Family and Community Services

This funding will be used to provide Immigrant Legal Support Program (ILSP). Specifically, professional, affordable immigration legal services, and it aims to bolster immigration legal services, and meet the growing needs of the immigrant population in Illinois. The program is designed to provide comprehensive immigration legal services at scale. The program consists of four integral components, which are as follows: 1) Scalable Intake and Screening, 2) Pro-se and Limited-Scope Legal Services 3) Workshops 4) Referral Networks By incorporating these components into a centralized program, IDHS is committed to streamlining the processes to enhance access to legal services and foster collaboration among stakeholders to address the changing needs of immigrant communities effectively

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The Legal Services Framework will be centered on the following: 1.Invest in scalable intake and screening models. Such models can more efficiently identify legal needs, connect clients to appropriate services, and strengthen collaboration across different service providers while reducing duplication of effort. 2.Workshops. The program aims to facilitate the establishment of pro se or pro bono workshops that offer technical assistance and application support for immigrants identified as eligible for remedies through screenings. These workshops should be conducted regularly and at a scale that meets the demand. 3. Expand the provision of pro se and limited-scope legal services. To effectively meet the needs of the growing immigrant population at scale, the program will support an expansion of pro se and limited-scope legal services. This could include establishing pro se clinics for those unable to attend workshops, specialized workshops based on need, pro se support unsuitable for a workshop setting, information hubs or help desks to offer guidance, limited scope services, and dedicated staffing to assist individuals in addressing their documentation needs.? 4.Strengthen referral services by establishing referral policies and collaborating with existing referral networks.

Yes

Programs will be offered to immigrants, refugees and LEP clients and underserved populations of Illinois.

Nonprofit Organizations;

This competitive funding opportunity is limited to applicants that meet the following requirements: Is a not-for-profit organization located within the State of Illinois. Not-for-profit organization shall mean any not-for-profit corporation exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the internal revenue code. Has at minimum two (2) licensed attorneys on staff that are members in good standing of the bar of the highest court of any state in the country or U.S. territory; and have at least two (2) years of experience handling immigration remedies cases OR is have two (2) staff recognized and accredited by the OLAP under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Executive Office for Immigration Review for at least two (2) years. Has experience and successful track record of providing legal services to immigrant/refugee populations. Has knowledge and expertise in working with federal and state policies regarding immigrant and refugee legal status. Demonstrates understanding in ethnic diversity of the immigrant and refugee populations and the need for culturally and linguistically appropriate services unique to this program. Applicants seeking to serve as prime grantee/fiscal agent must also meet the following criteria: Have at least five years of successful experience in managing to manage sub-grants for direct services, including training, monitoring and service evaluation. The capacity to manage system planning and program operation. The capacity to provide technical assistance, collect service data and generate program reports using the data provided by the service providers. The capacity to provide program and fiscal monitoring. The applicant has met the Prequalification and Mandatory Requirements listed in this funding opportunity. Applicants must be prequalified; therefore, applications from entities that have not prequalified prior to the due date of this application will NOT be reviewed and will NOT be considered for funding. Successful Applicants will not receive an award if pre-award requirements are not met. Funding restrictions-See Section D for funding restriction impacting eligibility or no funding restrictions.

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Project Grants

Human Services

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Pre-Award Requirements All successful applicants are required to complete a risk assessment prior to execution of a grant award. The Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ) is one instrument used to assess risk of grantees by identifying an organization's potential weaknesses. The ICQ is accessed through the Grantee Portal.

Application Due Date and Time: July 31st, 2024

Applications that fail to meet the criteria described in Section C "Eligibility Information" will not be scored and/or considered for funding. All applicants / applications determined to be non-compliant or otherwise determined to be disqualified from consideration will be notified in writing, by email, upon determination. This email will be sent to the email addresses provided in the application and will identify the reason for disqualification. ALL applicants must demonstrate that they meet all requirements under this NOFO as described throughout. Grant applications received will be reviewed by IDHS staff, including staff from the Bureau of Refugee and Immigrant Services; persons with expertise on immigrant issues may also be included.

Applicants recommended for funding under this NOFO following the above review and selection process 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), programmatic risk assessments (PRA) and merit-based review. Note: The Department cannot issue a NOSA 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 the Department to proceed with issuing an agreement. The Agency signed NOSA must be remitted to the Department as instructed in the notice. The notice is not an authorization to begin performance (to the extent that it allows charging to State awards of pre-award costs at the non- State entity's own risk). A written Notice of Denial shall be sent to the applicants not receiving the award.

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Merit-Based Review Appeal Process 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: Karina Lopez · Email of Agency contact for appeals: Karina.Lopez@Illinois.gov · Email Subject Line: Appeal Immigrant Legal Support Program 25-444-80-3403 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: o Name and address of the appealing party; o Identification of the grant; and o Statement of reasons for the appeal. o 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: o Review of the appeal; o Appeal determination; and o Rationale for the determination.

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There is no cost-sharing requirement for this program.

The Program is designed to focus on providing services to immigrants and refugees navigate the immigration system.

Successful applicant will be required to submit: a) Monthly expenditure reports in the format prescribed by IDHS. b) Monthly program/service provision reports in the format developed jointly with IDHS. c) End of contract fiscal and program reports as required by IDHS.

Grantee will be subjected to monitoring/audit scheduled and delivered by the contract compliance unit.

The grantee is required to maintain program and fiscal records in accordance with GATA rules.

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GATA rules and regulations.

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Immigrant Integration, Refugee Social Services

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7/1/2024

FY 2025 : $12,000,000