HCD Special Project Contracts
Tax Assistance Program
CSFA Number: 444-80-1252
STATE AGENCY INFORMATION
Agency Name
Department Of Human Services (444)
Agency Identification
DFCS
Agency Contact
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Short Description
Grantee will provide free tax preparation services to Illinois Department of Human Service customers and other low-income individuals.
In addition to free tax preparation services, customers will receive an education around tax credits such as the State and Federal Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC).
Information regarding free tax preparation will be made available to customers via the Tax Help and EITC flyers.
Federal Authorization
N/A
Illinois Statue Authorization
N/A
Illinois Administrative Rules Authorization
N/A
UGA Program Terms
A Notice of State Award (NOSA) is not an agreement. A NOSA is not a guarantee of an agreement. IDHS will publish its agreements in the CSA Tracking System after you return a signed copy of the NOSA to IDHS.
Please note the specific conditions identified for Section 3 of the NOSA. Please contact your DHS program representative within 30 days to implement a plan to address the identified issues within the next 90 days. Should you have any questions please speak with the DHS contact for your award.
•CODE of FEDERAL REGULATIONS Title 2: Grants and Agreements PART 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200)
•Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA), 30 ILCS 708/1
•Illinois Administrative Code
Eligible Applicants
Nonprofit Organizations;
Applicant Eligibility
Application is limited to public and private not-for-profit community-based organizations in Illinois that who received an award from the Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Community Services for the implementation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Job Placement program pursuant to DHS Funding Notice AND continue to meet the additional eligibility criteria below. a. Are in good standing with the Secretary of State. b. Complete the GATA pre-qualification process. All applicants are required to provide the requested information as outlined in this Continuation Notice to be considered for funding. Successful proposals will serve as the applicant’s program plan and budget for the grant period. Applicant agencies will not be eligible for a grant award until they have pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, www.grants.illinois.gov. During pre-qualification, Dun and Bradstreet verifications are performed including a c
Beneficiary Eligibility
Illinois Department of Human Service customers and other low-income individuals that are below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL).
Types of Assistance
Project Grants
Subject / Service Area
Human Services
Credentials / Documentation
N/A
Preapplication Coordination
Prior to applying for any Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), every applicant must first be registered and prequalified through the following steps. This must be done on or before the application's due date or their application CANNOT be accepted.
•Apply for or update their DUNS number (https://www.dandb.com/ ). This must be done yearly.
•Apply for or update their SAM registration and receive a SAM cage code. (https://www.SAM.gov) This must be done yearly.
•Be registered and in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State. (http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/ ) (This is not required of governmental entities and schools.)
•Register with the GATA/CSFA system at https://grants.illinois.gov/registration/ . The system will automatically check your registrations with the above mentioned systems. It will also check to see if your entity is on the federal excluded parties list and if your entity is on the State of Illinois Stop Pay/Compliance list. If your entity is not up-to-date on the registrations, or is l
Application Procedures
Potential grantees will find IDHS's Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOS) on both the GATA Catalog of State Financial Assistance and on the Illinois Department of Human Services website. A single unified application form has been designed for use with all grants. It will be used by all entities applying for any grant with any state agency. The specific conditions related to each grant will be addressed in the exhibit sections of the application, but the same form will be used by each state agency.
Applications must also include a budget. The budget form is also standard. The budget for any IDHS grant will be submitted via the Community Service Agreement System (CSA System) that is already in use by IDHS staff and current grantee/providers. Each division's program and fiscal staff will work with grantees to negotiate a budget for the final grant award. The budget may need to be revised over the course of the grant approval process or during the ongoing award. Grantees must complete the Fiscal and Administr
Criteria Selecting Proposals
Applications that fail to meet the criteria/requirements outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity will not be scored and considered for funding. Any application not fully submitted by the Application End Date will not be considered.
Scoring will not be the sole award criterion. The Department reserves the right to consider other factors such as: geographical distribution, demonstrated need, racial equity, past performance as a state grantee, etc. While recommendations of the review panel will be a key factor in the funding decisions, the Department maintains final authority over funding decisions and considers the findings of the review panel to be non-binding recommendations.
Award Procedures
Funding for the award period is not guaranteed. All applicants must demonstrate that they meet all requirements under the programs NOFO. Applications that fail to meet the criteria described in the "Eligible Applicants" of the NOFO will not be scored nor considered for funding. The Department will follow the Merit-based review process established by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget.
Final award decisions will be made by the Director of the Division of Family and Community Services at the recommendation of the Associate Director for the Office of Workforce Development. The Department reserves the right to negotiate with successful applicants to adjust award amounts.
Applicants recommended for funding under this NOFO following the review and selection process will receive a "Notice of State Award Finalist". This notice will identify additional grant award requirements that must be met before a grant award can be executed.
The NOSA must be signed by the grants officer (or equivalent). This signa
Deadlines
Deadlines for next NOFO, anticipated in FY23, are not yet established
Range of Approval or Disapproval Time
From the date due of the Notice of Funding Opportunity or contract renewal, applicant's would be notified of acceptance or denial within approximately 45 days.
Appeals
Only the Merit Based Review Process is subject to appeal.
The Agency Head or designee may appoint one or more Appeal Review Officers (ARO) to consider the grant-related appeals and make a recommendation to the Agency Head or designee for resolution.
An appeal must be submitted in writing and received within 14 calendar days of the non-award notice and must include the name and address of the appealing party, identification of the grant, and a statement of reasons for the appeal. The Department will provide an acknowledgement within 14 calendar days of receipt of the appeal and a response within 60 calendar days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required.
Renewals
The successful applicants under this funding notice may be eligible to receive up to two (2) subsequent one-year grant awards for this program. Renewal is contingent upon meeting various criteria including, but not limited to, the following considerations:
Grantee has performed satisfactorily during the previous reporting grant period;
All required reports have been submitted on time, unless a written exception has been provided by the Department/Division;
No outstanding issues are present (i.e. good standing with all pre-qualification requirements and no outstanding corrective action, etc.)
The release of this NOFO does not obligate the Illinois Department of Human Services to make an award. Work cannot begin until a grant agreement is fully executed by the Department.
Uses and Restrictions
Refer to Article VII of the Uniform Grant Agreement for requirements related to allowable costs. Refer to the Uniform Grant Agreement for restrictions.
Refer to the Uniform Grant Budget for total allowable costs and allowable costs by budget expenditure category.
The Department's program staff may have additional policies/requirements applicable to the program.
CODE of FEDERAL REGULATIONS Title 2: Grants and Agreements PART 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200)
Reports
Upon execution of the grant agreement, reporting shall be in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Uniform Grant Agreement and related Exhibits which includes, but is not limited to the following:
• Periodic Financial Report (PFR),
• Periodic Performance Report (PPR),
• Close-out Report at the end of the Agreement and Close-out Performance Reports
• Annual Audit in conformance with Audit Requirements set forth in the grant agreement.
Additional data may be collected as directed by the Department and in a format prescribed by the Department.
Audits
Grantee shall be subject to the audit requirements contained in the Single Audit Act
Amendments of 1996 (31 USC 7501-7507) and Subpart F of 2 CFR Part 200, and the audit rules and policies set forth by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget. See 30 ILCS 708/65(c); 44 Ill. Admin. Code 7000.90.
All grantees are required to complete and submit a Consolidated Year-End Financial Report (CYEFR) through the Grantee Portal. The CYEFR is a required schedule in the Grantee's audit report if the Grantee is required to complete and submit an audit report as set forth herein.
The CYEFR must cover the same period as the Audited Financial Statements, if
required, and must be submitted in accordance with the audit schedule at 44 Ill. Admin. Code 7000.90.
CYEFRs shall follow a format prescribed by Grantor.
Records
Grantee shall maintain for three (3) years from the date of submission of
the final expenditure report, adequate books, all financial records and, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to this Award, adequate to comply with 2 CFR 200.334, unless a different retention period is specified in 2 CFR 200.334 or 44 Ill. Admin. Code 7000.430(a) and (b). If any litigation, claim or audit is started before the expiration of the retention period, the records must be retained
until all litigation, claims or audit exceptions involving the records have been resolved and final action taken.
Account Identification
N/A
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
N/A
Program Accomplishments
This program assisted over 6,500 customers file tax returns with the IRS. Combined, these customers received over $14,000,000 in refunds.
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
N/A
Regional or Local Assistance Location
N/A
Headquarters Office
Illinois Dept. of Human Services, Division of Family and Community Services -401 S. Clinton St., Chicago, IL 60607 and 100 South Grand Ave. East, Springfield, IL 62707
Program Website
www.dhs.state.il.us
FUNDING INFORMATION
Funding By Fiscal Year
FY 2017 : $457,943
FY 2018 : $377,984
FY 2019 : $453,581
FY 2020 : $393,803
FY 2021 : $460,000
FY 2022 : $460,000
Federal Funding
None
Notice of Funding Opportunities
| Agency ID | Award Range | Application Range |
ACTIVE AWARDS
Agency ID | Grantee Name | Start Date | End Date | Amount |
FCSDG06232-FCSDG06232 | LADDER UP | 07/01/2024 | 06/30/2025 | 595,382 |