JB Pritzker, Governor, State of Illinois

ISAC Program FY24 Funding – Budget Bills Approved

06/15/2023

Governor Pritzker has signed SB 250 (operating budget bill) and HB 3817 [budget implementation bill (BIMP)], which together provide funding and statutory authority for Illinois programs and services, including ISAC's programs for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24). Both bills were approved by the General Assembly during the legislative session that concluded on May 26, and were then forwarded to the governor for signature.

The bills are now considered law and are officially Public Act 103-0006 and Public Act 103-0008 (before considering printing, please note the documents are quite lengthy). ISAC's programs and services received very generous funding that includes increases to many of our programs, which will benefit Illinois students and their families.

The overall budget for the upcoming academic year is extremely positive for ISAC programs, and one of the biggest highlights is another significant increase to the Monetary Award Program (MAP), which has again resulted in historic funding for the program. Additionally, language in the BIMP bill provides for an increase in the annual maximum award amount. Beginning in FY24, the law will cap grant size at $10,896 per student per year, if funding allows. Please note that the maximum grant actually available each year – which is likely to be lower than the maximum allowed by statute – will be determined by the Commission when it approves a MAP recompute formula. For FY24, this will occur at the Commission's June 22nd meeting.

The Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program was also again the beneficiary of a significant increase in funding, which will likely lead to serving most, if not all, eligible applicants.

FY24 ISAC Program Appropriation Highlights

Monetary Award Program (MAP) – $701,566,200
Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program – $10,750,000
Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program – $8,000,000
Social Work Scholarship/Repayment Programs (combined appropriation) – $6,000,000
Nursing Education Scholarship Program (NESP) – $4,000,000
Grant Programs for Dependents of Police, Fire or Correctional Officers – $1,300,000
Illinois Teachers Loan Repayment Program – $975,000
Nurse Educator Loan Repayment Program – $500,000
Grant Program for Exonerees – $150,000
Veterans' Home Medical Providers' Loan Repayment Program – $26,400
AIM HIGH Grant Pilot Program – $50,000,000*

* AIM HIGH Program funds are disbursed in lump sums by ISAC to public universities.

As in recent years, the budget also includes a little more than $4.2 million for the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) to reimburse Illinois community colleges for the costs associated with waiving tuition and fee charges for Illinois Veteran Grant (IVG) and Illinois National Guard (ING) Grant recipients.

Other highlights of this legislative session include:

  • A new scholarship program, Illinois Graduate and Retain Our Workforce (iGROW) – for students in IT and related fields that will begin in the 2024-25 academic year.
  • An ISAC initiative that will allow recipients of the Minority Teachers of Illinois (MTI) Scholarship Program, Special Education Teacher Tuition Waiver (SETTW) Program and the Golden Apple Scholars of Illinois Program to have any amount owed prorated if they begin to fulfill their teaching obligation within 5 years, rather than immediately.
  • An expansion of applicant eligibility for the Human Services Professional Loan Repayment Program.
  • An expansion of the Community Behavioral Health Care Professional Loan Repayment Program to include certified alcohol and other drug counselors and certified recovery support specialists as eligible applicants, and an expansion of eligible facilities of employment (effective July 1, 2024).
  • Changes to the AIM HIGH Pilot Grant Program, which include making the program permanent, allowing students from families making up to 8 times (up from 6 times) the poverty level to qualify, allowing schools to extend eligibility to part-time undergraduates in their final semester, changes in the baseline Maintenance of Effort (MOE) used and new matching rates. A separate communication from ISAC to participating schools provides more details.

Please note that, as of this writing, although the above initiatives passed both houses, some have not yet been signed by the governor. We will continue to monitor the status of the bills for final approval.

With the approval of the budget, ISAC FY24 program implementation and operational activities will begin to move forward. As always, we will regularly provide updates and processing details regarding each of our programs as we proceed through the year.

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