Strategy

Online Feedback Request

  • We Want to Hear from You! Survey
  • At IDHS, we are committed to transparency, authentic stakeholder engagement, and providing opportunities for input in everything we do to serve our clients. We want to build true and meaningful partnerships with the communities and clients we serve.
  • IDHS launched an 'on-line feedback survey' on Wednesday morning of this week (June 26) to gather as much experience, lessons learned, and creativity in how we can approach the census work going forward.
  • The survey was sent to over 2500 people drawn from the IDHS newsletter email list. The list includes our community partners, grantees, and private foundations. Our hope is that we hear from diverse sectors of our state - all of whom are invested in a fair and accurate census.
  • We will be collecting feedback and incorporating survey results into our thinking as we are developing the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). We are hoping to learn from communities and organizations already out there doing work to promote the census. We want to hear about what is and isn't working; we want to supplement and enhance already existing activities, not duplicate (unless they are really good and we need more of them), and most importantly, we want to understand the barriers and challenges that our activities need to meet head-on and to ensure Illinois' Hard to Count populations and geographies are counted in the 2020 census.
  • As members of the ILGA, you should have all received the survey. We hope you will take time to complete the survey.

Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

  • The feedback Request (survey) is designed to inform the NOFO.
  • The NOFO is guided by the laws, rules and regulation outlined in the Government Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA).
  • IDHS has created an internal 'working group' of people drawn from each of the IDHS divisions to inform the NOFO process and make recommendations to the internal 2020 Census leadership team. Items for discussion include:
    • Deliverables
    • Measurement/reporting
    • Scoring matrix and merit review of applicants
    • Eligibility criteria of applicants
    • Regional structure and distribution of funds based on data
    • Fiscal considerations; including criteria to apply for 'Advance and Reconcile'.
  • The IDHS will provide a Technical Assistance WebEx one week after the NOFO is released.
  • The IDHS will develop a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to be posted on the www.census.illinois.gov website, and updated regularly based on questions received
  • The NOFO will be released on July 15, 2019.
    • See the TimeLine in your packets for all relevant dates related to the NOFO.

Reporting

IDHS Reporting

  • The Executive Order dictates that the IDHS report to the 2020 Census Advisory panel on the first day of each month beginning in September 2019.
    • The content of the report is outlined in the Executive Order and includes:
  • an outline of the overall budget for Illinois 2020 Census-related efforts,
  • expenditures related to census activities
  • the distribution of funding to organizations throughout Illinois, and
  • other relevant information related to the 2020 census count in Illinois.
  • All reports submitted by the IDHS will be posted on www.census.illinois.gov for public view.

Grantee Reporting

  • All Grantees funded through the NOFO will be subject to standard reporting requirements as established by the GATA.
    • Reporting includes a programmatic report and a fiscal report.
    • Reports are due to the IDHS quarterly by all grantees.
  • Any sub-grants awarded by Intermediary grantees will also be subject to reporting requirements and that information will be included in quarterly reports submitted by direct grantees to IDHS on a quarterly basis.