NOFO #3118-0126 County Violent Crime Witness Protection Program

The Violent Crime Witness Protection Program (VCWPP) will support reimbursement of implementing agency expenses for the relocation of witnesses, victims, and other related individuals supporting the prosecution of people charged with violent crimes throughout the criminal court process. A total of $10 million in state funding is available through this solicitation. State’s attorneys’ offices and county sheriff offices are eligible to apply. The VCWPP, established by the Violent Crime Witness Protection Act (725 ILCS 173) , was designed to protect victims and witnesses who fear retaliation from those accused of violent crimes. Witnesses are critical in the prosecution of alleged wrongdoers and may be otherwise discouraged from participation due to intimidation or retaliation. Additionally, witnesses may be reluctant to participate due to mental health impacts and lost wages resulting from the need to take time off to attend court. For additional information about this program, please refer to the Violent Crime Witness Protection Program administrative rules, 20 Ill. Admin. Code 1590.10, et. al. Please note, this is one of two NOFOs issued by ICJIA related to VCWPP. This funding opportunity is limited to state’s attorneys’ offices and county sheriff offices in Illinois. Another NOFO targeted towards local law enforcement agencies can be found on ICJIA's website. PLEASE REFERENCE THE ICJIA FUNDING OPPORTUNTIES PAGE FOR ADDITIONAL INFO ON THIS NOFO: https://icjia.illinois.gov/grants/funding/

The Violent Crime Witness Protection Program (VCWPP), established by the Violent Crime Witness Protection Act (725 ILCS 173/), was designed to protect victims and witnesses who fear retaliation from those accused of violent crimes. Witnesses are critical in the prosecution of alleged wrongdoers and may be otherwise discouraged from participation due to intimidation or retaliation. Additionally, witnesses may be reluctant to participate due to mental health issues and the lost wages resulting from the need to take time off to attend court. VCWPP grant funds will support victims’ expenses including the relocation of witnesses, victims, and those related to persons supporting the prosecution of violent crime perpetrators throughout the criminal court process.

To charge indirect costs to a grant, the applicant organization must either have an annually negotiated indirect cost rate agreement (NICRA) or elect to use a standard de minimis rate. There are three types of allowable indirect cost rates: a) 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. b) 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 must be submitted through the State of Illinois centralized indirect cost rate system in the GATA Grantee Portal. If an organization previously established an indirect cost rate, the organization must annually submit a new indirect cost proposal through the GATA Grantee Portal system within the earlier of six (6) months after the close of the grantee’s fiscal year; and three (3) months of the notice of award. c) De Minimis Rate. An organization that has never negotiated an indirect cost rate with the Federal Government or the State of Illinois is eligible to 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. Grant fund recipients are required to complete the indirect cost rate proposal process every fiscal year. If you plan to include indirect costs in your budget, please select your indirect cost rate through the GATA Grantee portal prior to submitting your grant documents to ICJIA. Grantees have discretion and can elect to waive payment for indirect costs. Grantees that elect to waive payments for indirect costs cannot be reimbursed for indirect costs. The organization must record an election to “Waive Indirect Costs” into the GATA Grantee Portal. Indirect Cost election must be completed annually, for every entity’s fiscal year. More information regarding the indirect cost election process can be found here https://gata.illinois.gov/indirect-cost.html.

Completed application materials must be received by and in possession of the AmpliFund grant management system by 5:00 p.m., March 30, 2026, to be considered for funding. Applications must be submitted via AmpliFund. Upon receipt, an automated confirmation will be emailed. Proposals will not be accepted by email, mail, fax, or in person. AmpliFund will not permit late submissions. Agencies are encouraged to submit their applications 24-72 hours in advance of the deadline to avoid unforeseen technical difficulties. Technical difficulties with the grant management system should be reported immediately to ICJIA at CJA.VCWPP@ILLINOIS.GOV.

Please see NOFO Instructions document for additional information.

Questions may be submitted via email at CJA.VCWPP@ILLINOIS.GOV. The deadline for submitted questions is 5:00 p.m. (CST) on March 23, 2026. All substantive questions and responses will be posted on the ICJIA website at https://icjia.illinois.gov/grants/funding/ and on AmpliFund. Due to the competitive nature of this solicitation, applicants may not discuss the opportunity directly with any ICJIA employee other than via this email address CJA.VCWPP@ILLINOIS.GOV.

Eligibility for this funding is limited to state’s attorneys’ offices and county sheriff offices in Illinois without existing violent crime witness protection programs. Only one application may be submitted per agency. Illinois counties may apply as an implementing agency on behalf of a justice system agency that will serve as the program agency. An implementing agency (e.g., a county) is the legal entity that accepts and accounts for grant funds and accepts responsibility for all ICJIA reporting and compliance requirements. The program agency (e.g., county sheriff department) is a subdivision of the implementing agency that will carry out program operations. Please note, this is one of two NOFOs issued by ICJIA related to VCWPP. Another NOFO targeted towards local law enforcement agencies can be found on ICJIA's website.

Applicants must be pre-qualified to do business with the State of Illinois. All organizations must be registered through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal at www.grants.illinois.gov/portal and in Good Standing for all pre-qualification requirements. During the open application period, a pre-qualification verification is performed on the GATA Implementation Website; this includes checking SAM.gov registration, Illinois Secretary of State standing, and status on the Illinois Stop Payment List. The GATA Portal will indicate a “Good Standing” status or state the issue and steps to achieve “Good Standing.” Applicants are also required to submit and obtain approval of a financial and administrative risk assessment utilizing an Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ) before the grant agreement is executed. A delay in obtaining ICQ approval will result in a delay in grant execution.

Please reference the NOFO page on ICJIA's website for additional information.

The ICJIA Budget Committee is scheduled to review and approve designations in June 2026. ICJIA will transmit a Notice of State Award (NOSA) and the grant agreement to successful applicants after the Budget Committee reviews and approves designations. The NOSA will detail specific conditions resulting from pre-award risk assessments that will be included in the grant agreement. The NOSA will be provided and must be accepted through the Grantee Portal unless another distribution is established. The NOSA is not an authorization to begin performance or incur costs.

In addition to implementing the funded project consistent with the approved project proposal and budget, agencies selected for funding must comply with applicable grant terms and conditions and other legal requirements, including the Violent Crime Witness Protection Act (725 ILCS 173/)GATA, and the U.S. Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide. Additional programmatic and administrative special conditions may be required.

Recipients must submit monthly financial reports, quarterly performance reports, final financial and performance reports, and, if applicable, an annual audit report in accordance with the 2 CFR Part 200 Uniform Requirements. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if reports are delinquent. In addition, ICJIA reserves the right to require the submission of all financial backup documentation including all documentation related to disbursals on behalf of or to eligible persons.

For questions and technical assistance regarding application submission, contact: Alan Blackmon Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority CJA.VCWPP@ILLINOIS.GOV

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is a state agency dedicated to improving the administration of criminal justice. ICJIA brings together key leaders from the justice system and the public to identify critical issues facing the criminal justice system in Illinois, and to propose and evaluate policies, programs, and legislation that address those issues. The statutory responsibilities of ICJIA fit into four areas: grants administration; research and analysis; policy and planning; and information systems and technology. Section 7 of the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Act grants ICJIA authority “to apply for, receive, establish priorities for, allocate, disburse, and spend grants of funds that are made available by and received on or after January 1, 1983 from private sources or from the United States pursuant to the federal Crime Control Act of 1973, as amended, and similar federal legislation, and to enter into agreements with the United States government to further the purposes of this Act, or as may be required as a condition of obtaining federal funds” and “to receive, expend, and account for such funds of the State of Illinois as may be made available to further the purposes of this Act.” (20 ILCS 3930/7(k), (l)) Neither the State of Illinois nor ICJIA are obligated to make any award as a result of this announcement. The ICJIA Executive Director or designee has sole authority to bind ICJIA to the expenditure of funds through the execution of grant agreements. This application is subject to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Any information that the applicant believes should be exempt under FOIA should clearly highlight the information that is exempt, and the basis of the exemption.