Illinois Department of Human Services

The Community Access and Workforce Readiness Initiative (formerly Community Equity Grassroots E&T Initiative) will work with non-profit community based and/or faith-based organizations in economically disadvantaged historically marginalized communities to help program participants acquire education, training, and employment related skills to assist in finding and maintaining employment. The initiative must also ensure equitable access to services for individuals with justice system involvement, including those reentering the community after incarceration, recognizing the importance of connecting these individuals with trusted support systems that address barriers to employment, stability, and self-sufficiency.

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This program focuses on communities of color that have higher than average unemployment rates or lower educational attainment rates than the city-wide averages for the municipal areas that they are located in. Areas to be served of high poverty and low employment will receive priority regardless of the NOFO score. The priority of this program is also to serve anchor institutions within the above mentioned communities that have local relationships and a positive reputation as being centers of support and assistance for individuals struggling with all manner of personal problems. Employment services is the focus of this program but the local community-based institutions that DHS is targeting for these grants should be trusted organizations in the community that offer assistance directly or though referral and linkage for all manner of personal, psychosocial emotional, and /or financial challenges facing individuals in their local community.

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Nonprofit Organizations; Other;

This competitive funding opportunity is limited to applicants that meet the following requirements: •The applicant has met the Prequalification and Mandatory Requirements listed in this funding opportunity. •Services provided are in areas of high need as described above. Service areas must be communities struggling with high unemployment and/or high poverty rates. • Applicants must be not-for-profit or faith-based community-based organizations that prior to this application offered services to members of their communities at no cost to those being served.

Employment and Training services will be provided to those who are currently unemployed or underemployed and who live in economically underserved communities that are minority dominated. Services will be provided by community-based anchor organizations located in those same communities as the program participants they will be serving.

Project Grants

Human Services

As required in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

B. The applicant must meet the Registration, Pre-qualification and any other Mandatory Requirements listed in this funding opportunity. 1. Applicants must provide the following information via the Grantee Portal annually to be registered with the State of Illinois as an awardee: a. Organization name and contact information b. Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN) c. Unique Identity Number (UEI) d. Organization type 2. Applicants must be prequalified; therefore, applications from entities that have not prequalified prior to and are not prequalified on the due date of this application will NOT be reviewed and will NOT be considered for funding. Items a) through e) below are the prequalification requirements. a. Unique Entity Identifiers and SAM Registration: Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or State awarding agency that is exempt from those requirements under 2 CFR § 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal or State awarding agency under 2 CFR § 25.110(d)) is required to: i. Be registered in Sam.gov before the application due date. ii. Provide a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) in its application. iii. Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by the awarding agency. iv. The State Agency may not make an award until applicant has fully complied to all UEI and SAM requirements. v. The State Agency may determine that an applicant is not qualified if they have not complied to requirements and use that determination as a basis to award another applicant or applicants. b. Must be in "good standing" with the Illinois Secretary of State if the Illinois Secretary of State requires the entity's organization type to be registered. c. Must not be on the Illinois Stop Payment List d. Must not be on the Sam.gov Exclusion List e. Must not be on the Medicaid Sanctions List (DHFS Provider Sanctions List) iv. Risk Review A. Requirements: 1. IDHS conducts risk assessments for all awardees, prior to the award being issued. a. An agency wide Internal Control Questionnaire (ICQ) to be completed by the awardee within the Grantee Portal. The ICQ evaluates fiscal, administrative, and programmatic risk in the following categories: i. Quality of Management Systems ii. Financial and Programmatic Reporting iii. Ability to Effectively Implement Award Requirements iv. Awardee Audits b. A program specific Programmatic Risk Assessment conducted by the awarding agency to evaluate the following categories: i. Programmatic financial stability ii. Management systems and standards that would affect the program. iii. Programmatic audit and monitoring findings iv. Ability to effectively implement program requirements. v. External partnerships vi. Programmatic reporting c. Risk assessments are not intended to be punitive in nature, rather they are conducted in order to evaluate the support, technical assistance, and training that may be needed for the awardee and the level of monitoring that is needed for the award. d. Risk assessments may result in Specific Conditions being placed on the award to include more frequent monitoring or the implementation of a corrective action plan. 2. Simplified Acquisition Threshold - Federal and State awards a. This award is not anticipated to exceed the Simplified Acquisition Threshold defined in 48 CFR part 2, subpart 2.1 (OR) b. It is anticipated that grants under this award may receive award over the Simplified Acquisition Threshold define in 48 CFR part2, subpart 2.1. Potential grantees under this funding announcement may receive an award in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold. Therefore, the grantee is subject to the simplified acquisition threshold and related requirements. i. Prior to making an award with a total amount greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, IDHS is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through SAM. (Currently FAPIIS) (See 41 U.S.C. 2313) ii. That an applicant, at its option, may review information in the designated integrity and performance systems accessible through SAM and comment on any information about itself that a State or Federal awarding agency previously entered and is currently in the designated integrity and performance system accessible through Sam. iii. IDHS will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in the designated integrity and performance system, in making a judgment about the applicants' integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under State and Federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR 200.206

Application and other required documents are listed in the NOFO - 26-444-80-2459-01. 1. Applicants must electronically submit the complete application including all required narratives and attachments in the prescribed order: a. Program Narrative b. Uniform-Application-for-State-Grant-Assistance.pdf c. Grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure d. Budget (entered into the CSA system as described in section (4)(A) e. W-9 form 2. Applications must be sent electronically to DHS.ETNOFO@illinois.gov. The application will be electronically time-stamped upon receipt. The Department will ONLY accept applications submitted by electronic mail sent to DHS.ETNOFO@illinois.gov Include the following in the subject line: NOFO number and your agency name. Application submissions or delivery to any other email address or contact, including other IDHS offices or employees, will not be considered for review or funding. Applications will not be accepted if received by fax machine, hard copy, disk, or thumb drive.

Application Review Information is described in the NOFO and includes: Review Criteria 1. Evaluation criteria is based upon requirements set forth in 44 Ill Admin Code 7000.350 Merit Review of Applications and the IDHS Merit Review Manual. The review criteria and sub-criteria include the following: a. Applications will be evaluated based applicant’s response to the program narrative described in Section 4.i.3 Program Narrative and Contents. Each section will be weighted as described below. 2. Criteria and Weighting of each criterion a. Executive Summary - 5 points b. Description of Need - 15 points c. Agency Qualifications / Organizational Capacity - 35 points d. Quality - Description of Program Design and Services - 35 points e. Budget and Budget Narrative – 10 points A. The process for evaluation of the application is as follows: 1. Applications will be reviewed by a panel of up to 3 individuals selected from agency personnel. Reviewers will independently score applications then submit scoring to Agency Leadership. Reviewers may also convene to discuss application contents during review. B. The numerical score may not be the sole award criterion. The Department reserves the right to consider any factors such as: geographical distribution, demonstrated need, and agency past performance as a State of Illinois grantee, etc. While the recommendation of the review panel will be a key factor in the funding decision the Department maintains final authority over funding decisions and considers the findings of the reviewers to be non-binding recommendations. Any internal documentation used in scoring or awarding of grants shall not be considered public information.

A. State Award Notices 1. Applicants recommended for funding under this NOFO following the review and selection process will receive a Notice of State Award (NOSA). The NOSA shall include: a. Grant award amount b. The terms and conditions of the award c. Specific conditions, if any, assigned to the applicant based on the fiscal and administrative risk assessment (ICQ), programmatic risk assessments (PRA), and the Merit Review. 2. The applicant shall receive the NOSA through the Grantee Portal. The NOSA must be signed by the grants officer (or equivalent). This signature effectively accepts the state award amount and all conditions set forth within the notice. The signed NOSA is the document authorizing the department to proceed with issuing an agreement. The Agency signed NOSA must be remitted to the Department as instructed in the notice. 3. The notice is not an authorization to begin performance (to the extent that it allows charging to State awards of pre-award costs; pre-award costs are incurred at the non-State entities own risk unless they have received written prior approval to begin performance). 4. The authorizing document to begin performance is the fully executed Uniform Grant Agreement (UGA) signed by the grants officer, or equivalent. This is the official document that obligates funds. The UGA is sent to the non-State entity via the CSA system. The non-State entity will print and sign the signature page of the UGA and return signature page to DHS.OCA.SignaturePages@illinois.gov. A final signed copy of the UGA will be provided to the non-State entity via an upload into the CSA Tracking system. Note: The Department cannot issue an Agreement until the successful applicant has an approved budget entered into the CSA system. 5. Applicants who are not eligible due to registration or pre-qualification issues, or late applications will receive a Notice of Ineligibility prior to the Merit-Based Review. 6. Applicants who are not selected to receive an award following the Merit Review process will receive a Notice of Denial/Non-Selection. The Department reserves the right to negotiate with successful applicants to adjust award amounts, targets, deliverables, etc.

Deadlines for submission of this NOFO, for FY26, is May 15th, 2025 by 11:59 pm (CST).

From the date due of the Notice of Funding Opportunity or contract renewal, applicant's would be notified of acceptance or denial within approximately 30 to 45 days.

Competitive grant appeals are limited to the evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. Only the evaluation process is subject to appeal and shall be reviewed by IDHS' Appeal Review Officer (ARO). Submission of Appeal Appeals submission IDHS contact information: •Name of Agency contact for appeals: Charles Hopkins •Email of Agency contact for appeals: DHS.ETNOFO@illinois.gov •Email Subject Line: APPEAL 444-80-2459-01 An appeal must be submitted in writing to appeals submission IDHS contact listed above, who will send to the IDHS Appeal Review Officer (ARO) for consideration. •An appeal must be received within 14 calendar days after the date that the grant award notice has been published. •The written appeal shall include at a minimum the following: Name and address of the appealing party; Identification of the grant; and Statement of reasons for the appeal. Supporting documentation, if applicable Response to Appeal IDHS will acknowledge receipt of an appeal within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date the appeal was received. •IDHS will respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. •The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by IDHS within the time period set in the request. Resolution The ARO shall make a recommendation to the Agency Head or designee as expeditiously as possible after receiving all relevant, requested information. •In determining the appropriate recommendation, the ARO shall consider the integrity of the competitive grant process and the impact of the recommendation on the State Agency. •The Agency will resolve the appeal by means of written determination. •The determination shall include, but not be limited to: Review of the appeal; Appeal determination; and Rationale for the determination.

Successful applicants under this NOFO may be eligible to receive two subsequent one-year grant renewals for this program. Renewals are at the discretion of the Department and are based on performance and sufficient appropriation.

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All applicants will use grant funds according to the guidelines, conditions, and parameters set forth in this funding notice and in compliance with federal and state statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of any applicable federal/state awards.

A. Reporting upon execution of the grant agreement shall be in accordance with the requirements set forth in the UGA and related exhibits which include but is not limited to the following: 1. Program Evaluation Reporting Requirements: Providers will be required to participate in evaluation efforts as directed by the Department and/or its subcontractor(s) and collect and report data accordingly. Data will be submitted in the format prescribed by the Department. Providers will be required to participate in Department directed Performance and Standards Assessment reviews. A year-end program and performance measures and outcomes report will also be required. Additional data and information may be requested throughout the year as determined by the Department. 2. The Grantee is expected to report the following on a monthly basis via submission of the GATA required Periodic Performance Report (PPR's). a. All metrics outlined in the Performance Standards and Measures section above. 3. Periodic Financial Reports submitted electronically in accordance with instructions in the UGA no more frequent than quarterly and no less frequent than annually, unless unusual circumstances exist. 4. Periodic Programmatic Reports submitted electronically in accordance with instructions in the UGA no more frequent than quarterly and no less frequent than annually, unless unusual circumstances exist. 5. Close-out Performance Reports and Financial Reports as instructed in the UGA. 6. Other Unique Programmatic Reporting Requirements: additional annual performance data may be collected as directed by the Department and in the format prescribed by the Department. 7. If the State share of any State award may include more than $500,000 over the period of performance applicants are also subject to the reporting requirements reflected in Appendix XII to 2 CFR 200. Noncompliance with any of the identified reports may lead to being placed on the Illinois Stop-Payment List

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.

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.

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•The Department anticipates the availability of approximately $3,000,000.00 (total funding for NOFO) and funding 8-12 grant awards to provide this program. It is anticipated that grant awards will be approximately $150,000.00 to $850,000.00.

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Illinois Dept. of Human Services, Division of Family and Community Services -401 S. Clinton St., Chicago, IL 60607

www.dhs.state.il.us

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9/12/2022

FY 2022 : $4,196,302
FY 2023 : $2,000,514
FY 2024 : $2,660,477
FY 2025 : $2,607,360
FY 2026 : $3,000,000