Section 7000.310 Public Notice of Discretionary and Non-Discretionary Grant Programs

a) Discretionary Grant Programs

1) The State agency must notify the public of available State-issued awards in the Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA).

A) The CSFA is the single, authoritative, comprehensive source of State-issued award program information.

B) The State agency shall only issue State and federal pass-through funds based on a program included in the CSFA.

2) For each program, the State agency must submit the following information to GATU:

A) Program Description – Grant program description, including its purpose, goals and measurement process;

B) Program Authority – Whether the program is created at the discretion of the agency or is prescribed by State statute;

C) Funding – Projected total amount and source of funds available for the program;

D) General Eligibility Requirements – The statutory and regulatory standards that determine the applicant's qualification for State-issued awards under the program;

E) Auditing – Audit requirements; and

F) Indirect Costs – Approved statutory indirect costs limitations and restrictions.

3) The State awarding agency shall provide official public notice of discretionarily issued grant funding opportunities through a NOFO on the public-facing CSFA, which is available on the GATA website (www.grants.illinois.gov).

4) The State agency shall publish the NOFO for at least 30 calendar days. The State agency may request an exception due to extenuating circumstances for a shorter NOFO posting period from GOMB pursuant to Section 7000.60. The State agency does not need an exception to post a NOFO for a longer period or to use an open-ended NOFO.

5) The NOFO shall be produced on a uniform, statewide template (see the GATU website). This information shall precede the text of the announcement. It shall disclose the information required under UR section 200.204 and shall reflect the additional State requirements of Section 30 of the Act. The following are some of the types of information required by UR section 200.204 and GATA Section 30:

A) State Agency Name;

B) Grant Program Title;

C) Announcement Type (i.e., initial announcement or modification of a previous announcement);

D) Funding Opportunity Number (assigned through the CSFA NOFO process);

E) Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA) Number and Title;

F) Assistance Listing Numbers (formerly Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Numbers) (if applicable);

G) Estimated Total Program Funding;

H) Source of Funding;

I) Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement;

J) Approved Statutory Indirect Cost Limitations and Restrictions;

K) Key Dates, including:

i) Due dates for applications and for any letters of intent or pre-applications;

ii) Date when program application materials will be available (if applicable); and

iii) Date for technical assistance session (if applicable); and

L) Any additional information deemed necessary by the State agency.

6) In compliance with UR section 200.204, the State agency shall include the following information in the full text of the grant announcement:

A) Full programmatic description of the funding opportunity;

B) State-issued award information, including sufficient information to help an applicant make an informed decision about whether to submit an application;

C) Specific eligibility information, including any factors or priorities that affect an applicant's eligibility for selection;

D) Application preparation and submission information, including the applicable submission date and time;

E) Application review information, including the standards and process to be used to evaluate applications;

F) State-issued award administration information, including prior approval requirements;

G) Restrictions on pre-award costs (UR section 200.210 and 2 CFR 200.458); and

H) Any specific terms of, and conditions on, the grant.

7) GATU shall provide technical assistance to promote State agency compliance with requirements for public notice of grant programs and grant announcements for State-issued awards.

8) State agencies shall use the NOFO and the announcement of the grant program to communicate all relevant State requirements and conditions of the pending grant award.

9) State agencies shall use the Uniform Grant Agreement to communicate all relevant State requirements and conditions for the grant award.

10) Awardees are responsible for complying with all requirements of the statute authorizing the grant, this Part, the rules of the specific grant program, and the Grant Agreement.

b) Non-discretionary Grant Programs

1) The State agency must notify the public of awarded State-issued awards in the Catalog of State Financial Assistance (CSFA).