The IDHS recognizes two kinds of match.
The first type of match is “cash” or “hard” match. Which is when the awardee utilizes its own money to match the monetary value of the award with whatever percentage of a match is required. For example, you receive an award of $500 and you need to match the award at 100%. A cash match would be using $500 from your own funding source to complete the project in addition to the $500 award, making your total project $1,000.00. If you are receiving a federal award, you may not match a federal award with other federal grant monies.
The second type of match is “in kind” or “soft” match. An in kind match is a non-monetary contribution made by the awardee that furthers, or is related to, the scope of the awardee’s project. Such non-monetary contribution can include staff volunteer hours (time), or purchases by the awardee of equipment that support the grant program.