444

The mission of AmeriCorps is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic participation through service and volunteering. The following non-federal entities (all of which are defined in 2 CFR 200.1) are eligible to apply: - Indian Tribes - Institutions of higher education - Local governments, including school districts - Nonprofit organizations - State of Illinois agencies, departments, and commissions Organizations that propose to operate only in Illinois must apply through Serve Illinois Organizations that propose to operate AmeriCorps programs in more than one State or Territory must apply directly to AmeriCorps. Serve Illinois works under the leadership of the Commission of Volunteerism and Community Service to distribute and administer Illinois AmeriCorps State funding from AmeriCorps, the federal agency. AmeriCorps and Serve Illinois' legal authority to award these grants is found in the National and Community Service Act of 1990, as amended, (NCSA) (42 U.S.C. 12501 et seq.) Serve Illinois considers new cost reimbursement proposals from any eligible applicant, as defined above, to: - Assess the feasibility and fit to AmeriCorps with applicants’ ideas. - In close partnership and assistance from select Serve Illinois staff: develop internal controls, hire and train new staff and/or re-focusing and training existing staff, develop AmeriCorps specific policies and procedures, train in the areas of AmeriCorps member recruitment, enrollment, member supervision, and cost-reimbursement grant management. These various products will be developed in a structured, iterative process during the planning period using Serve Illinois’s Program Manual.

45 CFR Part 2522

20 ILCS 505

77 Ill. Adm. Code 2250

Under the Southern Border Arrival (SBA) Assistance Corps model, nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and other community groups will work within their communities in aiding asylum seekers in the process of integration and long-term stabilization. Applicants will develop program models based on the needs of their community to support asylum seekers with access to services such as housing, early childhood services, health care needs, workforce opportunities, and other services, connected to aiding asylum seekers transitioning into new communities. The AmeriCorps members recruited in this program model should be bilingual, culturally competent, trauma-informed, and inclusive of diverse stakeholders. Specifically, being familiar with each community’s resource infrastructure in all participating cities, towns, villages, and municipalities across Illinois. Successful applicants will implement an AmeriCorps program that focuses on developing an AmeriCorps SBA Assistance Corps to provide comprehensive support strategies aimed at facilitating the integration and resettlement of SBAs through the deployment of AmeriCorps members. Priority areas for support include: i. Case Management-Providing guidance and support to SBAs throughout their resettlement journey. ii. Housing-Coordination of Services towards Permanent Housing. iii. Legal Assistance-Facilitating access to essential legal services, including assistance with work permits, Pro Se workshops, and application support. iv. Education-Coordination of Services to Access Early Childhood, K-12, Adult Education/ESL Services as well as building staff and teaching capacity in school districts after direct placement of members. v. Health Care Coordination-Ensuring access to necessary healthcare services and resources. vi. Employment-Coordination of Services for Job Training, Entrepreneurships, and Professional and Occupational Licensure, where eligible. vii. Applicants may choose one or multiple priority areas and do not need to provide support in all areas to be considered.

Yes

i. The Provider will comply with applicable Terms and Conditions for FY 2024 AmeriCorps State and National Grants and General Grant and Cooperative Agreement Terms and Conditions. ii. The Provider will comply with member recruitment and selection requirements as outlined in AmeriCorps' regulations at 45 CFR §§ 2522.210 and Part 2540, subpart B. iii. The Provider will ensure that each member has sufficient opportunity to complete the required number of hours of service to qualify for the education award. iv. The Provider will adhere to all requirements outlined in the AmeriCorps' Program Director's Manual. v. The Provider will conduct National Service Criminal History Check (NSCHC) requirements as outlined in the NSCHC Manual. vi. The Provider will recruit and retain the allocated number and type of slots (e.g., full-time, half-time) of AmeriCorps members. vii. The Provider will recruit and retain members who are bilingual, culturally informed on the new arrivals’ experience and needs, and inclusive of diverse stakeholders. viii. The Provider will provide services to only SBAs in the service area that work towards meeting the specified outcomes and outputs that align with primary services, addressing the focus area(s), and, if applicable, engaging volunteers in accordance with the approved program plan. ix. The Provider will supervise and train members throughout their service term as outlined in the approved program plan. x. The Provider will provide all members with AmeriCorps uniforms, service gear, personal protective equipment and all other service materials required to accomplish the member's service hours. xi. The Provider will participate in Illinois AmeriCorps scheduled meetings and trainings (including Program Director's meetings, AmeriCorps national/regional offerings and regional trainings). xii. The Provider will certify member enrollment in My AmeriCorps Portal for all members within eight calendar days of the AmeriCorps members' starting a term of service. xiii. The Provider will host or co-host two national service days. All sites will host/co-host an event for the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday. The Provider will also host/co-host a second event and it is at the discretion of the Provider to select from one of the following options: Global Youth Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, 9/11 Remembrance Day or Veteran's Day. xiv. The Provider will host a National Service Opening Day event/activity at the program site no later than six weeks from the start date of the program. xv. The Provider will host or co-host an AmeriCorps member recognition event/activity during AmeriCorps week. -The Provider must notify the Associate Director of Office of Community & Positive Youth Development (OCPYD) at Karrie.Rueter@illinois.gov and the Bureau Chief of the Bureau of Volunteerism and Community Support at Cory.Blissett@illinois.gov of any of the following incidents involving AmeriCorps members within 24 business hours of the incident: 1) serious threat or violence to self or others, 2) death, 3) suicide/suicide attempt, 4) violence between AmeriCorps members and staff or participants and 5) any allegation of abuse or neglect reported to the State’s Central Registry (DCFS) or local law enforcement agency.

ALL;

The following non-Federal entities (all of which are defined in 2 CFR 200.1) are eligible to apply: - Indian Tribes - Institutions of higher education - Local governments, including school districts - Nonprofit organizations - State of Illinois agencies, departments, and commissions Applicants must have a valid System Award Management (SAM) registration and Unique Entity Identifier to receive an award. Serve Illinois and AmeriCorps encourage new organizations that have not received prior funding from AmeriCorps to apply.

N/A

Formula Grants

Human Services

N/A

GATA Registration and Prequalification Eligible applicant entities must be registered and prequalified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal. Additionally, any sub- recipient must also be registered and prequalified through GATA upon application.

Electronic Application Submission in eGrants Applicants must submit applications electronically via eGrants, AmeriCorps' web- based application system. AmeriCorps recommends that applicants create an eGrants account and begin the application at least three weeks before the deadline. Applicants should draft the application as a Word document, then copy and paste the text into the appropriate eGrants field no later than 10 days before the deadline. The applicant's authorized representative must be the person who submits the application. The authorized representative must use their own eGrants account to sign and submit the application. A copy of the governing body's authorization for this official representative to sign must be on file in the applicant's office. Applicants should contact the AmeriCorps Hotline at (800) 942-2677 or via eGrants Questions if they have a problem when they create an account, prepare, or submit the application. AmeriCorps Hotline hours are posted. Be prepared to provide the application ID, organization's name, and the name of the Notice to which the organization is applying. If the issue cannot be resolved by the deadline, applicants must continue working with the AmeriCorps Hotline to submit via eGrants. Submission of Additional Documents All documents must be submitted to AmeriCorps by the Prime Applicants (State Service Commissions or National Directs). i. All applicants must submit to IDHS/Serve Illinois: (a) Evaluation briefs, reports, studies. Please refer to Section E Application Review Information in this NOFO and Mandatory Supplemental Information found here: FY 2024 AmeriCorps State and National Grants Mandatory Supplemental Information, for detailed instructions by evidence tier. (b) Labor union concurrence (if applicable) (c) All applicants regardless of funding level are required to submit an Applicant Operational and Financial Management Survey to the OFMS using this online form. Submitting this online form sends it directly to AmeriCorps. ii. Entities applying on behalf of a Federally Recognized Tribe (new and recompeting) Tribal organization eligibility documentation (Refer to Section C.1 Eligible Applicants) iii. Additional State Documents (a) Uniform Grant Application for State Grant Assistance (b) Grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure iv. Additional documents must be emailed to DHS.ServeIllinois.NOFO@Illinois.gov with the following subject line: “Legal Applicant Name” – “Application ID Number.” Emails should include: (a) Legal applicant name and its point of contact information; (b) Application ID number; (c) List of documents that are attached to the email by filename, labeling each document type according to the above numbered list; and (d) Individually attached files that are clearly labeled, and that include the legal applicants name and application ID number within the file name and heading of each document. (i) To ensure that all required additional documents are considered, please provide each document as a separate single file, labeled appropriately. Please do not send multiple documents in one combined file, and do not send a single document in multiple files. (ii) If the size of an applicant’s files requires multiple emails, please also include an ordering system in the subject line, such as “(1 of 3)”. Failure to submit the required additional documents, following the email instructions in this section by the deadline may have a negative effect on the assessment of your application. Do not submit any items that are not requested in this Notice or Application Instructions. AmeriCorps National/IDHS/Serve Illinois will not review or return them.

Program Staff will conduct an initial eligibility review to determine if an application meets the eligibility requirements published in this Notice and will advance to the next stage of the process.

Applicants selected for funding will receive a Notice of State Award (NOSA). The NOSA shall include: - Grant award amount - The terms and conditions of the award. - Specific conditions, if any, assigned to the applicant based on the fiscal and administrative (ICQ), and merit-based review. Note: IDHS cannot issue an award until the successful applicant has an approved budget entered into CSA. 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. This signed NOSA is the document authorizing IDHS/Serve Illinois to proceed with issuing an agreement. The Agency signed NOSA must be remitted to IDHS/Serve Illinois as instructed in the notice.

Specific deadlines are outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Varies

Appeals submission IDHS contact information: Name of Agency contact for appeals: Kristen Bethke Email of Agency contact for appeals: DHS.ServeIllinois.NOFO@illinois.gov

Continuation applicants must submit an application in order to be eligible to receive funding. Continuation applicants must follow the requirements for continuation application content as outlined in the Application Instructions. If an applicant is unsure if their organization is considered a continuation applicant, please email DHS.ServeIllinois.NOFO@illinois.gov for clarification.

Applicants are required to match funds based on the information below. The applicant's match can be non-AmeriCorps cash and/or in-kind contributions. Applicants must indicate whether the match is proposed or secured. Applicants must demonstrate the ability to meet the match requirement at the time of application submission. A first-time successful applicant is required to match at 24 percent for the first three-year funding period. Starting with year four, the match requirement gradually increases every year to 50 percent by year ten, according to the minimum overall share chart found in 45 CFR 2521.60 and below. AmeriCorps Funding Year 1, 2, 3 (24%), 4 (26%), 5 (30%), 6 (34%), 7 (38%), 8 (42%), 9 (46%), 10 (50%)

All applicants will use grant funds according to the guidelines, conditions, and parameters set forth in this funding notice and in compliance with federal statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of any applicable federal awards. Please refer to 2 CFR 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, PART 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles to determine the appropriateness of costs. Allowable costs: (a) Allowable costs are those that are necessary and reasonable based on the activities contained in the Scope of Work, are justified in the Budget Narrative, and are allowable under Subpart E of 2 CFR 200. It is expected that administrative costs, both direct and indirect, will represent a small portion of the overall program budget. Any budget deemed to include inappropriate or excessive administrative costs will not be approved. Program budgets and narratives must detail how all proposed expenditures are necessary for program implementation. Unallowable costs: (a) Please refer to 2 CFR 200 - Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards, PART 200 Subpart E - Cost Principles to determine the appropriateness of costs. In addition, and specific to this grant, the following costs will be unallowable without specific prior written approval from IDHS: (i) Entertainment costs, except where specific costs that might otherwise be considered entertainment have a programmatic purpose and are authorized in the approved budget (2 CFR 200.438) (ii) Capital expenditures for general purpose equipment, including any vehicle regardless of cost, buildings, and land (2 CFR 200.439) (iii) Capital expenditures for improvements to land, buildings, or equipment which materially increase their value or useful life (2 CFR 200.439) (iv) Food, and other goods or services for personal use of the grantee's employees, contractors, or consultants of the grantee unless authorized as per diem under the State of Illinois Governor's Travel Control Board (2 CFR 200.445). (v) Deposits for items, services, or space

Recipients are required to submit a variety of reports that are due at specific times during the life cycle of an award. All reports must be accurate, complete, and submitted on time. Upon execution of the grant agreement, reporting shall be in accordance with the requirements set forth in the Uniform Grant Agreement and related Exhibits.

Subject to monitoring visits, desk reviews, AmeriCorps audits, and Fiscal Administrative Review (FAR) audits.

The Provider is required to maintain until December 31, 2031, adequate books, all financial records and supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to this Award. 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. The Provider agrees to provide or make available all records related to this grant upon request.

N/A

N/A

Varies

Numerous

Any Regulations, Guidelines, or Literature necessary for program implementation will be provided by the DHS Program Office responsible for managing this program grant at no cost to the provider.

DHS.ServeIllinoisNOFO@illinois.gov

AmeriCorps State and National

https://serve.illinois.gov/

Formula Traditional, Formula Fixed, Competitive Fixed, Competitive Traditional, and Public Health AmeriCorps

See https://serve.illinois.gov/

FY 2025 : $3,000,000