FY27 CAR Family Foundations

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 This program includes the delivery of ongoing parent education and skill-building sessions designed to promote positive family interactions, strengthen family functioning, and support family permanency and reunification. The program will utilize the Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP) evidenced based curriculum competency-based lessons, customized to meet the specific needs of the families. Services are based on the assessed needs of the family, identified in conjunction with the caregivers and parent educator. Lessons can be taught in a home setting, in a group setting, or in a combination group and home setting. The Family Foundations program shall offer these services to the general community, including those with previous or current DCFS involvement who have children ages birth to 18. Family Foundations shall provide this 16-week program to parents and their children to strengthen families’ skills and protective factors and reduce the risk of abuse and neglect. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ DETAILS Services shall include face to face group sessions, pre- and post-assessments, home coaching visits, delivered in accordance with the evidence-based curriculum and program requirements. Program services open to the community with a focus of working with families not yet involved with the child welfare system, or at-risk families including but not limited to families in need of support, guidance, and/or foster families struggling to provide the much-needed nurturing of children placed in their homes. Those with previous or current DCFS involvement, who have children ages birth to 18, shall also be accepted when meeting criteria and eligibility. Parenting education classes shall be provided on an ongoing, rolling basis throughout the contract period, operating in continuous 16–20 week cycles, totaling approximately 48 instructional hours, and shall be designed to promote positive family interactions, strengthen family functioning, and support family reunification efforts. Virtual group sessions are permitted; however, the Contractor shall establish and enforce attendance and participation requirements to ensure that each session meets program standards and qualifies as a completed class session. The program shall allow participants to enter at any point within the ongoing cycle and complete the full sequence of parenting education sessions, regardless of their initial start date. Accepted participants shall be placed into the next available class cycle to minimize wait times. The Provider shall utilize the Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (AAPI-2.1) and the Nurturing Skills Competency Scales (NSCS), built in assessment tools to access parenting beliefs, knowledge and skills. Pre, post, and process assessment tools shall measure the impact of the program. Home visits shall be conducted in accordance with the evidence-based curriculum, where parents and children interact and practice new skills, offering parent coaching, aiming to strengthen the family unit. The home visiting services shall be documented and completed by the facilitators to address specific issues relevant to the family. One-On-One Individual and/or Family Sessions may be conducted to referred clients to allow the client and the Parent Educator the opportunity to identify specific parenting tools to incorporate when bonding and interacting with their children. Parents served by the Provider (due to their issues with addiction and mental health) fare better in a one-on-one mentoring environment in conjunction with services delivered in a class or group setting. Services provided in the one-on-one session extend far beyond the education directed toward eliminating the generational cycle of poverty, child abuse and neglect. Other Activities: The Provider may offer community events, diaper pantry, activities related to child abuse prevention awareness, family strengthening and promotion of the protective factors. The versatility of this program allows the educator to take their client to GED testing, mental health assessments, job interviews and focus on achieving service plan and individual goals that will ultimately lead to family strengthening. Family Educators and clients may also schedule and attended various appointments with service providers in the community such as early childhood screenings, well child checkups, housing interviews, etc. The Program Coordinator and other Parent Educators are involved in Child and Family Team Meetings to advocate and encourage family reunification and stabilization. Client assistance with transportation may be provided to parents to support/facilitate the parent(s) ability to attend parent education classes. The Provider may offer transportation reimbursement to attend group sessions. Program participants shall be offered satisfaction surveys at the completion of the program. Home parent coaching sessions shall be documented by direct service staff and verified through client signature at the conclusion of the weekly session. Staff shall be available to conduct services to participants during normal business days/hours (Monday-Friday 8-5pm), but evening and weekend hours are permitted to accommodate parents/caregivers’ schedules. Nurturing Parenting Program (NPP): NPP is a curriculum-based psycho-educational and cognitive-behavioral group intervention that seeks to modify maladaptive beliefs that contribute to abusive parenting behaviors and to enhance parents’ skills in supporting attachments, nurturing, and general parenting Nurturing Skills Competency Scales (NSCS): The NSCS is a criterion referenced, self-report inventory designed to provide comprehensive information about the “quality of life” issues that families face as they attempt to put into practice the new parenting beliefs, knowledge and skills. Each NSCS addresses the unique needs of children in different developmental groups: prenatal; birth to five; school-age; teen parents and parents and their adolescents. The NSCS is an inventory that gathers information, both past and current, about individuals and their families in order to alert family members as well as professionals about on-going conditions that could lead to (1) the initial occurrence of child maltreatment; or (2) the recurrence of child maltreatment. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STAFFING QUALIFICATIONS Direct Service - Lead Trainer/Facilitator: Minimally, a lead trainer shall possess a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in human services, early childhood development, or family life and have three (3) years of relevant child welfare/human services experience. Must have successfully completed the appropriate NPP parent training curriculum prior to facilitation of group/home visiting sessions. Para-Professional Trainers: Trainers under the Lead Trainer (e.g., a team training approach) shall have a high school diploma or GED, be 21 years of age or older and trained in the appropriate parent training or childcare curriculum. Supervisory - Program Supervisor shall possess a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in human services from an accredited school with at least 5 years relevant child welfare/human services experience, and previous supervisory experience. A master’s degree preferred. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ MINIMUM STAFFING EXPECTATIONS Each class shall be staffed by up to four (4) group facilitators, consisting of two (2) facilitators assigned to the adult group and two (2) facilitators assigned to the children’s group, as needed based on program enrollment and service requirements. No staff member shall be assigned more than fifteen (15) active cases at any given time. The Provider shall require direct service staff to successfully complete the NPP curriculum training prior to providing services to clients. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ TARGET POPULATION The client to be serviced under this agreement will be the family unit. The Program serves those involved with DCFS or identified as an at-risk family by DCFS and is also open to the families in the community not involved with the child welfare system referred by family court systems, social service agencies, self-referrals. Family includes parents/caregivers and all children residing in the same home where at least one child is between the ages of birth to 18. Inclusions: The Family Foundations program shall offer services to the general community, as well as those with previous or current DCFS involvement, who have children ages birth to 18. Exclusions: Clients not meeting the specified criteria. Clients will not be accepted if maximum caseload capacity has been reached; clients will be placed on a waiting list and referred for the next available session. Client Capacity Under DCFS Agreement: 150 Capacity at Any Given Time: 35 Client Capacity Under Program: 175 Capacity at Any Given Time: 40 Average Length of Services: 16-20 weeks NPP services run for a minimum of 16 weeks; with 1 assessment and 1 post-intervention session and up to 16 home sessions to reinforce skills, address specific family needs, and promote healthy parent-child relationships. The length of service under this contract will be based on the specific needs of the client and the number of units that are authorized by the designated DCFS staff person. Client capacity projections are based upon number of parent participants engaged in parenting education and coaching. Children served are not included in the projection, as this Agreement aims to strengthen parent skills. The provider must obtain prior authorization from DCFS to serve clients outside of the program plan parameters ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ PROGRAM OUTCOMES AND METRICS Clients will remain free from indicated reports of child abuse or neglect during their participation. % of clients with no indicated reports; target = 90%. Parents will maintain their children safely in the home throughout services. % of participating parents maintaining children at home; target = 90%. Participants will report positive program experiences. Client satisfaction survey results; 85% report satisfactory or good experience. Participants will show measurable gains in parenting knowledge. Comparison of pre- and post-test scores; at least 70% demonstrate improvement. Parents will complete all program requirements successfully. Attendance and completion records; 60% of enrolled parents graduate. Clients will demonstrate greater awareness and ability to access community services. Post-program assessments or self-reports; 80% show improvement.

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