McLean County Farm Bureau presents Rural Development Grant funds to the Mt.Hope-Funks Grove FPD. Pictured (left to right) Firefighter/EMR R. McCallister, Firefighter/EMT E. Smith, McLean County Farm Bureau Manager Anna Zeigler, McLean County Farm Bureau Vice President Darren Davis, Assistant Chief J. Crowell and Firefighter/EMR R. Brown
McLean County has a recipient of an Illinois Farm Bureau Rural Development Grant aimed at elevating rural communities. Mt Hope-Funks Grove Fire Protection District was awarded $5,000 for a QTAC Trailer for Firefighting Skid Unit.
The QTAC Trailer will be used for a pumping skid unit to aid in extinguishing grass and field fires. It will also be used for areas that are hard to gain access to with a brush truck.
“We will be able to pull this [QTAC Trailer] with our UTV while allowing us to have our EMS skid unit in the back of the UTV. We will also be able to unhook the trailer near a water source to draft water to fill the tank and to provide other apparatus water” said Chief Fulk, Mt. Hope-Funks Grove FPD.
The QTAC Trailer is one of 23 projects from across the state that was awarded a rural development grant. IFB awarded $105,000 in its second year of the grant program, which is anticipated to return for a third year in 2026. The program provides resources, tools and support to help local communities and counties overcome challenges inherent in rural development projects, such as lack of funding and volunteers, complicated grant applications and others.
Seven of the projects are for emergency services and 16 are for rural development. Projects include grocery access, training for current and potential small business owners, a rural health clinic, community center upgrades, an intergenerational Boys and Girls Club, a new water tower, improvements for emergency communications and much more. In selecting grants, IFB searches for projects that will meet a need in a community, county or rural area and get residents excited about what is happening in their community.
“We had an amazing response in the second year of this program,” said Ryan Tate, IFB Associate Director of Local Government. “Illinois Farm Bureau is honored to provide funding to move these projects forward in rural communities and excited to see the positive impact these applicants are making in the areas of emergency services, economic and community development and quality of life. We are proud to make this investment, and we are thrilled to see county Farm Bureaus engaged in the program and working to build these local relationships.”
In addition to the grant program, IFB’s Local Government team has fostered rural development through conferences, publications and engagement with other organizations, such as the Governor’s Rural Affairs Council, Rural Partners, the Illinois Rural Health Association, USDA Rural Development and the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs.
Applications for the 2026 rural development grants are expected to open in October. For more information on the grant program, visit ilfb.org/rdgrants.
