Implementation Phase: Increasing Well-Woman Visits - Community Grant

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), through its Division of Maternal, Child and Family Health Services, administers the Increasing Well-Woman Visits – Community Grant as part of its broader Title V federal funding mandate to improve maternal and child health outcomes statewide. This funding opportunity is designed to address key state priorities related to increasing access to preventive and primary healthcare services for women of reproductive age. The program reflects Illinois’ strategic focus on improving healthcare utilization before, during, and after pregnancy, particularly emphasizing preventive care and postpartum follow-up. The primary purpose of the grant is to support interventions that increase the percentage of women ages 18–44 who receive annual well-woman visits and postpartum care. These visits encompass a wide range of preventive services, including screenings, counseling, immunizations, reproductive health services, and chronic disease management. The program acknowledges multiple barriers to care, such as transportation, cost, provider availability, and health literacy, and encourages applicants to design interventions that directly address these challenges. Both clinical and community-based approaches are supported, with an emphasis on measurable improvements in service utilization. Funding is available to up to four organizations, with a maximum of 200000 dollars over a two-year project period. Applicants may receive up to 100000 dollars per year, contingent on meeting first-year benchmarks, including establishing baseline data and implementing an intervention strategy. A portion of second-year funding may be reduced if performance targets are not met. Allowable uses of funds include program implementation, care coordination, and efforts to reduce structural barriers such as childcare and transportation. However, funds cannot be used for direct patient costs such as copays or clinical encounters, promotional items, construction, or indirect costs, as these are explicitly prohibited under Title V legislation. Eligible applicants include clinical organizations and community-based organizations that either have access to or formal partnerships with clinical providers. All applicants must demonstrate the ability to track service utilization, establish baseline metrics, and implement measurable interventions. Additionally, applicants must complete the Illinois Grant Accountability and Transparency Act prequalification process, maintain active federal registrations, and meet financial and compliance requirements. Administrative costs are capped at ten percent of the total budget, and applicants must ensure all expenditures are necessary, reasonable, and allocable under federal cost principles. Applications must be submitted electronically through the IDPH EGrAMS system. Required components include organizational information, grant history, a detailed project proposal, work plan, budget justification, staff qualifications, and supporting documentation such as a W-9 form. Proposals are evaluated through a competitive review process using a 100-point scoring system focused on scope of work, work plan quality, and budget justification. Applications must achieve a minimum score threshold to be considered for funding, and final decisions are based on merit, funding availability, and prior performance. The application period opens on June 15, 2026 and closes on July 15, 2026 at 5:00 PM. A non-mandatory technical assistance session is offered on June 25, 2026 to support applicants. Awards are expected to be announced around early June 2026, with the project period beginning July 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2028. Successful applicants must comply with reporting requirements, including quarterly progress reports and monthly financial submissions, as well as a key evaluation report due in April 2027. The program is not explicitly recurring, and future funding cycles are not guaranteed. For additional information, applicants may contact Alexander Smith at the Illinois Department of Public Health via email or phone. The grant represents a targeted effort by the state to improve women’s health outcomes through data-driven, community-informed interventions that strengthen healthcare access and utilization.

Ensure SMART objectives align with measurable outcomes; clearly define target population and baseline metrics; demonstrate capacity to track utilization and implement realistic interventions