Regional Care Coordination Agency Grant

The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, is offering the Regional Care Coordination Agency grant through the Office of Opioid Settlement Administration. The program is supported with State of Illinois Opioid Settlement Remediation Funds and is intended to help IDHS and DBHR equitably deploy resources to communities disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis, particularly people with substance use disorder and their families. Priority is given to areas of Illinois that are not currently receiving substance use disorder services and areas hardest hit by the opioid crisis. The Regional Care Coordination Agency will operate across the seven regions of Illinois and will administer and oversee subawards supporting prevention, intervention, treatment, recovery, harm reduction, overdose prevention, and efforts intended to improve social determinants of health. The selected RCCA will provide statewide program administration, project management, and business solutions, including procurement, issuance and oversight of subrecipient awards, coalition development, training, technical assistance, data and reporting systems, and maintenance of the Opioid Settlement Website. The grantee will establish subawards or contracts with local, regional, or statewide organizations addressing opioid overdoses, substance use disorders, equity, and racial and social justice. Subrecipient agreements and budgets must be pre-approved by the Department, and the RCCA remains responsible for subrecipient performance and monitoring. Grant funds may not be used directly or indirectly to purchase, prescribe, or provide marijuana or treatment using marijuana, including treatment of opioid use disorder, except for qualifying DEA-permitted and FDA-approved clinical research. Pre-award costs are specifically identified as not allowable for this award. Indirect costs are allowed, subject to an approved negotiated rate or applicable de minimis election through Illinois requirements. Approximately $10,917,534 is expected to be available over three years, with approximately one grant award anticipated. The stated individual award range is $3,639,178 to $10,917,534. No cost sharing or matching contribution is required. The initial performance period is expected to begin no sooner than July 1, 2026, subject to appropriation, with periods of performance of July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, July 1, 2027 through June 30, 2028, and July 1, 2028 through June 30, 2029. Successful applicants may be eligible for two subsequent one-year renewals at the Department's discretion, subject to sufficient appropriations, satisfactory performance, timely reporting, continued prequalification, and resolution of any corrective action or other outstanding issues. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, government organizations, education organizations, and for-profit organizations. Applicants must be registered with the State of Illinois, successfully complete GATA prequalification, maintain an active SAM.gov registration where applicable, provide a valid Unique Entity Identifier, remain in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State when applicable, and not appear on the Illinois Stop Payment List, SAM.gov Exclusion List, or Medicaid Sanctions List. Only one application packet may be submitted per entity. Applications may be disqualified if prequalification is incomplete, the application is incomplete, or substantial NOFO-specific information is omitted. The successful applicant is expected to demonstrate experience and capacity in project management, administration of large-scale awards of $1 million or more, subrecipient contracting, collaboration with local, county, and State agencies and public health initiatives, information systems supporting collaborative work, and systems for documenting project performance. The application must contain the three-page Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance, a cover page, a Program Narrative of no more than 15 pages, Attachments A through E, a draft Uniform Grant Budget Template, and the Grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure. Required attachments include an organization chart, resumes of key personnel or job descriptions, a 12-month project implementation timeline, the Uniform Grant Budget Template, and an approved NICRA or declaration of an approved indirect cost rate when applicable. The Program Narrative must address Executive Summary, Need, Capacity, and Quality and comply with the stated formatting requirements, including Times New Roman 12-point font, single spacing, 1-inch margins, and 8.5 by 11-inch pages. The completed application must be submitted electronically to Valencia.Brown2@illinois.gov with the NOFO number and agency name in the subject line. The budget must also be electronically entered, signed by the provider's CEO or CFO, and submitted through the CSA system with the required submitted-for-program-review status. Applications opened April 9, 2026 and were due May 15, 2026 at 11:59 pm CST. No letter of intent, pre-application, or white paper was required. Eligibility review was scheduled for May 16 through June 5, 2026. Applications passing eligibility review are evaluated under the State merit review process using a 100-point framework: Organizational Experience, 20 points; Capacity to Coordinate State or Regional Services, 20 points; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, 10 points; Fiscal and Performance Monitoring, 20 points; Data Collection and Reporting, 10 points; Training and Technical Assistance to Subrecipients, 10 points; and Single RCCA for the State of Illinois, 10 points. The budget is reviewed but not scored. Although applicants may propose statewide coverage, multiple regions, or one region, the Department states a preference for a single organization capable of coordinating the program across all regions. Numerical scores are not the sole selection factor, and the Department may also consider geographical distribution, demonstrated need, and prior performance as an Illinois grantee. Award announcements were anticipated between May and June 2026, with the State award date identified as June 2026 and an anticipated award date also described elsewhere as July 2026. Recommended applicants receive a Notice of State Award through the Grantee Portal, but performance may not begin until a fully executed Uniform Grant Agreement is issued. Reporting requirements include periodic financial reports, periodic performance reports, close-out financial reports, and close-out performance reports, with additional annual performance data possible at Department direction. Questions regarding this NOFO are directed to Valencia Brown, Senior Fiscal and Grants Manager, at Valencia.Brown2@illinois.gov or 312-814-2301. The source describes this as a legacy program and allows potential discretionary renewals of the resulting award, but it does not state that this competitive NOFO itself is issued on a recurring annual or other regular solicitation schedule.

Prioritize evidence of organizational experience, capacity to coordinate services across regions, and strong fiscal and performance monitoring because each carries 20 points. Demonstrate experience administering large-scale awards of $1 million or more and managing subrecipients. Clearly address diversity, equity and inclusion, data collection and reporting, and training and technical assistance. Although single-region and multi-region applications are permitted, the Department states a preference for one organization with capacity to coordinate all seven Illinois regions. Follow the 15-page narrative limit and required formatting because excess pages will not be reviewed or scored.