Illinois Rural Health Initiative - ROOTS: Rural Outreach, Opportunity, Training, and Success Grant Program

The Illinois Community College Board administers the Illinois Rural Health Initiative - ROOTS: Rural Outreach, Opportunity, Training, and Success as a non-competitive grant initiative for eligible Illinois community college districts. The initiative is supported with federal funding made available through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services serving as the pass-through agency. Approximately $7.4 million is available for the grant period of August 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027. The initiative responds to healthcare workforce shortages, limited healthcare access, and education and training barriers affecting rural Illinois communities. Its central purpose is to expand and enhance healthcare support worker training at rural community colleges, particularly programs addressing maternal care and substance abuse, while increasing credential attainment and improving employment outcomes. Funded projects are expected to address three required priority areas: building regional and institutional capacity, developing or expanding healthcare programs, and further developing wraparound student support service models. Activities may include institutional and regional collaboration, healthcare partnerships, faculty and instructor training, curriculum mapping and development, equipment modernization, competency-based education, dual credit and bridge programs, hiring or upskilling faculty, testing and assessment preparation, technology and instructional materials, academic advising, career guidance, supplemental instruction, barrier-reduction services, community needs assessments, and partnerships with community-based organizations. Additional allowable activities include strengthening high school and CNA pathways, mentorship and micro-credentialing, innovative instructional models such as virtual reality, and career exploration activities. Grantees must also participate in systemwide collaborative efforts and should budget for or be willing to travel one or two times during the grant period. Eligibility is limited to the 31 community colleges specifically identified in the notice as meeting the applicable rural definition. The eligible colleges are Black Hawk College, Carl Sandburg College, College of Lake County, Danville Area Community College, Elgin Community College, Heartland Community College, Highland Community College, Illinois Central College, Illinois Eastern Community College, Illinois Valley Community College, John A. Logan College, John Wood Community College, Joliet Junior College, Kankakee Community College, Kaskaskia College, Kishwaukee College, Lake Land College, Lewis & Clark Community College, Lincoln Land Community College, McHenry County College, Parkland College, Prairie State College, Rend Lake College, Richland Community College, Rock Valley College, Sauk Valley Community College, Shawnee Community College, Southeastern Illinois College, Southwestern Illinois College, Spoon River College, and Waubonsee Community College. Only one application per college will be accepted. No cost sharing or matching is required. Applications must include a completed GATA Uniform Grant Application, an application narrative of no more than eight pages, the required application budget and Uniform Budget template, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act form, and a Programmatic Risk Assessment. The narrative must address project implementation and context, a project work plan, anticipated performance metrics, partnerships, and a contingency plan. Applicants must identify programs to be supported, developed, revised, or expanded; regional healthcare workforce shortages; barriers and target populations; employer and community engagement; pathway mapping; capacity and infrastructure activities; program development or expansion; student supports; program accountability; performance goals; and partner roles. The Uniform Budget must remain in Excel format, except that the signed certification page may be uploaded as a PDF, and the Programmatic Risk Assessment must also remain an Excel file. Applications must be submitted through Euna no later than September 18, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Applications will not be accepted outside Euna except where an alternate submission format is provided as a reasonable accommodation under applicable accessibility requirements. Incomplete applications and applications from entities that do not meet the eligibility requirements will not be considered. An optional technical assistance bidder's conference webinar, including Euna system training, is scheduled for August 17, 2026. Questions must be submitted electronically to ICCB.cte@illinois.gov, with the college name and FY2027 Illinois Rural Health Initiative - ROOTS question in the subject line; phone questions are not accepted. Ann Storey, Director for Healthcare Programs, is identified as the state awarding agency contact at ann.l.storey@illinois.gov. ICCB staff will review applications using the requirements and criteria contained in the notice, while funding amounts are calculated using the stated allocation formula. Each district receives a $100,000 base allocation, with additional allocations based on program completions in eligible healthcare programs and higher weighting for designated priority programs. Individual allocation amounts are to be published on the ICCB website, so the notice does not establish an individual award floor or ceiling. Revisions may be requested based on compliance with the notice and grant proposal, and all application components must be submitted for an application to be scored. During the August 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027 performance period, recipients must carry out the approved scope of work, submit quarterly programmatic and fiscal reports, report performance metrics, participate in required collaboration and learning activities, submit at least one student success story at the end of the grant period, and provide ICCB copies of grant-funded curricula, documents, toolkits, modules, press releases, and similar materials. The notice does not state that this funding opportunity recurs annually or on another established schedule and does not provide an award notification date.

Follow the required narrative cadence and headers because points may be deducted otherwise; address all three required priority areas; clearly connect activities to measurable accountability indicators; emphasize priority healthcare programs, especially maternal care and behavioral health/substance use needs; include required employer, high school, labor organization, and local workforce board partnerships; ensure Euna budget category totals exactly match Section A of the Uniform Budget; do not upload the Uniform Budget itself as a PDF; keep the Programmatic Risk Assessment in Excel format; verify every required document is complete in Euna because ICCB is not required to notify applicants of missing elements.