November 1, 2023 Information Session

VIDEO | November 1, 2023 | Information Session

Questions asked during the Information Session, November 1,2023:

  1. Application process:
  2. Application cycles and deadlines:
  3. General Questions:
  4. Budget:

Application process:

  • Do applicants need to propose activities that address all of these funding priorities or can focus on one or two?
    • No, we encourage organizations to focus their proposals to one or two funding priorities. We encourage applicants to keep the maximum award of $30,000 in mind.
  • What if the applicant is a statewide organization and proposing a statewide project?
    • We encourage you to be very clear about which regions you will be implementing the work, name your partner organizations and name the number of staff who will be working on the state-wide project.

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Application cycles and deadlines:

  • Will the timeline be the same for submission and notification of awards if you are in regions 2-5? Yes, final decisions and fund disbursement will happen by mid-December.
    •  Do we need to be registered with the IL Secretary of State and in good standing at the time of application or can we be in process at the time of application? Yes. Your application may be in process and as long as everything is approved by December 1, the Healing Illinois team will review your application. However, it is up to the organization to notify the Healing Illinois team once your organization is in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State.

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General Questions:

  • How can you be considered for being an intermediary?
    • We are not looking for intermediaries at this time. The intermediaries were selected by The Field Foundation based on their grant making experience, networks and relationships with the region. The intermediaries are also GATA registered.
  • Do recipient 501c3s need to be based in Illinois? Can an interstate org that hopes to concentrate their scope of work in Illinois apply?
    • Yes, organizations applying for Healing Illinois must be located in Illinois. If the organization is an interstate org, they must have an office location in Illinois in order to be eligible for funds.
  • I am a faculty member with a university. Was it stated that there can be only one project from one organization? How many applications can be submitted by one organization? What if I'd like to apply and another faculty member has another proposal that they wanted to apply?
    • Universities are eligible to apply. An entity, like a university may submit multiple application as long as they are very distinct projects.
  • Will there be any opportunities for sustainability in funding and programming after June 30th?
    • We are not sure at time. Funding for Healing Illinois is provided by the State of Illinois Department of Human Services, it all depends on their budget.
  • If partnerships are planned, do we need to include letters from partners stating they are agreeing to be part of the project?
    • We do not require them, but if you would like to include them you can. You can upload attachments to your proposal.
  • Our request will be for training and education through consultant services; may we include IDC and, if so, at what percent?
    • We allow up to 10% of indirect cost.
  • Will you please walk through your budget template?
    • The budget template is short and straight forward. We mainly want to know how you're going to use the funds. You may use your own project template as well.
  • For clarity, we are in Region 2. If we submit before November 10 to the Field Foundation, will we still be notified by Nov 20?
    • Correct. However, since we already have an intermediary identified, they will have a say in the recommendation of your proposal for funding.
  • If the grant period is 11/1/2023 - 6/30/2024, but we are applying for the 12/1 deadline, can the grant cover expenses of the project dated since 11/1 if the project is already underway?
    • Correct, as long as expenses are directly connected to the project.
  • Using consultant services, will we need to present an actual schedule of workshops, etc.? Or can those details wait until we are awarded?
    • We don't need all the details but we need enough to get a sense of what it is you are proposing.
  • Is it possible to obtain a list of organizations interested in this grant to support the development of collaborative grants?
    • Unfortunately, we are not able to share a list of organization who attended the virtual information session without their consent.
  • If it is a collaborative project between organizations located in region 1 and region 2, do we still need to work with the intermediary in region 2?
    • The main question is who is the lead of the project, who is submitting the application. The answers to this question will determine whether you need to go through the intermediary or not.
  • In your budget template, I received this message in the cell for the total: "Field Foundation: If you're applying in the General Operating category, this number should match the Expenses line on the Organization Financial History above." I do not find the Organization Financial History in the application; what does this mean?
    • Healing Illinois is not a general operating grant but rather a project grant. You may submit your own budget template. We mainly want to know how the organization is going to use the funds.
  • If the target outcome is racial healing sustainability must it be a current program expansion? Can it be a new program within an org that does work within the realm but not identified directly as such?
    • The project does not have to be a current program expansion, the proposed project may be new.
  • How do we sign up for the TA sessions?
  • When will awards be announced?
    • Final decisions will be made in early December.
  • Is the funding reimbursable? Can a new organization get an advanced payment if possible?
    • Organizations awarded the grant will receive the funds upfront.
  • Can the proposed project be a request for seed funding for a new initiative? That is, if we propose a new program that will extend past June 30th, do we have to demonstrate its financial sustainability after this $30k initial investment?
    • No, but please keep in mind that the project must be launched by and funds expended by June 30, 2023.
  • I am an educational consultant with a business that focuses on limiting belief systems that impact the most vulnerable populations in education. I am in Region 5. Will you be notifying us when the link to apply through Southern Illinois Community Foundation is open?
    • Yes, once the information is available, we will make it available on our website. For now, if you're ready to apply, you may submit your application directly to The Field Foundation, and we will send your application packet to the intermediary.
  • We are a high school but the training and education is focused on our staff and our BOD, however it will impact the entire school community of students, student families, etc. Do we reflect the entire school community in addressing the number of participants and target population, or only our staff and BOD?
    • You should focus on the number of individuals receiving the actual training.
  • Does the intermediary receive any of the grantee's grant money?
    • No.
  • Will there be reporting required for this grant, and if so, what type of reporting will be required regarding spending the funds?
    • Award recipients will have to submit a final report.
  • How are we notified if we are awarded or not, and when?
    • Final decisions will be made by early December. Notifications will be sent to all organizations that have applied.
  • My organization is a health system with its sites primarily in Cook County, but we also have a site in Lake County. If we create a system-wide program, for instance, do we still need to break down our budget between Regions 1 and 2 if 100% of the costs will be incurred by our racial equity office based in Cook County?
    • If the majority of expenses will be incurred in Cook County, then only select Region 1 in the application.
  • Can we request more than $30,000 if we are gearing for more than 1 activity?
    • The pool of application is very competitive, we encourage applicants to stay within the maximum request amount of $30,000.

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Budget:

  • What does the line item for capital mean?
    • The budget template is standard. You may disregard line items that do not make sense. Please feel free to submit your own budget template.
  • Can we use an alternative budget template or must we use the one provided?
    • Yes, you may.
  • If an org applies, for two specific trainings (for example one for staff one for board), does the application get either completely accepted or rejected? Or is it possible that partial funding would be awarded (for example, for just one of the two trainings)?
    • It is possible for an organization to receive partial funding.
  • Can you share the application scoring rubric?
    • Grant applications are evaluated on the following:
      • Alignment with Healing Illinois funding priorities
      • Community Engagement
      • Alignment with Community Needs
      • Capacity/Infrastructure to Execute Proposal
      • Alignment with Community Needs
      • Budget Proposal
      • Outcomes

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