Underwood Secures More Than $1.6 Million in Federal Funding for Affordable Housing, Environmental Cleanup, and Research
WASHINGTON — This week, Representative Lauren Underwood announced a new round of federal funding she has secured for affordable housing, environmental cleanup, and research in the 14th District.
As a member of the Appropriations Committee, Underwood has made securing federal resources for northern Illinois a top priority. The following funds will support programs in the 14th District with federal resources:
The Neighbor Project, Aurora, Illinois – $57,000
The Neighbor Project will receive $57,000 in federal funding from NeighborWorks America through the NeighborWorks Flexible Impact Grant program.
This grant will support efforts to lower housing costs, expand housing supply, spark economic opportunity, revitalize neighborhoods, and strengthen communities across Illinois’s 14th Congressional District. NeighborWorks America, a public nonprofit established by Congress in 1978, provides financial and technical support to nearly 250 local and regional partner organizations nationwide.
Rep. Underwood helped secure this funding through her work on the Appropriations Committee.
City of Ottawa, Ottawa, Illinois – $1,243,270
The City of Ottawa will receive $1,243,270 in federal funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Brownfields Cleanup Grant Program.
The grant will fund the cleanup of the former Beer Depot site at 429 W. Lafayette Street, which was previously used for oil and coal distribution from 1891 until the 1970s. The site, vacant since the 1970s and contaminated with semi-volatile organic compounds, metals, and pesticides, will be remediated to support community revitalization and economic redevelopment.
Rep. Underwood helped secure this funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and her work on the Appropriations Committee.
A Cubed Design LLC, Aurora, Illinois - $305,000
A Cubed Design LLC has been awarded federal funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant to develop an affordable, durable, and user-repairable refreshable braille display.
This project aims to address the high cost and limited accessibility of current refreshable braille technology, which hinders braille literacy and digital access for blind and low-vision individuals. The innovation has strong commercial potential in a rapidly growing market and is expected to benefit thousands of users within three years of launch, expanding access to education, employment, and digital tools for the blind and low-vision community.
Rep. Underwood helped secure this funding through her work on the Appropriations Committee.
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