FY27 CAR Child Abuse Prevention Development Project

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 Child Abuse Prevention Development Project will provide support to DCFS and CWCA staff, community partners, and other organizations through training and education, technical assistance, community collaboration, and resource referral. Primary prevention efforts of this project help to increase awareness of child abuse and neglect, educate community members and professionals on the healthy growth and development of children, and promote the support of all parents and families. The Provider must implement and maintain a comprehensive statewide Child Abuse Prevention Development Project designed to strengthen Illinois’ capacity to prevent child abuse and neglect through coordinated training, technical assistance, public awareness, and community collaboration aimed at supporting and enhancing the effectiveness of the systems, professionals, and organizations that serve children and families. The Department will meet with the Provider at least annually to review statewide prevention priorities, assess emerging needs. Activities under this Agreement must align with the Department’s goals and priorities and identify the scope of work and activities necessary to meet the objectives of both primary and secondary child abuse and neglect prevention efforts. The Provider must implement activities in accordance with the agreed-upon plan and adjust strategies as directed by the Department to ensure alignment with statewide prevention goals. The Provider will deliver services that include, but are not limited to: • Statewide Prevention Planning and Coordination: Lead and support statewide prevention planning efforts, including convening partners, developing strategic priorities, aligning initiatives, and supporting local prevention coalitions. • Public Awareness and Education Campaigns: Plan, implement, and evaluate statewide public awareness efforts that promote child abuse and neglect prevention, including leadership for Child Abuse Prevention Month and related outreach activities. • Training, Education, and Capacity-Building: Provide training, professional development, and capacity-building to DCFS and Child Welfare Contributing Agencies (CWCA) staff, community organizations, and a broad network of professionals and volunteers. • Technical Assistance and Consultation: Deliver technical assistance to organizations, community leaders, coalitions, and service providers to strengthen the implementation of effective prevention programs, improve coordination, and promote best-practice service delivery. • Policy Education and Systems Advocacy: Support statewide systems improvement by educating stakeholders about effective prevention strategies, promoting policy and practice enhancements, and disseminating research and best-practice guidance to inform local and state-level decision making. • Resource Development: Engage in activities that secure resources and expand statewide capacity to support child abuse prevention initiatives and community-based prevention programming. • Resource Dissemination and Referral: Develop, maintain, and disseminate prevention resources, materials, and tools for use by professionals, community partners, and caregivers. Connect partners with relevant training, supports, and prevention programs across the state. The Provider will implement activities across ten (10) core prevention domains: 1. Child Abuse Prevention Coalitions 2. Preventing Child Sexual Abuse 3. Promoting Infant Care and Safety 4. Addressing the connection between substance abuse and child abuse 5. Addressing the connection between family violence and child abuse 6. Addressing the Impact of Childhood Trauma 7. Child Abuse Prevention Month Leadership and Prevention Awareness Activities 8. Promoting home visitation programs for new parents 9. Annual Provider Statewide Conference 10. Promoting Parent Leadership Direct recipients of the Provider services include organizations, professionals, and community partners involved in child abuse and neglect prevention, early childhood services, family support, and related human service systems working with families who are the ultimate beneficiaries of the strengthened prevention system. This includes community-based organizations, child welfare staff, social service agencies, early learning providers, home-visiting programs, healthcare partners, coalitions, and multidisciplinary teams that receive training, technical assistance, consultation, or capacity-building services from the Provider. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STAFFING QUALIFICATIONS Direct Service: • Prevention Specialist must possess a bachelor’s degree in social work, health, behavioral science or equivalent from an accredited school with at least three years’ experience in human or health services. • Director of Communications and Development: must possess a bachelor's degree in a field related to communications, fund development, nonprofit management, or human services from an accredited school, with prior experience in communications, fund development, and familiarity with not-for-profit human service organizations. Supervisory: • Director of Programs: must possess a master’s degree in social work, behavioral science, communication, or equivalent from an accredited school with a minimum of three years’ experience in social services, communications, or related field. • Executive Director: must possess a minimum of a Master’s Degree in Social Work, Behavioral Sciences or Administration from an accredited school with a minimum of four years’ experience in not-for-profit human services management including financial management. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MINIMUM STAFFING EXPECTATIONS Executive Officer (1.0 FTE) Director of Programs (1.0 FTE) Prevention Specialists (3.0 FTE) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND METRICS These outcomes and indicators measure performance across statewide planning, public awareness, training, TA, systems advocacy, and resource dissemination. Outcome 1: Illinois will have strengthened statewide coordination and alignment of primary prevention efforts. • Provider will convene at least 8 statewide planning meetings/workgroups focused on prevention • Provider will participate in at least 30 local prevention coalition events offering coordination, facilitation, or resources. Outcome 2: Public and communities will demonstrate increased awareness of child abuse and neglect prevention strategies. • Every April, coordinate at least 20 Child Abuse Prevention Month events or activities statewide. • Annually, maintain a statewide prevention campaign reach of at least 50 Illinois counties through events, materials, or messaging. Outcome 3: Professionals and community partners will improve knowledge and skills to implement prevention strategies. • Each fiscal year, Provider will deliver at least 85 trainings or educational events statewide. • At least 85% of training participants will report increased knowledge or skills (post-evaluation rating of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale) Outcome 4: Organizations and coalitions will improve implementation of prevention strategies due to Provider technical assistance. • At least 80% of TA recipients will report increased ability to implement prevention practices, coordinate services, or improve policy/procedure. Outcome 5: Statewide prevention systems and practices will be strengthened through informed policy, guidance, and advocacy. • Each year, Provider will participate in at least 12 statewide committees, advisory groups, or policy forums relevant to prevention. Outcome 6: Statewide capacity for prevention programming will increase through resource development efforts. • By June 30, disseminate a prevention resource inventory or CAP month guide to partners statewide. Outcome 7: Professionals and community partners will have improved access to high-quality child abuse prevention tools and information. • At least 85% of partners will report that the resources received improved their ability to deliver prevention services. Outcome 8: Across all program areas, Provider will contribute to a more coordinated, capable, and prevention-focused statewide system. • Each year, Provider will deliver activities in a minimum of 75% of Illinois counties, demonstrating statewide infrastructure support. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ GEOGRAPHIC/SERVICE PROVISION AREA(S) Services must cover the entire state.

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