deep impression on her, which eventually led to the development of her presentation "Rural Connectivity" a robustly researched talk about the economic and social impacts of broadband adoption in rural America. You can view a copy of the slides and resources (from the NETC Conference 2025) here.
Originally published by IL Extension, from the Fulton, Mason, Peoria, and Tazewell counties and written by Richard Proffer. *Edits in this post made by Abigail Amstutz.
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