FY27 CAR Father Engagement Pilot – Positive Relationships

This grant award will have an initial period of performance starting in FY27 (07/01/2026 (or upon execution of the agreement) through 06/30/2029). A budget should be submitted for FY27 only. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Community-Based Father Support & Engagement Prevention Program has been developed by the Department to increase services to fathers and male caregivers in the community and to fill the gap in community services and address the prevention needs available for fathers. The Department will use this pilot to continue evaluation, implementation and forging fatherhood initiatives and interventions that improve children’s safety, permanency, and wellbeing. Prevention/intervention services include support groups, educational trainings, case navigation classes, male-only curriculum-based and co-parenting classes, parent-child supervision/coaching and workshops that enhance their understanding of, and navigation through, the child welfare process. Peer fathers/facilitators with lived experience will be an integral part of the program and receive training to facilitate father-focused engagement activities using trauma-informed methods and approaches to coaching fathers. The program aims to increase fathers' active and positive engagement in their children's lives. Fathers have a critical role to play in children’s physical, emotional, and social development; and are essential partners in the prevention of maltreatment and achievement of timely permanence. Higher levels of father involvement are associated with lower levels of child neglect; and children who live in fatherless households often face higher risks of physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect than children who live in households with a father present. The purpose of the program is to: 1. Strengthen child and family well-being through the development, improvement, and expansion of prevention focused community-based services for fathers and male caregivers. 2. Understand which program components (processes, tools, resources, activities, etc.) are effective in: • Improving relationships between children and their father/male caregivers. • Increasing positive parenting practices. • Decreasing occurrences of child maltreatment. • Reducing court involvement with families. Provider will focus on the following engagement strategies: • Activities to Promote and Sustain Health Marriage and Co-Parent Relationships: Skill-based relationship education; Mentoring or informal modeling; Coaching; Advocacy for two-parent involvement with children • Activities to Improve Parenting Skills and Knowledge: Curriculum-based parenting education; Mentoring or informal modeling; Coaching; Promoting responsible parenting • Activities to Increase Fathers’ Level of Involvement with their Children: Support and advocacy for navigating the legal system; Support groups and assistance; Coaching; Case management • Activities to Facilitate Personal Transformation: Case management service; Curriculum-based responsible fatherhood education; Mentoring and informal modeling; Coaching; Support groups; Linkages to existing services • Activities to Improve Fathers’ Level of Connectedness with their Community: Linkages to existing services; Advocacy Provider will use community-based secondary prevention activities to support fathers and male caregivers in increasing: 1. Engagement in parenting classes. Father led workshops, classes or seminars that focus on effective communication skills, age-appropriate discipline strategies, and basic child development. 2. Attendance in support groups to promote deeper connections to their children’s social, emotional, and physical well-being, a place for fathers to connect and unpack the social and emotional traumas so that they can overcome challenges and have support through their process while sharing resources and other necessary resolutions. (bi-weekly, 90 minutes each) 3. Availability of trainings and workshops to build stronger family foundations with an emphasis on trainings that focus on maintaining positive relationships, strategies for bonding and spending quality time with the child(ren) and how to work collaboratively and effectively with the other parent/system. 4. Family mediation, legal, and custody related support including case navigation classes outcomes for children and families in and out of systems. Services include referral and minor fees associated with obtaining the right documentation to stabilize for being a placement resource to their children. 5. Opportunities for relationship building, co-parenting support, and father/child activities that facilitate and encourage father-child focused activities to build bonds between the father and child. This includes community and home-based activities. Provider will offer services to fathers and male caregivers that include working with a fatherhood engagement specialist that offers flexible meeting times that include evening and weekend support. The Provider is required to participate in one or more of the following evaluation activities carried out by the Department over the course of the period of performance: • Client data collection • Interviews and focus groups with clients/project participants and Provider staff • Direct program observation • Client assessments/surveys ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ REFERRAL DECISION-MAKING CRITERIA The Provider will accept all eligible fathers and male caregivers referred from, but not limited to, community based social service providers, DCFS/child welfare professionals, self-referrals and court systems. The Provider will maintain a process to track referrals. Information requested on the referral form includes living situation, phone number, child welfare involvement status, and their willingness to participate ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TREATMENT GOALS/SERVICE PLANS Provider will adhere to the evidence based/ evidence informed model/curriculum identified and agreed upon under this Agreement. The Provider will partner with participants by providing father friendly support utilizing a trauma informed, family-centered approach through the implementation of applicable support groups, educational trainings, one on one coaching sessions, case navigation classes, male-only parenting classes, and workshops that promote the protective factors. Progress will be assessed through outcome and evaluation data collected and analyzation tools specific to the curriculum/model. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STAFFING QUALIFICATIONS Direct Service - Fatherhood Coordinator: Minimum supervisory staff qualifications: bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology or related field from an accredited school, or bachelor’s degree from an accredited school with combination of experience and knowledge of basic child welfare and development. Masters degree preferred. Facilitator: facilitates bi-weekly parent classes and workshops specifically for fathers. Minimum qualifications: bachelor’s degree in social work, psychology or related field from an accredited school, or bachelor’s degree from an accredited school with combination of one year experience and knowledge of basic child welfare program facilitation, counseling, or education, with a focus on fathers. Intake Coordinator: Minimum qualifications: High school diploma or equivalent; bachelor’s from an accredited school preferred. Supervisory – Executive Director/Program Supervisor: minimum of a bachelor’s degree in area of human services from an accredited school and at least 5 years’ social service experience. Manages key program personnel/designee overseeing program quality assurance and contract deliverables. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MINIMUM STAFFING EXPECTATIONS Father-specific parenting classes, client to staff ratio 15:1 Support groups (bi-weekly, 90 minutes each), client to staff ratio 15:1 Trainings and workshops, client to staff ratio 15:1 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TARGET POPULATION Client: Fathers and male caregivers (18 and older) and their children (newborn to 17 years old). Inclusions: The Provider’s primary focus will be targeted to reach fathers and male caregivers 18 years and older, who are parents, caregivers and youth not yet involved in the child welfare system, but referrals may include both DCFS and non DCFS involved individuals. The father support groups will be open to fathers and male caregivers in the community, both custodial and non-custodial in need of parenting support and education, especially those with risk factors for child abuse and neglect (isolation, lack of resources, low income, stress, lack of knowledge of parenting and parenting skills, addictions, single parent status, children with special needs, young parents (teen), mental health issues, presence of domestic violence). Groups may include teen parents, Spanish speaking parents, trafficked parents, prenatal parents, grandparents raising their grandchildren, parents whose children are truant, and parents who have children with special needs. Exclusions: Individuals may be excluded if they are not able to function safely due to mental illness, alcohol, drug abuse/impairment, or past demonstration of verbal or physical threats of aggression towards staff. Exclusions are determined on a session-by-session basis. Client Capacity Under DCFS Agreement: 175 Capacity at Any Given Time: 43 Client Capacity Under Program: 200 Capacity at Any Given Time: 50 Average Length of Services: 12-16 weekly parenting skills sessions (90 minutes-2 hours each); father specific workshops/events monthly; one on one mentoring varies based on client needs The provider must obtain prior authorization from DCFS to serve clients outside of the program plan parameters. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND METRICS • At least 85% of enrolled clients shall demonstrate a consistent weekly attendance during the contract term. • At least 85% of clients participating in trainings and workshops report increased knowledge and application upon completion. • At least 90% of coaching and mentoring participants shall report a satisfactory relationship during the service period. • At least 70% of clients completing the parenting support curriculum shall agree or strongly agree at program completion. • At least 70% of curriculum completers shall agree or strongly agree by the end of services. • At least 70% of curriculum completers shall demonstrate understanding upon completion. • At least 70% of curriculum completers shall agree or strongly agree at program completion. • At least 70% of participants shall agree or strongly agree upon completion of co-parenting support services. • At least 70% of participants shall report improved boundary-setting skills by program completion.

Indirect Costs are allowed. To charge indirect costs to a grant, the applicant organization must have an annually negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA). There are three types of NICRAs: 1. Federally Negotiated Rate. Organizations that receive direct federal funding, may have an indirect cost rate that was negotiated with the Federal Cognizant Agency. Illinois will accept the federally negotiated rate. The organization must provide a copy of the federal NICRA. 2. State Negotiated Rate. The organization may negotiate an indirect cost rate with the State of Illinois if they do not have a Federally Negotiated Rate. If an organization has not previously established an indirect cost rate, an indirect cost rate proposal may be submitted to the State of Illinois through the indirect cost rate system no later than three months after the effective date of the award. If an organization previously established an indirect cost rate, the organization must continue to use that rate until its expiration. Upon expiration, the organization may re-submit a new indirect cost proposal through the system annually, within six months after the close of the grantee’s fiscal year, OR an organization may elect to use the de minimis rate instead of their State Negotiated Rate. 3. De Minimis Rate. An organization may elect a de minimis rate of 15% of modified total direct cost (MTDC). Once established, the de minimis rate may be used indefinitely. The State of Illinois must verify the calculation of the MTDC annually in order to accept the de minimis rate. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NOTE • All grantees must complete an indirect cost rate negotiation or elect the De Minimis Rate in the indirect cost rate system to claim indirect costs. Indirect costs claimed without an established negotiated rate or a De Minimis Rate election in the system may be subject to disallowance. • Grantees have discretion not to claim payment for indirect costs. Grantees that elect not to claim indirect costs cannot be reimbursed for indirect costs. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Department of Children and Family Services must receive a full application by the date and time listed. Applications received past the due date and time will not be reviewed or considered.

NOTE: This application is for Year 1 of a multi-year award. Successful applicants may be eligible to receive two subsequent one-year renewals (i.e., a multi-year grant of up to three fiscal years total). Renewals are at the discretion of the Department and are based on the meeting of performance expectations and compliance requirements. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1) UNIFORM APPLICATION FOR STATE GRANT ASSISTANCE 2) PROGRAM NARRATIVE AND BUDGET • Please answer all narrative questions in full—being as descriptive and specific as possible. While there is not a set min/max number of characters/words, adequate responses are typically between 250 and 1,000 words (between 1/2 page and 2 pages single-spaced) depending on the question. Applications will be evaluated on answers to questions related to: 1. Organizational Capacity and Experience (15%) 2. Program Design and Implementation Plan (25%) 3. Alignment with Funding Priorities (20%) 4. Outcomes and Performance Measurement (20%) 5. Budget and Cost Effectiveness (10%) 6. Risk and Compliance (10%) For grant award incumbents, satisfactory performance in meeting program plan objectives and requirements will be considered during scoring. As part of the section of the application related to Budget and Cost Effectiveness, an uploaded budget on the provided GATA Budget Template is required in addition to the narrative responses. For the attachment: • The budget is REQUIRED to include clear narrative descriptions. The narrative should explain how costs were estimated AND justify the need for the cost. The budget should be as concrete and specific as possible in its estimates. Make every effort to be realistic and to estimate costs accurately. Each section of the budget should be in outline form, listing line items under major headings and subheadings. If needed, each of the major components should be subtotaled with a grand total at the end. A well-prepared budget should be reasonable and demonstrate that the funds being asked for will be used wisely. • The grant award will be subject to state statutory requirements that limit the direct administrative costs to 20%. Fringe Benefits cannot exceed 25% of total salaries. • If applying for a multi-year award, listed award amounts are for the single fiscal year. For application submission, only one budget is reviewed for expenses incurred for that single fiscal year (i.e. year 1 of the multi-year award). • Please be sure to fill out the FFATA Data Collection Form (page 5) of the Uniform Grant Budget template. If you answer “no” to Q1, you do not need to proceed to Q2 on the form. 3) SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONS • If assistance is needed to complete the supplemental questions (i.e., to clarify or confirm applicability of a specific question), please direct those questions to DCFS.GATA@Illinois.gov. 4) BOARD OF DIRECTORS LIST • Please either type the information requested for your Board of Directors or upload a file. Files should include contact information including address, email, and phone numbers (including fax). If not applicable, put N/A. Please note the address provided for each board member cannot be the same as the organization/applicant

Questions from applicants within the application date range can only be directed to and answered by DCFS.GATA@Illinois.gov.

REQUIREMENTS Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal 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: • Be registered in SAM before submitting its application. To establish a SAM registration, go to www.SAM.gov and/or utilize the instructional link from the https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/GATA/Pages/default.aspx Resource Links tab; • Provide a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in its application; and • Always maintain an active SAM registration with current information during which it has an active Federal, Federal pass-through or State award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal or State awarding agency. The State awarding agency may not make a Federal pass through or State award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the State awarding agency is ready to make a Federal pass-through or State award, the State awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a Federal pass-through or State award and use that determination as a basis for making a Federal pass-through or State award to another applicant. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ GATA PRE-QUALIFICATION An entity may not apply for a grant until the entity has registered and pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, https://grants.illinois.gov/portal/. Registration and pre-qualification are required annually. During prequalification, verifications are performed including a check of Federal Debarred and Suspended and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List. An automated email notification to the entity alerts them of “qualified” status or informs how to remediate a negative verification (e.g., inactive UEI, not in good standing with the Secretary of State). A Federal Debarred and Suspended status cannot be remediated. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ELIGIBILITY All potential applicants are eligible that meet the qualifications above. The funding opportunity is not limited to nonprofit organizations subject to 26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3) of the tax code (26 U.S.C. 501(c)(3)) but is preferred and will be first consideration of choice. You may be requested to submit proof of 501(c)(3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service. The applicant must comply with all applicable provisions of state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to nondiscrimination, sexual harassment and equal employment opportunity including, but not limited to: • The Illinois Human Rights Act (775 ILCS 5/1-101 et seq.), • The Public Works Employment Discrimination Act (775 ILCS 10/1 et seq.), • The United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended) (42 USC 2000a and 2000H-6), • Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 USC 794), • The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 USC 12101 et seq.), and • The Age Discrimination Act (42 USC 6101 et seq.). ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ NOTE: Failure to meet an eligibility criterion by the application deadline will result in the Department of Children and Family Services returning the application without review or, even though an application may be reviewed, will preclude the Department of Children and Family Services from making a State award.

REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS All applications must be submitted by the posted deadline. IDCFS staff conducts an initial review of all applications received for eligibility and GATA compliance. Reviewers may consist of DCFS GATA staff, division leadership, and other internal DCFS staff. Each proposal will be reviewed by a minimum of three reviewers. The review and selection of grant award recipients is conducted in a fair and equitable manner that evaluates and selects grantees most likely to be successful in delivering results based on program objectives, and with limited disruption to the continuity of services. Proposals will be approved based on funding available. While recommendations from the review team will be a key factor in funding decisions, the Department maintains final authority over funding decisions and considers the scores of the review team to be non-binding recommendations. The Department reserves the right to evaluate applications in the larger context of the overall portfolio by considering geographic distribution of awards (e.g., ensuring coverage of certain counties or service areas), client needs, and overall programmatic/ financial risk assessments in its pre-award decisions. Any internal documentation used in scoring or awarding of grants shall not be considered public information. Final award decisions will be made by the Director (or their designee). The Department reserves the right to negotiate with successful applicants to adjust award amounts, locations, etc. Funds are disbursed based on the schedule agreed upon and included within the Uniform Grant Agreement. The release of this Notice of Funding Opportunity does not obligate the Department to make an award. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ AWARD NOTIFICATIONS An award status notification (approval or denial) will be delivered via an automated email from Euna Grants. This email will serve as notification that an award has been made. However, this email is not an authorization to begin performance or incur costs. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ APPEALS Competitive grant (and in some cases non-competitive) appeals are limited to an appeal related to the evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. An appeal must be submitted in writing in accordance with the grant application document. An appeal must be received within 14 calendar days of Award denial. The written appeal shall include at a minimum the following: i. the name and address of the appealing party ii. identification of the grant for which you are appealing the evaluation/review process iii. a statement of reasons for the appeal Response to Appeal a. DCFS will acknowledge receipt of an appeal within fourteen (14) calendar days from the date the appeal was received. b. DCFS will respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. c. The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by DCFS within the time period set in the request.

Grantees will be expected to submit both (monthly or quarterly) periodic performance reports and monthly financial reports. The exact reporting requirements of this award will be defined in the program plan of the Uniform Grant Agreement.

Questions regarding this Notice of Funding Opportunity should be addressed to: ILDCFS Accountability Unit Email: DCFS.GATA@Illinois.gov