Illinois e-News Release

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will host a grant submission webinar for the Open Lands Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) matching grant program at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 15.

OSLAD provides funding assistance to local government agencies for the acquisition and development of land for public parks and open space. The program is administered by IDNR. Projects vary from small neighborhood parks to large community parks and nature areas.

The webinar will help potential grant applicants familiarize themselves with the OSLAD program and understand the components needed to complete a grant submission. Leading the webinar will be Upland Design’s Michelle Kelly, principal landscape architect, and IDNR’s Patrick Davis, grants manager and chief accountability officer for IDNR.

“OSLAD is one of the most popular competitive grant programs offered by the State of Illinois. The goal of this webinar is to help prospective applicants learn how to prepare and submit successful grant applications on behalf of their communities,” Davis said.

Go online to register for the webinar.

OSLAD provides funding to cover 100% of eligible projects located in economically distressed communities and up to 50% for all other communities. Grants of up to $1.7 million are available for land acquisition, while development and renovation projects are limited to a $600,000 grant maximum.