African American AIDS Response Act
AAARA
CSFA Number: 482-00-1345
STATE AGENCY INFORMATION
Agency Name
Department Of Public Health (482)
Agency Identification
IDPH: Office of Disease Control
Agency Contact
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Short Description
The African American AIDS Response ACT (https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2738&ChapterID=35) was created as a special fund to support programs to prevent HIV transmission, ensure HIV treatment access, and strengthen the capacity of HIV disease service delivery systems within the African American community in Illinois. The fund provides resources to support an HIV/AIDS service delivery system that reduces the disparity of HIV infections between African Americans and other racial/ethnic populations in Illinois
Federal Authorization
N/A
Illinois Statue Authorization
The African American AIDS Response ACT (410 ILCS 303)
Illinois Administrative Rules Authorization
N/A
Objective
The African American AIDS Response ACT (410 ILCS 303) https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=2738&ChapterID=35) was created as a special fund to support programs to prevent HIV transmission, ensure HIV treatment access, and strengthen the capacity of HIV disease service delivery systems within the African American community in Illinois. The fund provides resources to support an HIV/AIDS service delivery system that reduces the disparity of HIV infections between African Americans and other racial/ethnic populations in Illinois. 2. Services There are five (5) Service Components for which respondents may apply. Component A—Core HIV Prevention Services Core HIV Prevention Services includes HIV testing services, including linkage to medical care/case management, partner services, and referrals to essential support services; risk reduction, effective interventions for individuals most at risk for HIV infections; risk reduction, effective interventions for persons living with HIV (PLWH). When applying for Component A, applicants will: a. Have current documentation of a Physician Standing Order and CLIA waiver for conducting HIV testing; b. Focus on reaching African-American persons at greatest risk for HIV infection and unaware of their status; c. Attain and maintain an annual new diagnosis HIV seropositivity rate of 0.7%; d. Conduct confirmatory HIV testing for every person with a reactive rapid test result; e. Submit an HIV Surveillance Case Report for every client testing HIV positive; f. Link individuals with newly diagnosed HIV to medical care within 30 days of HIV diagnosis; g. Refer 100% of individuals with newly diagnosed HIV to partner services; h. Provide services in a culturally competent manner; i. Implement health education and risk reduction effective interventions with fidelity; j. Ensure staff members assigned to implement HIV, STD, VH testing and those assigned to implement risk reduction services have successfully completed the following trainings: i. Confidentiality and Security Training; ii. HIV Prevention Home Study Course; iii. IDPH HIV/STD Risk Reduction Counseling Training; iv. Risk Based HIV Testing Training. k. Adhere to all IDPH policies and procedures. Component B—Capacity Building Capacity building includes activities resulting in a measurable improvement in an organization's ability to fulfill its mission through a blend of sound management, strong governance, and dedication to assessing and achieving results. Examples of capacity building activities include but are not limited to: a. Enlisting consultant services for the following: i. Grant writing; ii. Donor development/fundraising; iii. Quality assurance/management; iv. Accounting related to an audit; v. Establishing a negotiated indirect cost rate (NICRA); vi. Board development; vii. Fiscal management; viii. Other b. Training staff in the following: i. Leadership development; ii. Effective communication; iii. Phlebotomy/venipuncture; iv. Project management; v. Team building; vi. Computer skills; vii. Presentation and facilitation; viii. Time management; ix. Community Health Worker Course Work; x. Certified Health Education Specialist Training/Exam; xi. Other c. Marketing: with IDPH preapproval and preauthorization prior to release or posting of any materials. (Grant funds cannot be used to purchase promotional or “giveaway” items.) Component C—Prevention to Care Navigation Prevention to Care Navigation involves guiding clients to health care systems, actively referring clients to case Illinois Department of Public Health - Office of Performance Management Page 6 of 13 (Updated 4/2021) management, assisting with linkages to health insurance and transportation, identifying and reducing barriers to care, and tailoring health education to the client to support their full engagement in care. Respondents are expected to hire and train at least one new staff person to assist PLWH, whether new
UGA Program Terms
As stated in grantee's grant agreement.
Eligible Applicants
Nonprofit Organizations;
Applicant Eligibility
Applicants must have received a grant award for the African American AIDS Response Act Capacity Building Grant in calendar year 2022.The following agencies shall be eligible to apply Alliance Care 360, Christian Community Health Center, Community Wellness Project, FOLA Community Action Services, Men & Women in Prison Services, INC, Proactive Community Services, Sisters Helping Each Other, South Side Help Center, Springfield Urban League, INC, Taskforce Prevention and Community Lineages, Universal Family Connection, INC, Writers, Planners, Trainers INC
Beneficiary Eligibility
N/A
Types of Assistance
Project Grants
Subject / Service Area
Public Safety
Credentials / Documentation
N/A
Preapplication Coordination
Applicants must meet standards set forth in the African American AIDS Response ACT (410 ILCS 303)
Application Procedures
All grant applications must be submitted through EGrAMS by 4:30 p.m. December 14, 2022. To successfully submit the grant application, the application must first be validated to ensure it is free of errors. The applicant must then promote the application to the Authorized Official Certification stage. The applicant must then complete all fields in the Certification section, save the application, and submit it to IDPH for review. The applicant will receive an email generated by EGrAMS to indicate the application has been submitted and received
Criteria Selecting Proposals
The African American AIDS Response Act Capacity Building Grant is a two (2) year renewal grant. This funding opportunity shall only be available to grantees who received an African American AIDS Response Capacity Building Grant in 2022. The following agencies shall be eligible to apply Alliance Care 360, Christian Community Health Center, Community Wellness Project, FOLA Community Action Services, Men & Women in Prison Services, INC, Proactive Community Services, Sisters Helping Each Other, South Side Help Center, Springfield Urban League, INC, Taskforce Prevention and Community Lineages, Universal Family Connection, INC, Writers, Planners, Trainers INC. Only complete applications in compliance with all application requirements shall be reviewed. During its review, IDPH may contact the applicant for additional information if what is contained in the original application is incomplete or unclear. Health-Equity Based Review A significant portion of the application review will be based on how the application abides with the following areas: A) Addressing all components of the IDPH Health Equity Checklist B) Reference the Health Equity Definition C) Incorporation of key definitions from the IDPH Health Equity Checklist D) Reference to culturally and linguistically appropriate services E) Focus on the Social Determinants of Health Health Equity Checklist Applying this checklist to all IDPH grant applications will assist and guide applicants to review their existing practices and provide a structure for them to modify their practices in a way that promotes health equity. The Health Equity Checklist walks entities through considerations for assessing health equity by posing 7 questions and action steps to engage disparately impacted populations and to assess the short and long-term impacts of health inequities within these communities. Health Equity Definition The proposed program should aim to reduce health disparities and health inequities where they exist. Differences in the incidence and prevalence of health conditions and health status between groups are commonly referred to as health disparities. Health equity, then, as understood in public health literature and practice, is when everyone can ‘attain their full health potential’ and no one is ‘disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their social position or other socially determined circumstance.”1 This definition is taken from IDPH’s Health Equity Checklist. Given that social disparities are rooted in institutional structuring, quality and controls of the underlying infrastructure and resource sectors that support the community members, it is imperative that participating entities engage in a structured inquiry that identifies unmet social determinants of health that communities of color are enmeshed within which have resulted in population-based disparities. Understanding health equity is essential for all participating agencies to engaged in intervention strategies, reflect on social determinants of health, and promote health equity in research, development, practice, and evaluation. Incorporation of Key Definitions from IDPH Health Equity Checklist The Health Equity Checklist from IDPH includes key terminology to incorporate. These terms will help guide the awardees in developing strategies that are shared across other public health organizations. These key definitions address health inequities in research and practice. Incorporating health equity terms into the lexicon will not only improve communications between communities but will also help engage diverse stakeholders. This is a step towards shifting the paradigm on how to approach and view health. Please address the Health Equity checklist as a referral to terms that are used most frequently to discuss health disparities, health equity and minority health The detailed list of the key definitions can be found in the Health Equity Checklist. For more information on Health Equity termi
Award Procedures
Applicants who complete an application approved by the Department's HIV/AIDS Section shall receive a grant agreement.
Deadlines
December 14, 2022
Range of Approval or Disapproval Time
The Department intends to award applicants within six weeks of completion of an agreement
Appeals
Merit-Based Review Appeal Process For competitive grants, only the evaluation process is subject to appeal. Evaluation scores or funding determinations/outcomes may not be contested and will not be considered by the Department's Appeals Review Officer. To submit an appeal, the appealing party must: o Submit the appeal in writing and in accordance with the grant application document through IDPH's Merit-Based Review Appeal Request Form available in the GATA section of the IDPH website (www.dph.illinois.gov/GATA). o Appeals must be received within 14 calendar days after the date that the grant award notice was published. o Appeals must include the following information: ? The name and address of the appealing party ? Identification of the grant ? A statement of reasons for the appeal ? If applicable, documents or exhibits to support statement of reason The IDPH Appeals Review Officer (ARO) will consider the grant-related appeals and make a recommendation to the appropriate Deputy Director as expeditiously as possible after receiving all relevant, requested information. o The ARO must review the submitted Appeal Request Form for completeness and acknowledge receipt of the appeal within 14 calendar days from the date the appeal was received. o The ARO will utilize an Appeal Review Tool to consider the integrity of the competitive grant process and the impact of the recommendation. Illinois Department of Public Health - Office of Performance Management Page 13 of 14 (Updated 4/2021) o The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by the agency within the time period set in the request. o The ARO shall respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. Documentation of the appeal determination shall be sent to the appealing party and must include the following: o Standard description of the appeal review process and criteria o Review of the appeal o Appeal determination o Rationale for the determination In addition to providing the written determination, the grant-making office may do the following: o Document improvements to the evaluation process given the findings and re-review all submitted applications. o Document improvements to the evaluation process given the findings and implement improvements into the following year's grant evaluation process. o Provide written notice to the appealing party as to how the identified actions will be remedied. Appeals resolutions may be deferred pending a judicial or administrative determination when actions concerning the appeal have commenced in a court of administrative body.
Renewals
This is a two-year renewal for grantees who received a grant agreement for the African American AIDS Response Act Capacity Building Grant in calendar year 2022.
Uses and Restrictions
Grant funds may not be used for institutional, organizational, or community-based overheard costs or levies that do not provide services to the African American AIDS Response Capacity Building Grant.
Reports
Quarterly progress and fiscal reporting through Provide Enterprise is required
Audits
As required by the Department's HIV/AIDS Section.
Account Identification
0326-48251-4900-0000
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
$150,000.00 to $600,000.00 per grant year.
Program Accomplishments
Applicants are expected to achieve goals contained within their application
Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature
The African American AIDS Response ACT (410 ILCS 303).
Regional or Local Assistance Location
N/A
FUNDING INFORMATION
Funding By Fiscal Year
FY 2017 : $430,000
FY 2018 : $1,418,000
FY 2019 : $1,000,000
FY 2020 : $1,000,000
FY 2021 : $998,999
FY 2022 : $998,999
FY 2023 : $5,998,999
FY 2024 : $5,000,000
Federal Funding
None
Notice of Funding Opportunities
| Agency ID | Award Range | Application Range |
TOP 5 ACTIVE AWARDS
Agency ID | Grantee Name | Start Date | End Date | Amount |
38780026L | Alliance Care 360 | 01/01/2023 | 06/30/2025 | 2,076,456 |
38780025L | Community Wellness Project | 01/01/2023 | 06/30/2025 | 1,615,350 |
38780032L | South Side Help Center | 01/01/2023 | 06/30/2025 | 1,530,475 |
38780095L | Christian Community Health Center | 01/01/2023 | 06/30/2025 | 1,315,183 |
38780030L | Proactive Community Services | 01/01/2023 | 06/30/2025 | 911,424 |