Group Respite Program

The Illinois Department of Human Services, through its Division of Developmental Disabilities, is offering the Group Respite Program as a competitive renewal funding opportunity. The program is state funded and is intended to provide short-term group supports to children and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are not receiving Home and Community Based Waiver funded services through the two children's waivers, the adult waiver, or respite services from another State funded agency. Group respite is designed to help individuals remain in community settings such as the individual or family home, reduce caregiver stress, avert crises, and reduce the need for long-term supports and services. Services take place in community-based or site-based settings with two or more individuals and are intended to promote social interaction, inclusion, community exposure, and integration. Examples include supervised community activities, shopping, arts and crafts, field trips, intramural activities, internally provided camps, and cooking classes. The Department expects to award approximately $790,200 in State funds. The number of awards is to be determined, and individual award amounts are negotiable. The average grant award in previous years was $79,018.61, but the notice does not establish that amount as either a minimum or maximum award. Successful applicants may be eligible for two subsequent one-year renewals at the Department's discretion, subject to sufficient appropriations, satisfactory performance, timely reporting, and continued compliance with prequalification and other requirements. Cost sharing or matching is not required. Indirect costs may be charged subject to the applicable indirect cost election and approval requirements. Pre-award costs may be allowable only at IDHS discretion and with prior approval. Subcontractor agreements and budgets require Department pre-approval, and the grantee remains responsible for subcontractor performance and monitoring. Administrative costs may not exceed 10 percent of the Group Respite grant allocation. Applicants must demonstrate experience providing respite services and supports to individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families, demonstrate the ability to meet the program goals, and satisfy the applicable review criteria. Applicants must be registered and prequalified with the State of Illinois before the application deadline, have a valid Unique Entity Identifier, maintain required SAM.gov registration where applicable, be in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State when required, and not appear on applicable Stop Payment, SAM.gov Exclusion, or Medicaid Sanctions lists. The notice does not identify applicant eligibility through a conventional list of entity types such as nonprofits, governments, businesses, or educational institutions, so eligibility depends on the detailed program-specific requirements. Only one accepted application is permitted per agency. Providers must also maintain required staff certifications, follow applicable Home and Community Based Services criteria for staff-to-individual ratios, and maintain an intake process for individuals seeking services. The application must include the Program Narrative, Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance, Grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure, and Uniform Grant Budget. The budget must be entered and electronically signed in the CSA system and a PDF copy included with the application. The Program Narrative addresses the Executive Summary, Need, Capacity, and Quality sections and is a critical component; an application missing the narrative receives zero points and does not meet the criteria for an award. Electronic applications must be submitted in PDF format, generally using 8.5 by 11 inch pages, single spacing, 12-point Calibri, one-inch margins, and page numbers. The application and narrative are limited to 25 pages, excluding specified items such as the Uniform Grant Budget, Conflict of Interest Disclosure, and required verifications. The complete application must be emailed to DHS.DDDGrantProg@illinois.gov with the prescribed subject line identifying funding opportunity 27-444-24-1545-01, Group Respite, and the submitting agency. Applications sent to other addresses or through prohibited delivery methods will not be considered. Applications are evaluated on a 100-point scale. Need, Capacity, and Quality of Program or Services are each worth 25 points, the Executive Summary is worth 15 points, and Budget and Cost Justification is worth 10 points. Review considerations include the needs of individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities in the proposed service area, approaches for reaching new recipients and minority groups, evidence supporting identified needs, readiness to begin services, prior group respite experience, staffing and certifications, accessibility, quality assurance, satisfaction measurement, alignment with program goals, and the reasonableness and allowability of proposed costs. The budget must provide clear line-item justification, keep administrative costs at or below 10 percent, provide sufficient staffing, account for relevant cost-of-living and inflation considerations, identify supplemental funding where available, and match the requested funding amount stated in the application. Numerical scores are not the sole award criterion; IDHS may also consider geographical distribution, demonstrated need, and past performance, and retains final funding authority. The opportunity was posted March 23, 2026, and full applications were due April 23, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CST. No letter of intent, pre-application, or other preliminary submission was required. An optional technical assistance session was offered March 31, 2026. Application eligibility and merit review was scheduled for April 24 through May 29, 2026, with an anticipated award date of June 12, 2026. Subject to appropriation, the grant period begins no sooner than July 1, 2026, and continues through June 30, 2029. Questions and technical difficulty inquiries are directed to Shannon Dyson at DHS.DDDGrantProg@illinois.gov. Successful applicants receive a Notice of State Award and must satisfy applicable risk and pre-award requirements before execution of the Uniform Grant Agreement. The notice allows potential subsequent one-year grant renewals but does not state that this competitive solicitation itself recurs annually or on another regular schedule.

Address every scored narrative criterion in its designated section and use cross-references when relying on content elsewhere; provide data and evidence demonstrating I/DD respite needs and clearly define service areas and target communities; explain outreach to new recipients and minority groups; demonstrate operational readiness by July 1, 2026 and document prior group respite experience, staff credentials, ADA accessibility, intake processes, quality assurance, and satisfaction measurement; provide clear line-item budget justification, ensure proposed costs are reasonable and allowable, keep administrative costs at or below 10%, and verify the budget total matches the application request; follow all PDF, signature, email subject-line, submission-address, and CSA budget requirements because incomplete or late applications may be rejected