Section 974.110  Request for Application

a)         It is the policy of the Department that grants are to be competitively awarded.

b)         The Department will conduct a competitive grant review process using review criteria that are identified in the notice of grant opportunity or request for application (RFA) and a scoring system to rate each application against the chosen criteria.

c)         The RFA will communicate the Department's grant program information to assist potential applicants in determining whether and how to submit an application.  The RFA will include the following elements:

1)         A description of the grant program;

2)         The Department's goals and priorities in making the grants;

3)         The eligibility requirements for applicants;

4)         Whether a letter of intent, pre-application, or pre-qualification is required;

5)         Grant outcome expectations and reporting requirements;

6)         The deadlines and timelines for each step in the application and award process;

7)         The amount of funding available and how the funding will be allocated;

8)         Selection criteria and weight;

9)         General information about the review process;

10)        Any requirements for in-kind or matching funds;

11)        The name and contact information of the Department's grant project manager; and

12)        A statement about when information in the grant application becomes public data.

d)         The Department will post all grant RFAs on the Department's website (https://idphgrants.com). The Department will also consider additional methods to reach potential applicants, including, but not limited to, US mail, electronic mail, and newspaper publication.

e)         Applications may be modified or withdrawn by written notice received by the grant project manager prior to the time and date set for the application deadline.  All documents related to modification or withdrawal of an application will be made a part of the grant file.

f)         The grant project manager will examine the applications to determine the validity of any written requests for nondisclosure of any trade secrets or other proprietary data.  If the parties do not agree to the disclosure of data or other information, the application will be rejected as nonresponsive.

g)         The successful applicants will be notified of the award; notification may be in the form of a letter or other written communication.  Notice of award may also be posted on the Department's website (https://idphgrants.com).

h)         The RFA will specify that overall agency operating budget size will determine an organization's competitive slot in the application process (Section 21.8 of the Act).

i)          To ensure that effective HIV prevention interventions are funded in accordance with at-risk populations in proportion to the distribution of recent reported Illinois HIV/AIDS cases among risk groups as reported by the Department (Section 21.8 of the Act), the RFA will include:

1)         Department-approved interventions;

2)         Definitions of at-risk populations; and

3)         Department training requirements for approved HIV interventions.