Section 1100.420  Grant Awards

a)         In a given fiscal year, the Program appropriations shall be allocated for projects based on the following order of priority: 

1)         Funding for baccalaureate completion programs to facilitate student articulation from an ADN program offered by a community college to a BSN or RN-BSN program; 

2)         Funding for continuation of a grant previously awarded under this Part; or 

3)         Funding for a new grant to expand or improve an eligible nursing program.

b)         Grant applications under this Part shall include, but need not be limited to, the following items:

1)         Comprehensive description of the proposed use of funds, including evidence of current research and best practices, to support proposed strategies.

2)         Budget by line items, including personnel services, fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies, contractual services, consultant (professional services), training and education, and direct administrative costs, submitted on the uniform grant budget template provided by GATU (see GATA Rule Section 7000.330).  Acceptable expenditures may include, but are not limited to, the following direct costs:

A)        Hiring additional qualified nursing faculty and staff;

B)        Developing or expanding instructional programs (e.g., online, weekend, evening);

C)        Developing or expanding academic support services or programs;

D)        Securing additional clinical instruction sites;

E)        Improving or increasing spaces for classrooms or laboratories; and

F)         Purchasing equipment and other program-related instructional materials.

3)         Project objectives and performance goals, including, but not limited to, the following:

A)        Number of degrees conferred (3-year trend);

B)        First-year retention rate (3-year trend based on 30 semester hours or equivalent);

C)        NCLEX-RN pass rate for first-time test takers in comparison to the national average for the previous calendar year as reported by DFPR; and

D)        Job placement within 6 months after degree completion (3-year trend).

4)         Statement of institutional support and sustainability of grant-funded activities.

5)         Uniform grant application provided by GATU and signed by authorized representative (see GATA Rule Section 7000.330).

d)         The grant awards for eligible nursing programs shall be determined using a competitive process to review applications.  The Board's standards for approval include, but are not limited to, the following criteria, considerations and weightings:

1)         Evidence of effective project objectives and performance goals (25%);

2)         Proposed use of funds and budget justification demonstrating an effective use of program resources (25%);

3)         Evidence of institutional support and sustainability of grant-funded activities (10%);

4)         Evidence of an effective plan to evaluate progress (15%); and

5)         Other Board considerations (25%).

e)         For a grant applicant who is a prior recipient of an award under this Part, the Board shall review available information on the awardee's prior performance and consider that information when assessing grantee risk.  This is part of the grantee risk assessment provided by GATU (see GATA Rule Section 7000.340).

f)         Grant funding is subject to Program appropriations.

(Source:  Added at 43 Ill. Reg. 7429, effective June 20, 2019)