Community-Based Reducing Tobacco-Related Disparities Grant

The Community-Based Reducing Tobacco-Related Disparities Grant is administered by the Illinois Department of Public Health through its Office of Health Improvement within the Bureau of Health Promotion. This state-funded initiative is designed to address persistent disparities in tobacco use and related chronic disease outcomes across Illinois. The program reflects the agency’s broader public health mission to reduce preventable illness and improve population health through targeted, community-driven interventions. Funding will support regional lead agencies that can coordinate multi-county efforts to reduce tobacco-related disparities among high-risk populations. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to establish and support two community-based lead agencies that will each serve a distinct region of Illinois. These regions must include at least nine counties with tobacco use and chronic disease prevalence rates above the state average. Selected lead agencies are expected to conduct comprehensive needs assessments, develop strategic plans, and implement evidence-based tobacco prevention and control strategies. The program places strong emphasis on reducing geographic and demographic disparities, particularly among populations such as individuals with chronic diseases, low socioeconomic status, behavioral health conditions, veterans, pregnant individuals, and youth at risk of tobacco or nicotine use. Grant recipients will play a central coordinating role by facilitating regional coalitions composed of diverse stakeholders, including local health departments, healthcare systems, educational institutions, municipalities, and community organizations. In addition to direct program implementation, lead agencies are responsible for distributing mini-grants to subrecipients such as schools and community-based organizations. These subawards must align with approved strategies, including youth prevention programming, behavioral health cessation support, and policy initiatives related to tobacco control. All funded activities must adhere to state and federal cost principles and be necessary, reasonable, and allocable to the program. Funding is provided through state appropriations, with an estimated total program budget of 900,000 dollars and two anticipated awards of up to 450,000 dollars each. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement for applicants. Indirect costs are allowed without restriction, although recipients must select or negotiate an indirect cost rate in accordance with Illinois grant regulations. Funds may be used for a wide range of programmatic activities, including media campaigns, educational materials, training, and community engagement efforts, with certain items requiring prior approval. However, there are clear prohibitions, including use of funds for lobbying, fundraising, construction, tobacco products, or nicotine replacement therapies. Applications must be submitted electronically through the Illinois Department of Public Health’s EGrAMS system. Applicants are required to complete a full application package that includes a project narrative, budget, work plan, and supporting documentation such as subgrantee budgets. Eligibility is limited to tax-exempt organizations with demonstrated capacity and at least five years of experience in relevant public health or community partnership work. Applicants must also complete prequalification requirements through the state’s Grant Accountability and Transparency Act system, including maintaining active registrations in SAM.gov and obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier. The application review process is competitive and based on a structured scoring system that evaluates need, organizational capacity, quality of the proposal, clarity of scope, strength of objectives, budget justification, and evaluation planning. Applications are reviewed by program staff and may undergo team-based scoring and ranking. While applicants may appeal procedural aspects of the review process, funding decisions themselves are not subject to appeal. Successful applicants will receive a grant agreement outlining terms and conditions, and must comply with reporting and performance requirements throughout the project period. The application window opens on May 28, 2026 and closes on June 29, 2026 at 4:00 PM. A technical assistance session is scheduled for June 3, 2026 but is not mandatory. The anticipated program period runs from July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, with awards expected to be finalized shortly before the start date. Applicants may contact Gail DeVito at the Illinois Department of Public Health for additional information. This opportunity does not indicate a recurring funding cycle, and future rounds will depend on state appropriations and program continuation decisions.

Ensure strong data-driven justification of need; demonstrate coalition leadership capacity; align objectives with SMARTIE framework; provide detailed and justified budget; clearly define target populations and implementation methods