The COVID-19 Pandemic Health Navigator Program (PHNP) is an integral part of the State’s response to COVID-19. This Program will utilize Pandemic Health Navigators (PHNs) to help prevent transmission of COVID-19 through education and outreach to vulnerable communities, coordinate resources for those infected or exposed, and provide contact tracing support to the Illinois Contact Tracing Collaborative. This grant opportunity is intended to fund Regional Coordinators, who will ensure coverage across the assigned region for these activities through direct services and/or sub-awarding to tax-exempt entities (see 2 CFR 200.331, Requirements for pass-through entities).

PHNs will promote everyday preventive actions to prevent COVID-19, provide information to break down myths and rumors, and identify populations at risk. The PHNs will assist people with applying for public benefits and give information on public health activities taking place in communities across the state. PHNs will help individuals, families and communities to enhance their health, foster health literacy, access services and improve the conditions during COVID-19 pandemic, especially in low-income and marginalized communities, which have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. PHNs will be working and providing a wide range of services including but not limited to COVID-19 prevention education. PHNs will be public health frontline workers who build trust, serve as a liaison between public health/ healthcare and the community to facilitate access to services and healthcare professionals. They will play a vital part in helping to reduce chronic health inequalities or differences in the rate of illness, disability, and death among black and brown communities. PHNs are motivated by compassion, work for equity, and social justice. Another goal of PHNs is to help those during this pandemic those who have experienced poverty and lack access to testing sites, providers, and hospitals. PHNs will play a critical role in providing critically-needed care to low-income and marginalized communities.

The PHNP will be a part of the Illinois Contact Tracing Collaborative, which is a program designed to build capacity to contact every person who tests positive with SARS-CoV-2 and to interview, trace, and provide follow up for close contacts of those cases. The Collaborative includes contact tracers at Local Health Departments (LHDs) and community-based organizations (CBOs), as well as Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) employees who coordinate and fund the statewide response strategy.All contact tracers utilize IDPH-supported technology systems to perform their tracing duties.

Contact tracing success depends on voluntary cooperation of both the infected person and those who have been potentially exposed.Infected persons are asked to provide complete information about their human interactions during the time they are infectious to assess whether other individuals may have been exposed. Exposed individuals must be subsequently contacted, made aware of their exposure, asked to self-quarantine, and follow public health instructions including, being tested for the virus that causes COVID-19. Organizations funded under the PHNP will work in collaboration with LHDs in their region, who will complete case investigations on all persons who test positive for SARS-CoV-2. Contacts will be assigned directly in Salesforce, but regular communication and cooperation between the LHDs and PHNPs will be needed for improved outcomes.

An essential element of this process, and for a successful contact tracing program, is assisting cases or contacts of cases with the ability to isolate or quarantine safely at home.

Understanding that COVID-19 has disproportionally impacted vulnerable communities, care resource coordination is an integral part to limiting community transmission by facilitating a safe isolation or quarantine environment for cases and contacts.Ensuring that exposed individuals can safely isolate and quarantine – with all necessary resources – is essential to stop the spread of the virus. The PHNs will be responsible for mapping out all available community resources, either provided publicly or through charity, and linking cases and contacts to identified resource providers. These individuals will be identified either by being assigned directly in Salesforce to conduct contact tracing and subsequently follow up with care resource coordination, or by developing a working relationship with the Local Health Department in the region, who will refer cases to the PHNs. PHNs are also required to identify particular needs of individuals based on initial outreach calls and follow up calls and ensure that resources are deployed in a timely and appropriate manner.

This NOFO will select one Regional Coordinator for each of the grant regions. Regions align with Illinois COVID resurgence regions (see Table 1). Cook County, including Chicago, is not included in this award. Each Regional Coordinator is expected to work with community-based organizations within their assigned region to implement these objectives.

Services funded pursuant to the grant should aim to reduce health disparities and health inequities where they exist. Health equity exists when all people have the opportunity to thrive and no one is limited in achieving comprehensive health and wellness because of their social position or any other social factors/determinants of health such as income, education, race/ethnicity, sexual identity, and disability. Services provided pursuant to this grant should be both culturally and linguistically appropriate, in consideration of the communities in which the services are provided. Further, as COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted minority and historically marginalized communities, special attention must be paid to these communities when conducting proactive outreach, follow up support, and care resource support. Grantees should engage stakeholders in developing contact tracing initiatives and continue to make ongoing assessments on the effectiveness of their contact tracing activities in reaching low-income and marginalized communities, which have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Achieving health equity is crucial to stemming the spread of the virus, and the ability to safely quarantine for all is essential.

Communities that should be engaged in this grant opportunity include, but are not limited to:

• Racial and ethnic minorities, including, but not limited to: African-American/Black, Arab American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native
• Foreign-born individuals
• People with limited English proficiency
• Undocumented immigrants
• People living close to or below the federal poverty line
• Disconnected youth
• People experiencing homelessness
• People who live in rural areas
• People with disabilities (including Deaf and Hard of Hearing)
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Questioning or Queer people
• Older adults

• Selecting capable local agencies in each region for the pandemic health worker program; issue local sub-grants for COVID-19 education and outreach, to conduct contact tracing, and to connect cases and contacts with critical services and resources, such as meals, medicine, mobility support, immigration matters, work and income resources, mental health support, support for unsafe living conditions (e.g. domestic abuse), etc., during isolation and quarantine.
• Collaborate and coordinate across the assigned region with the public health system, including with LHDs, to ensure all communities receive needed assistance and to help reduce disparities in health outcomes
• Provide sub-grantees with monitoring, technical assistance, and training to ensure objectives are met across the Region for all communities
• Ensure sub-grantees pay the PHNs hired under this award with a living wage and provide employee benefits, including health insurance
• Convey policy and procedure updates to sub-grantees through correspondence, quarterly virtual meetings, and other channels
• Assist sub-grantees with compliance with GATA requirements, and monitor fiscal and programmatic performance of subrecipients, including reporting of required data and expenditures
• Conduct ongoing quality assurance of sub-grantee PHW programs
• Submit to IDPH along with the grant application, a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan including SMART process and outcome objectives demonstrating how sub-grantees will be supported, monitored, and evaluated
• Ensure that subgrantees utilize IDPH-approved technology solutions, including Salesforce
• Encourage subgrantees to engage in workforce development opportunities that are offered through IDPH

1. Community Based Organizations: According to 20 USCS § 7801(6), the term “community-based organization” means “a public or private nonprofit organization of demonstrated effectiveness that (A) is representative of a community or significant segments of a community; and (B) provides educational or related services to individuals in the community.
2. Case Investigation & Contact Tracing: Fundamental activities that involve working with a patient who has been diagnosed with an infectious disease to identify and provide support to people (contacts) who may have been infected through exposure to the patient. This process prevents further transmission of disease by separating people who have (or may have) an infectious disease from people who do not.
3. Confirmed COVID-19 Case: Report of person with COVID-19 and meeting confirmatory laboratory evidence
   https://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/conditions/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19/case-definition/2020
4. Exposure: Having come into contact with a cause of, or possessing a characteristic that is a determinant of, a particular health problem https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/glossary.html
5. First-responder: Law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services, and emergency management officials. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-for-ems.html
6. Healthcare personnel: All paid and unpaid people serving in healthcare settings who have the potential for direct or indirect exposure to clients or infectious materials, including body substances; contaminated medical supplies, devices, and equipment; contaminated environmental surfaces; or contaminated air. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-risk-assesment-hc...
7. Incubation period: Period of time between exposure to an infection and onset of symptoms
8. Isolation: The separation of a person or group of people known or reasonably believed to be infected with a communicable disease and potentially infectious from those who are not infected to prevent spread of the communicable disease. Isolation for public health purposes may be voluntary or compelled by federal, state, or local public health order. https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/quarantineisolation.html
9. Quarantine: The separation of a person or group of people reasonably believed to have been exposed to a communicable disease but not yet symptomatic from others who have not been so exposed to prevent the possible spread of the communicable disease. Quarantine may be voluntary or compelled by federal, state, or local public health order. https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/quarantineisolation.html
10. Regional Coordinator: Regional Coordinators are the grant recipients under this NOFO, ensure community-based organizations within the assigned region engage low-income and marginalized communities, provide technical assistance to sub-awardees, communicate with LHDs, and use data to ensure maximum community engagement

This award is utilizing federal pass-through funds

The total funding available for awards under this NOFO is $60,000,000.00. Expected regional awards will be as follows:

This award is utilizing federal pass-through funds. The Resource Coordination for Community Based Organizations COVID-19 Response is a one-year grant cycle competitively awarded. Total available funds for the initial competitive grant year (12-month period)) shall be $60,000,000. The initial 12-month period September 15, 2020 through September 14, 2021 with a total budget funding for this period not to exceed $60,000,000.

The budget period length is twelve months and the project period length is one year. Should additional funds become available after the release of this NOFO, IDPH may elect to award such additional funds to applications received under this NOFO. Any selection and award under this NOFO is subject to the availability of appropriate funds from Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) Funding from CDC.

Expected regional awards will be as follows: Region 1: $5,415,315; Region 2: $8,844,964; Region 3: $2,920,854; Region 4: $5,062,037; Region 5: $2,170,968; Region 6: $4,613,981; Region 7: $7,558,835; Region 8: $14,139,462; and Region 9: $9,273,585. Given the limited amount of funding currently available, IDPH may not be able to award grants to all eligible applications, nor even to all applications that meet or exceed the stated evaluation criteria (see Section E, Application Review Information).

IDPH will make awards for projects selected under this notice through grant agreements. Grant agreements are used when IDPH does not expect to have substantial Federal involvement in carrying out the funded activity. The term “grant” is used throughout this document and is intended to reference funding awarded through a grant agreement. The funding provided under the NOFO will be made available to grantees on an award basis.

Regardless of the source of funding (federal pass-through or State), all grantees are required to register with the State of Illinois through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) website, www.grants.illinois.gov, complete a prequalification process, and be determined "qualified" as described in Section 7000.70. Registration and prequalification is required before an organization can apply for an award.

The entity is "qualified" to be an awardee if it:

1. has an active DUNS number;
2. has an active SAM.gov account;
3. has an acceptable fiscal condition;
4. is in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State, if the Illinois Secretary of State requires the entity's organization type to be registered. Governmental entities, school districts and select religious organizations are not required to be registered with the Illinois Secretary of State. Refer to the Illinois Secretary of State Business Services website: http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/business_services/home.html;
5. is not on the Illinois Stop Payment List;
6. is not on the SAM.gov Exclusion List;
7. is not on the Sanctioned Party List maintained by HFS.

One grantee per region shall be awarded. The successful agencies must be tax-exempt organizations with experience in working with or funding public health programs, including direct community health work and public health education.

This funding opportunity is available to tax exempt organizations.

Applicants must have paid all due County, State and Federal Taxes or have an approved payment plan in place.

Applicant organizations may not be convicted of bribing or attempting to bribe an officer or employee of the State of Illinois or any other State, nor has made an admission on the record of having so bribed or attempted to bribe (30 ILCS 500/50-5).

If the applicant organization has been convicted of a felony, at least five years must have passed after the date of completion of the sentence for such felony, unless no person held responsible by a prosecutor’s office for the facts upon which the conviction was based continues to have any involvement with the business (30 ILCS 500/50-10).

If the applicant organization, or any officer, director, partner, or other managerial agent, has been convicted of a felony under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or a Class 3 or Class 2 felony under the Illinois Securities Law of 1953, at least 5 years have passed since the date of the conviction. (30 ILCS 500/50-10.5)

Eligible applicants must comply with all applicable provisions of state and federal laws and regulations pertaining to nondiscrimination, sexual harassment and equal employment opportunity including, but not limited to: The Public Works Employment Discrimination Act (775 ILCS10/1 et seq.), The United States Civil Rights Act of 1964 (as amended) (42 USC 2000a-and 2000H-6), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 USC 794), The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 USC 12101 et seq.), and The Age Discrimination Act (42 USC 6101 et seq.).

To apply for funding through www.idphgrants.com, applicants must be properly registered in SAM before submitting an application, provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application, and continue to maintain an active SAM registration all as describe in detail below. IDPH recommends applicants start the registration process as early as possible to prevent delays that my preclude submitting an application by package by the application deadline. Applications will not be accepted after the due date. Delayed registration is not an acceptable justification for an application extension.

The SAM database is the repository for standard information about Federal financial assistance applicants, recipients and subrecipients. Please note, that applicants must update or renew their SAM registration at least once per year to maintain active status. Therefore, it is critical to check registration status well in advance of the application deadline. If an applicant is selected for an award, the applicant must maintain an active SAM registration with current information throughout the period of the award. Information about SAM registration procedures is available at www.sam.gov.

IDPH may not make a grant award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and SAM requirements and if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the IDPH, the awarding agency is ready to make the award public, IDPH may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive the award and use that determination as a basis for making a another award to another applicant.

Late applications that are the result of a failure to register or comply with www.idphgrants.com applicant requirements in a timely manner will not be considered. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the submission deadline, the application will not be considered. To submit an application through

A DUNS number is required for www.idphgrants.com registration. The Office of Management and Budget requires that all businesses and non-for profits applicants for Federal funds include a DUNS number in their applications for a new award or renewal of an existing award. A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit sequence recognized as the universal standard for the government in identifying and keeping track of entities receiving Federal funds. The identifier is used for tracking purposes and to validate address and point of contact information for Federal assistance applicants, recipients and subrecipients. The DUNS number will be used throughout the grant life cycle. Obtaining a DUNS number is a free one-time activity. Applicants may obtain a DUNS number by calling 1-866-705-5711 or by applying online at http://www.dnb.com/us.

Not required.

To charge indirect costs to a grant, the applicant organization must have an approved indirect cost rate. Annually, each organization receiving an award from a State grant-making agency is required to enter the centralized Indirect Cost Rate System and make one of the following elections for indirect costs to State and federal pass-through grants:

1. Federal Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA);
2. Election of the de minimis rate of 10% of MTDC;
3. Election not to charge indirect costs; or
4. Negotiation of an indirect cost rate.
   The awardee shall make one election or negotiate one rate that all State agencies must accept unless there are federal or State program limitations, caps or supplanting issues.
   Annually, each organization receiving an award from a State grantmaking agency is required to enter the centralized Indirect Cost Rate System and make one of the following elections for indirect costs to State and federal pass-through grants:
5. Federal Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA);
6. Election of the de minimis rate of 10% of MTDC;
7. Election not to charge indirect costs; or
8. Negotiation of an indirect cost rate.

The awardee shall make one election or negotiate one rate that all State agencies must accept unless there are federal or State program limitations, caps or supplanting issues.

Not Applicable.

Applications must be submitted via the Illinois Department of Public Health's Electronic Grants Administration and Management System (EGrAMS), accessible at idphgrants.com.

Since high-speed internet access is not yet universally available for downloading documents or accessing the electronic application, and applicants may have additional accessibility requirements, applicants may request paper copies of materials by contacting:

Scott Henkel

Illinois Department of Public Health

525 West Jefferson

Springfield, Illinois 62761-0001

(217) 785-2075

Application must be submitted through EGrAMS (idphgrants.com). All sections of the application must be completed, and the application must be validated, certified, and submitted through EGrAMS.

Grant application must be submitted through EGrAMS by 5:00 pm, September 7, 2020. A grant application must first be validated to ensure it is free of errors. The applicant must then promote the application to the Authorized Official Certification stage. The applicant must then complete all fields in the Certification section, save the application, and submit it to IDPH for review. The applicant shall receive an e-mail generated by EGrAMS to indicate the application has been submitted and received

• applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or Federal or State awarding agency that is exempt from those requirements under 2 CFR § 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal or State awarding agency under 2 CFR § 25.110(d)) is required to:
• Be registered in SAM before submitting its application. If you are not registered in SAM, this link provides a connection for SAM registration: https://governmentcontractregistration.com/sam-registration.asp;
• provide a valid DUNS number in its application; and
• continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal, Federal pass-through or State award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal or State awarding agency.

Not applicable

Use of Funds. All grant funds must be used for the sole purposes set forth in the grant proposal and application and must be used in compliance with all applicable laws. Grant funds may not be used as matching funds for any other grant program. Use of grant funds for prohibited purposes may result in loss of grant award and/or place the grantee at risk for recouping of those funds used for the prohibited purpose. Expenditure reports must be submitted quarterly.

Funds are to be restricted to the approved budget in the grant application.  Changes and amendments to the use of funds must be approved through a written communication from IDPH.

Unallowable or prohibited use of grant funds include, but are not limited to the following:

• Political or religious purposes
• Contributions or donations
• Fundraising or legislative lobbying expenses
• Conference registration fees
• Payment of bad or non-program related debts, fines, or penalties
• Contribution to a contingency fund or provision for unforeseen events
• Alcoholic beverages
• Membership fees, interest or financial payments, or other fines or penalties
• Purchase or improvement of land or purchase, improvement or construction of a building
• Expenditures that may create conflict of interest or the perception of impropriety
• Exhibit fees of any kind
• Out of state travel costs
• Laboratory or specimen collection costs associated with testing for SARS-CoV-2
• Purchase of vehicles
• Tuition reimbursement
• Bonus pay
• Media campaigns

Not applicable

Applications will be reviewed by reviewer team/s, there will be at least three individuals per team and would include at least one from outside the IDPH COVID-19 Response Group. The number of teams will depend on the number of applicants for review not to exceed three application reviews per team

The maximum possible score is 100 points. All submissions will be reviewed, evaluated and based on the following criteria. The IDPH reserves the right to determine that an applicant is non-responsive if it does not score at least 50% of the maximum score in the categories listed below.

This grant is competitive. Successful applicants shall demonstrate ability to execute the grant project according to project requirements, including appropriate targeted audiences and expected outcomes.

Successful applicants shall include a work plan that is inclusive of all aspects of their Scope of Work and project requirements while specifying SMART objectives.

Successful applicants shall provide a grant project Budget in which costs are allocable, reasonable, and appropriate.Details and associated narratives for all grant costs are required to be included within the grant application budget framework.

Merit-Based Review Appeal Process

For competitive grants, only the evaluation process is subject to appeal. Evaluation scores or funding determinations/outcomes may not be contested and will not be considered by the Department's Appeals Review Officer.

To submit an appeal, the appealing party must:

• Submit the appeal in writing and in accordance with the grant application document through IDPH's Merit-Based Review Appeal Request Form available in the GATA section of the IDPH website (www.dph.illinois.gov/GATA).
• Appeals must be received within 14 calendar days after the date that the grant award notice was published.
• Appeals must include the following information:
  • The name and address of the appealing party
  • Identification of the grant
  • A statement of reasons for the appeal
  • If applicable, documents or exhibits to support statement of reason

The IDPH Appeals Review Officer (ARO) will consider the grant-related appeals and make a recommendation to the appropriate Deputy Director as expeditiously as possible after receiving all relevant, requested information.

• The ARO must review the submitted Appeal Request Form for completeness and acknowledge receipt of the appeal within 14 calendar days from the date the appeal was received.
• The ARO will utilize an Appeal Review Tool to consider the integrity of the competitive grant process and the impact of the recommendation.
• The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by the agency within the time period set in the request.
• The ARO shall respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required.

Documentation of the appeal determination shall be sent to the appealing party and must include the following:

• Standard description of the appeal review process and criteria
• Review of the appeal
• Appeal determination
• Rationale for the determination

In addition to providing the written determination, the grant-making office may do the following:

• Document improvements to the evaluation process given the findings and re-review all submitted applications.
• Document improvements to the evaluation process given the findings and implement improvements into the following year's grant evaluation process.
• Provide written notice to the appealing party as to how the identified actions will be remedied.

Appeals resolutions may be deferred pending a judicial or administrative determination when actions concerning the appeal have commenced in a court of administrative body.

IDPH expects to complete the initial review of the grant application as soon as possible after receipt but no later than four to six weeks after receipt of application. Final approval of the grant application in EGrAMS cannot be completed until all internal IDPH approvals have been obtained.

Anticipated Program Start Date: 9/15/2020

Anticipated Program End Date: 9/14/2021

EGrAMS shall generate a Notice of State Award upon successful application review.

Upon final approval by IDPH of the EGrAMS grant application, the applicant shall be sent one grant agreement through EGrAMS. Applicant shall be required to print the grant agreement, sign it, and return (mail or email) it to IDPH for execution. After execution, a copy of the executed grant agreement, along with a Grant Instructions and reporting requirements shall be returned to the applicant via e-mail.

A Notice of State Award (NOSA) shall be issued to the finalists who have successfully completed all grant award requirements, recommended for funding and approved to receive grant funding.

The Notice of State Award (NOSA) will specifies the funding terms and specific conditions resulting from the pre-award risk assessments.

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is exempt from utilizing the NOSA on the GATA website. Successful applicants will receive a notification from EGrAMS and will be required to review the grant agreement which contains the funding terms and specific conditions and submit an electronically signature. Both the electronic signature and the physical signature by an authorized representative of the grantee organization must be submitted to IDPH.

A Notice of Denial shall be sent to the applicants not receiving awards via EGrAMS.

Not applicable.

The grantee is required to submit quarterly progress reports on their work plan objectives. Failure to submit required reports in a timely manner will result in delays with approval of reimbursements. The grantee will ensure quarterly reports are submitted in the provided format as follows:

1st Quarter Report due by: December 30, 2020

2nd Quarter Report due by: March 30, 2021

3rd Quarter Report due by: June 30, 2020

4th Quarter Report due by: September 30, 2020

Scott Henkel

Illinois Department of Public Health

525 West Jefferson

Springfield, Illinois 62761-0001

(217) 785-2075

Not applicable

• Uniform State Grant Application – Available at idphgrants.com for eligible applicants
• New to EGrAMS, click HERE to see how to Get Started
• Project Narrative (included in EGrAMS application)
• Budget (included in EGrAMS application)
• Budget Narrative (included in EGrAMS application)

Not applicable.