FY27 FAC Family Advocacy Centers - Putnam, LaSalle, and Bureau Counties

Family Advocacy Centers are community organizations that offer an array of core services as well as services customized to the needs of their communities. FACs serve families with child welfare system involvement, as well as families outside the child welfare system, to support and strengthen parents and families. Core services of an FAC include advocacy, mentoring, parent support and training, general counseling, youth development, financial literacy and employment readiness trainings, and services to DCFS Alumni. All FAC’s also provide linkages to other community and public services, and many offer additional services such as anger management, DV education and support groups, parent coaching, and specialized evidence-based interventions. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ This grant award will have an initial period of performance starting in FY27 (07/01/2026 (or upon execution of the agreement) through 06/30/2027). This Notice of Funding Opportunity is for Putnam, LaSalle, and Bureau Counties. Applicants must select which counties they will serve, with preference given to applicants that have the capacity to serve all three (3) counties. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Core Services that Family Advocacy Centers (FACs) must offer to all clients must include advocacy, mentoring, parent support and training, general counseling, employment readiness training, support family and youth development, 18-21 services including Financial Literacy Training, and DCFS Alumni Services. These services may be one on one according to the specific needs of the client or in a classroom or group setting using a specific curriculum or through a network linkage with a community partner. FAC Providers must use evidence-based models of practice. All FAC Providers must form community linkages and a Provider network of services, including services offered by government agencies, that may be utilized by clients but may not be offered by the Provider. These linkage services must include, but are not limited to, housing, DHS Services: WIC; TANF; Medicaid; SNAP; healthcare; childcare, the DCFS Extended Family Support Program (Kinship Navigator Referrals), substance abuse, mental health, and domestic violence. FAC Providers will be listed and have access to the State Provider Identification and Exploration Resource (SPIDER). ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CLIENTS Client includes family or household members of a DCFS open Placement or Intact Family case, DCFS child abuse or neglect investigation, or DCFS Office of Community Connections (OCC) referral. Client’s birth to six years of age must be a priority for the FAC. Relative Caregivers referred to the FAC by the DCFS Extended Family Support Program may be considered as a DCFS client if the family was involved in a child abuse investigation. Clients may also include the following as allowed by program capacity: • Closed DCFS cases referred to the FAC for aftercare and follow up services; • Families that are not DCFS involved, referred to the FAC from other community agencies; • Self-referred families (Walk-Ins); • Post Adoption families who are at risk of DCFS involvement; • Relative caregivers referred to the FAC by DCFS Extended Family • Support (EFS) Providers as part of the Kinship Navigator program; and • An adult, under the age of 30 at the time of connecting with a Family Advocacy Program, who was under the Guardianship and custody of DCFS for at least one day pursuant to a juvenile court order (DCFS Alumni). ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ REFERRALS Upon receipt of a referral, the FAC Provider must make contact with the referred client within three (3) working days to arrange an initial in person appointment either in the office or in the home of the referred client. The initial in-person appointment must occur within thirty (30) days. If the client cannot be reached by phone within three days or does not have a phone, the Provider must attempt to contact the client by mail and in person at their home. Client intakes are to be updated on a weekly basis in the FAC Data Base. In-person contacts will continue to be required unless the Center for Disease Control or other local authority issues a shelter at home ordinance. While Virtual Groups are still allowed, all clients must be seen for an in-person assessment and at least one more time before services are concluded for re-assessment. For out of state clients or other extreme circumstance written exceptions need to be approved by the program monitor or program administrator. The FAC Provider must complete Intake Assessments for all referrals made by authorized DCFS or POS staff meeting eligibility and intake criteria, except when the program is at capacity. Community referrals are handled at the discretion of the FAC as capacity allows. An Intake Assessment must also be completed for all community clients. The Department caseworker or designated Department or POS staff person will identify eligible clients in need of services and provide written referral information. FAC Providers must maintain up to a 50% capacity of DCFS clients through Department referrals. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CLIENT CONTACTS Initial Home Visit - After the initial assessment is completed the Provider must determine, based on needed services, whether or not the client requires more or less than weekly in person contacts. It is recommended that clients, who are not enrolled in weekly classes or groups, be seen at least twice a month. At least one in home visit must be made after the case is accepted and ongoing when appropriate. For non DCFS cases Provider may offer the family an in-home safety assessment using CFS 2026 home Safety Checklist for Parents and Caregivers. If a family declines, Provider must document that the safety assessment was offered and declined to satisfy the in-home contact requirement. • Ongoing in-home Visits - Can be agreed upon jointly by FAC Providers and caseworkers. FAC Providers should follow their own program guidelines for cases that are not DCFS involved. • Other Client Contact – When a client misses more than one appointment or group/class without notification and the Provider is unable to follow-up with the client, the caseworker shall be contacted within 3 working days of the failed appointment or the second absence of the group/class. This applies to active DCFS/POS intact and placement cases only. In-person contacts will continue to be required unless the Center for Disease Control or other local authority issues a shelter at home ordinance. While Virtual Groups are still allowed, all clients must be seen for an in-person assessment and at least one more time before services are concluded for re-assessment. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STAFFING QUALIFICATIONS Para Professional: High School graduates with training in community advocacy, mentoring, parent support and training, employment readiness training, support family and youth development, 18-21 services including Financial Literacy Training, and DCFS Alumni Services. Those with specialized training in substance abuse, domestic violence, and certified parenting instructors may provide those services for which they have received certification and licensing. They are restricted from providing general counseling or any mental health services. Semi Professional Qualifications: At a minimum, an associate degree in human services or a related field from an accredited community college, or two years of college from an accredited school, be 21 years of age or older, and have at least 2 years work experience in their area of job responsibility. Advocates with AA degrees may provide the same services as high school graduates and case management, including court-involved advocacy. They are also restricted from providing general counseling and mental health services. Direct Service Semi-Professionals also include paid senior college interns who are enrolled in social service degree programs at accredited schools. Regular personnel files must be maintained on those interns providing direct services to FAC clients. Professional Qualifications: Direct Service Professionals must be a graduate of an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in human services or related field; have expertise with various crisis intervention techniques; possess good management skills and good written and verbal communication skills. Advocates with bachelor’s degrees may provide all the services provided by high school and AA graduates. These Advocates may also provide general counseling and any services that they are certified and licensed to provide under direct supervision, including case management and advocacy in court. They can also provide mental health services if licensed under the direct supervision of a master level licensed clinical supervisor. Professional Direct Service Professionals also include paid graduate interns who hold social service degrees from an accredited school. Supervisory staff shall, at a minimum, be a graduate from an accredited college or university with a master’s degree in human services, counseling or related field with a preferred minimum of five years of experience or two year’s supervisory experience. All supervisory staff hired after January 1, 2023, must possess an approved master’s degree from an accredited school. Supervisors must possess knowledge and understanding of program management with experience in supervision of staff and project completion. Supervisors must have a working knowledge of DCFS policy and procedures and show the ability to navigate between government and private agency practices. Supervisors must have knowledge of group work and general counseling and be familiar with the issues/concerns relative for program functioning and development. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TARGET POPULATION Inclusions: The Family Advocacy Centers first priority level of referrals must include children and families with an open Placement or Intact Family case with the local DCFS Field Office or Purchase of Services (POS) provider, with a special emphasis on client’s birth to six years of age. The second priority level of referrals for Advocacy and Outreach must include all other families with an open Placement or Intact Family case with the DCFS Field Office or Purchase of Services (POS) provider and deflection cases referred by DCFS Child Protection staff as well as Intake Evaluations (CWS referrals), Extended Family Support Program referrals and DCFS Alumni. The lowest level of priority includes Community referrals, when sufficient program capacity exists. DCFS will monitor compliance monthly for the above levels of priority through the FAC Data Base. Exclusions for the Advocacy and Outreach program include clients outside of a one (1) hour radius of the local Field Office service area who are not DCFS Alumni, or those who may meet the inclusionary criteria but exceed the client- worker ratio or overall contract capacity. The following are conditions within the family which may cause exclusion from the program: • When there are known or suspected safety issues for staff. • Substance abuse of parent/child, which results in their refusal or inability to benefit from service. Client Capacity Under DCFS Agreement: TBD Capacity at Any Given Time: TBD Client Capacity Under Program: TBD Capacity at Any Given Time: TBD Average Length of Services: TBD The provider must obtain prior authorization from DCFS to serve clients outside of the program plan parameters. This includes, but is not limited to, serving community clients over the 50% mark and the average length of service. The FAC must serve 50% or more DCFS involved families when the total number of referrals received from DCFS is at least 50% of the total number clients the provider is able to serve at any one time. FAC Managers/Supervisors must review the total number of clients and the total number of service hours to determine whether this has been achieved. FAC Providers must maintain sufficient staff and client capacity to utilize at least 90% of their total Agreement amount. If 90% is not achieved, the Grant Agreement will be subject to review. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND METRICS • 100% of the program participants will receive a comprehensive assessment to determine family needs. • 100% of families referred will receive face-to-face contact or an attempted face-to-face contact with program staff within 72 hours of admission into the program providing documentation of contact or attempted contact. • 100% of clients will have services directly provided by FAC or be referred for community services as needed per the assessment. • 90% of child/adolescent clients who reside in the home of parent at the time of referral and receive services will remain unified upon completion of FAC programming and follow-up services. • 90% of the clients will not be the indicated subjects of additional reports of abuse or neglect during the service period. • 100% of all successfully discharged families will have an aftercare plan established that helps ensure the family will maintain the gains made while receiving Advocacy Center services and also ensure that the family possesses the strengths necessary to continue future successes. If active services are not immediately required, then clients must be informed that they can return for follow up services when needed or desired as part of the discharge process. • By the end of the first quarter, the program will develop a satisfaction survey for all program participants. Program participants will be surveyed at the time of discharge from the program. The program will report on the results of the satisfaction surveys as part of the quarterly reporting process to DCFS. This will begin with the second quarter and all subsequent quarterly reports.

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.

1) UNIFORM APPLICATION FOR STATE GRANT ASSISTANCE 2) UNIFORM BUDGET TEMPLATE • 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 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 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) PROGRAM NARRATIVE QUESTIONS • 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 1000 words (between 1/2 page and 2 pages single-spaced) depending on the question. Through answering all questions, the applicant’s responses should highlight: • Experience: an accurate picture of their prior experience in providing the specific program services or related program experience. Areas to address should include (but is not limited to): description of experience providing same or similar services; evidence agency is capable of carrying out the program; brief description of key management staff responsible for the program; description of agency’s readiness to begin services; financial resources to adequately run the program; and description of existing service provider partnerships your agency has in the community. • Program Description: a detailed, clear and accurate picture of the intended program design. Areas to address should include (but are not limited to): description of agency philosophy or intervention strategy in providing human services; brief description of the program model specifically for this program; explanation of how the program will meet the goals and objectives of the program; estimated cost per family/child (total grant divided by total clients served as described in the program plan); agency quality assurance/improvement efforts; and a detailed description of past performance in meeting goals and objectives with the same or similar services. 4) 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. 5) 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 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Applications will be evaluated on: Full Submission/ Application Completion (2%) Experience in providing services (35%) Meeting of eligibility requirements (18%) Budget is complete, clear, and affordable within criteria (5%) Program description meets program plans and goals (40%) For grant award incumbents, satisfactory performance in meeting program plan objectives and requirements will be considered during scoring.

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 DUNS number 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 DUNS 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 DUNS, 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 AmpliFund. 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