590 Crisis Care System Program

The Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, is offering the competitive 590 Crisis Care System funding opportunity to support Illinois' behavioral health crisis response infrastructure. The program is part of the Illinois Unified Crisis Continuum and supports the "someone to respond" element of the continuum in alignment with the Community Emergency Services and Supports Act and SAMHSA's 2025 National Guidelines for a Behavioral Health Coordinated System of Crisis Care. Mobile Crisis Response services are intended to provide rapid, community-based, team-based intervention and follow-up to individuals of all ages experiencing behavioral health crises, regardless of payer status or ability to pay. Referrals may originate through 988, 911 transfers to 988, direct calls to participating providers, or other State-authorized dispatch entities. Approximately $54,000,000 in State and Federal funding is expected to support approximately 60 awards. Individual awards are anticipated to range from $150,000 to $2,000,000. The initial grant period is expected to begin no sooner than July 1, 2026 and continue through June 30, 2027, subject to appropriation. Successful applicants may be eligible for two subsequent one-year renewals at the discretion of the Department, subject to sufficient appropriations, satisfactory performance, timely reporting, continued prequalification, and resolution of any outstanding compliance issues. No cost sharing or matching contribution is required. Indirect costs are allowable through an approved State or Federal negotiated indirect cost rate or an elected de minimis rate of up to 15 percent. Pre-award costs are not allowable. Funded organizations must directly operate Mobile Crisis Response, Crisis Stabilization, and Crisis Intervention services consistent with applicable Illinois requirements. Mobile Crisis Response must be available 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year. At least two behavioral health practitioners are required for the team-based response, including a crisis clinician meeting Mental Health Professional qualifications and a peer support specialist meeting applicable Illinois requirements or holding a Certified Recovery Support Specialist or Certified Peer Recovery Specialist credential. Responses generally must arrive within 60 minutes in urban counties, within 60 minutes for calls originating with 911 regardless of geography, and within 90 minutes in rural counties for calls not originating with 911. Providers must also conduct follow-up contacts after 24, 48, and 72 hours and continue follow-up for up to 30 days when clinically indicated. Grant funds are payer of last resort and may not replace Medicaid, private insurance, Medicare, or other available payment sources. Eligible applicants include government organizations, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit organizations, but every applicant must satisfy the program-specific provider requirements. An applicant must be a Community Mental Health Center or Behavioral Health Center with program approval to provide Crisis Services and must be actively enrolled in the Illinois Medical Assistance Program with the required crisis services approval. Applicants must also complete State registration and prequalification requirements, maintain an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity Identifier, be in good standing when applicable, and not appear on specified exclusion, sanctions, or stop-payment lists. Applicants may apply for multiple Designated Service Areas, but a separate application, Program Narrative, and budget are required for each Designated Service Area. Outside Cook County, proposed service areas must consist of one or more whole counties within a Designated Service Area; within Cook County, service areas must consist of whole ZIP codes within a Designated Service Area. Applications must be submitted electronically by email to DHS.DBHR.GrantApp@Illinois.gov. The application packet includes the Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance, a Program Narrative, the Grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure, applicable subcontractor budgets, the Advance Payment Request Cash Budget Form when advance payment is requested, and other service-area or partnership attachments when applicable. The FY27 budget and budget narrative must be separately entered, electronically signed, and submitted in the CSA Tracking System by the application deadline. The Program Narrative may not exceed 12 pages and must follow the prescribed formatting requirements. Applications for more than one Designated Service Area require separate narratives and budgets for each area. Subcontracting may be used in limited circumstances, but subcontractors may not fill the Program Manager, Crisis Clinician, Peer Support Specialist, or 24-hour crisis line functions. Merit review allocates 15 points to Need, 30 points to Capacity and Agency Qualifications, 30 points to Quality and Description of Program Services, and 25 points to Data Collection. Applicants are expected to demonstrate community need, crisis-system coordination, Medicaid billing capability, sufficient physical space, transportation, technology, required equipment, a detailed 24-hour staffing and retention plan, culturally responsive service delivery, measurable program goals, outreach and engagement, data protection and reporting capability, quality improvement, risk management, and procedures for identifying Medicaid or other third-party payment sources. Applications that do not satisfy eligibility and responsiveness requirements will not proceed to scoring. Geographic distribution, demonstrated need, past performance, and other factors may also be considered in final award decisions. The opportunity was posted March 9, 2026. An optional technical assistance session was scheduled for March 17, 2026 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time. Questions were due March 31, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Central Time and had to be submitted to DHS.DBHR.GrantApp@Illinois.gov with the required subject line. Full applications and CSA budgets were due April 7, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Central Time. The FY27 Internal Control Questionnaire deadline for awardees was April 14, 2026 at 12:00 p.m. Central Time. The anticipated award and program start date was July 1, 2026. Rob Putnam is the named contact, and questions regarding the NOFO are directed to DHS.DBHR.GrantApp@Illinois.gov. The source does not state that this competitive solicitation itself recurs annually or on another regular schedule; the stated two possible one-year renewals apply to successful awards rather than establishing a recurring application cycle.

Follow the prescribed narrative organization because points may be deducted for incorrect structure and reviewers will not consider information located in another section unless an appropriate cross-reference is provided. Keep each DSA-specific Program Narrative to 12 pages or fewer because excess pages will not be reviewed. Demonstrate concrete capacity for 24/7/365 two-person team-based response, required 60- or 90-minute response times, No-Decline referrals from 988 and 911 via 988, Medicaid billing, required crisis staffing, data collection, and privacy protection. Provide measurable program goals and a numeric quarterly service target. Ensure the CSA budget is electronically signed and in the required submitted-to-program-review status by the application deadline. Applicants pursuing multiple DSAs should prepare separate applications, narratives, and budgets for each DSA.