Property Tax Relief Grant
The Property Tax Relief Grant provides Illinois school districts with state funds to replace abated property tax revenue, prioritizing high-tax districts using an evidence-based funding formula.
Funder: Illinois State Board of Education
Due Dates (Anticipated): January 2027 (PTRG application via IWAS) | March 2027 (Board resolution to county clerk) | April 2027 (Certification & resolution to ISBE)
Funding Amounts: Maximum pool up to $50 million statewide; individual awards calculated per district based on statutory formula and available appropriations; one-year grant, with ongoing funding implications.
Summary: Provides Illinois school districts with state funding to offset property tax abatements, prioritizing high-tax districts and impacting future base funding minimums.
Key Information: Grant not funded in FY26; next cycle anticipated for FY27; districts must abate taxes for two consecutive years to retain benefits.
Description
The Property Tax Relief Grant (PTRG) supports Illinois school districts in reducing the property tax burden on local taxpayers by providing state funds to replace a portion of abated property tax revenue. Established under the Evidence-Based Funding model and modified by Public Act 101-0017, the program prioritizes districts with higher operating tax rates relative to their peers. Grant amounts and eligibility are determined by a statutory formula involving the district’s real adjusted equalized assessed value (EAV), organization type, and local capacity percentage (LCP). The PTRG is structured to ensure that recipients who meet the requirements see ongoing funding benefits through increases to their Base Funding Minimum (BFM), impacting future state funding allocations.
