FY26 Immigrant Integration Capacity Building Program Narrative

1. Grantee Name Indicate the agency's name.
2. Grantee Address Indicate the address where the agency's administrative offices are located (include phone number and website)
3. Service Location(s) If the program location is different from the administrative office address indicated in Number 2, indicate the address where program services are delivered, including the phone number and website.
4. Grantee FEIN Provide the agency's FEIN
5. Agency Head, Title, Telephone, Email Address Provide information specific to the individual whom the agency designates as the Agency Head.
6. Program Contact Person, Title, Telephone, Email Address Provide information specific to the individual the agency designates as the Program Contact. This person must be familiar with the program services provided.
7. Fiscal Contact Person, Title, Telephone, Email Address Provide information specific to the individual whom the agency designates as the Fiscal Contact. This person must be familiar with the agency's fiscal policies and expenditures allocated to the program.
8. Contract Contact Person, Title, Telephone, Email Address Provide information specific to the individual whom the agency designates as the Contract Contact.
9. Funding request Indicate the total dollar amount of funding being requested.
10. Application type Immigrant Integration/Capacity Building, Training, and Technical Assistance (CBTA)
  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (5 pts)
    The Executive Summary will serve as a stand-alone document that may be shared with various state-level stakeholders and others requesting a brief overview of each funded project. It will also be scored for completion. Therefore, applicants should be concise and direct in their description.
    Provide a one-page summary of the proposal, including the completion of the information below.
    1. Geographic coverage of the entire application
    2. Target population served:
    3. Language capacity in-house (languages covered at the agency, must identify bilingual/bicultural staff and languages spoken):
    4. Indicate number of years of experience the applicant organization has delivering training and technical assistance to organizations providing services to immigrant, refugee and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) community members.
    5. Indicate number of years of experience the applicant organization has collaborating with other community agencies to achieve a common goal.
    6. Specific deliverables for the grant period:
      1. Number of organizations and staff impacted and/or served by initiative
      2. Number of group trainings conducted
      3. Number of individual consultations completed
      4. Number of materials created and distributed
      5. Number of Technical Assistance sessions held
  2. COMMUNITY IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF NEED (15 pts)
    Provide an in-depth analysis of the target communities, including:
    1. Program Needs for Immigrant Support: Describe the identified need in relation to the service delivery framework of the Immigrant Integration Program.
    2. Rationale for Training and Support: Explain why you believe Immigrant Integration partners would benefit from the proposed training, evaluation, support, and/or technical assistance.
  3. AGENCY QUALIFICATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY (25 pts)
    Capacity Building, Technical Assistance, Training
    1. Overview of the Agency: Provide a brief history of the organization and its accomplishments, outlining its primary programs and services. Describe how those services connect to the overall mission of the Immigrant Integration Program. Describe the organization's cultural and linguistic capacity.
    2. Agency Qualifications and Track Records: Describe your agency's qualifications and track records in the following applicable areas: technical assistance, organizational development, training/education, or research and evaluation. Discuss any appropriate certifications that apply.
    3. Capacity Building and Technical Assistance: Describe the number of years of experience the applicant organization has in providing capacity building, training, and technical assistance to immigrant and refugee serving agencies.
    4. Capacity Building Training and Technical Assistance Expertise: Describe the type of capacity building training and technical assistance the applicant organization has experience providing, including whether the agency will utilize internal staff or external entities.
    5. Internal Staffing Expertise for Capacity Building: Describe the applicant organization's internal staffing expertise to provide capacity building, training and technical assistance.
    6. Compliance and Reporting Management: Describe management's process for ensuring agency compliance with service outcomes, interagency policy agreements, and timely submission of both fiscal and programmatic reports.
    7. Data Collection and Use for Evaluation: Describe how the agency collects and maintains data, measure activities versus outcomes, how data is used for program planning, evaluation, and improvement.
    8. Admirative and Fiscal Capacity: Describe the applicant's fiscal capacity and experience managing state and/or federal grants.
    9. Implementation Plan and Timeline: Provide an implementation plan and timeline as Appendix 3 for service provision commencing on the contract start date (July 1, 2025). The implementation plan must include the following:
      1. Describe the applicant agency's plan for staffing to carry out and execute this program. Provide a description of qualifications of key staff who will be responsible for the delivery of the services including their educational background, years of experience, language capacity and other relevant information. Include resumes and/or job descriptions of the staff responsible for implementing this program as Appendix 5.
      2. Discuss the applicant agency's readiness in terms of the physical/virtual space where program activities will be carried out.
      3. Describe the training program staff have had and will receive to ensure their ongoing ability to successfully perform the duties of their position.
  4. PROGRAM QUALITY, DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION (30pts)
    The purpose of this section is for the applicant to provide a comprehensive, clear, and accurate picture of its intended services.
    1. Development of Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Framework
      The organization will implement a structured approach to capacity building and technical assistance (TA) to strengthen service providers' ability to effectively serve immigrant and refugee communities, including migrants, asylum-seekers, and parolees.
      1. Public Benefits & Language Access Technical Assistance 
        • Comprehensive Plan for Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Delivery
          • A detailed roadmap outlining key activities, milestones, and scheduled meetings throughout the year.
          • The plan will incorporate a range of training sessions, professional development opportunities, and technical assistance initiatives tailored to enhance the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs), public agencies, and service providers.
        • Areas of focus will include:
          • Developing and delivering training sessions for community-based organizations on public benefits and services available to immigrants and refugees.
          • Providing ongoing technical assistance to IFRP services providers to improve their capacity to support immigrants and refugees effectively.
          • Language access services, such as interpreter training, proficiency assessments, and provision of in-person, virtual, and telephonic interpretation to eliminate linguistic barriers.
          • Hosting an Annual Cross-Sector Forum to facilitate knowledge-sharing and strengthen interagency collaboration.
        • Pre-Implementation Survey for Baseline Assessment
          • A pre-implementation survey will be designed and conducted to assess current organizational capacity, system efficiencies, and technical assistance needs.
          • The survey will measure organizational development progress, training impact, and system improvements to inform tailored technical assistance strategies.
          • Key metrics will include staff proficiency in navigating public benefits, effectiveness of language access services, and quality of citizenship education programming.
      2. Citizenship Education Training and Technical Assistance
        1. Comprehensive Plan for Capacity Building and Technical Assistance Delivery
          • A detailed roadmap outlining key activities, milestones, and scheduled meetings throughout the year.
          • The plan will incorporate a range of training sessions, professional development opportunities, and technical assistance initiatives tailored to enhance the capacity of community-based organizations (CBOs), public agencies, and service providers.
        2. Areas of focus will include:
          1. Citizenship education training and technical assistance, supporting organizations offering civics education and English language instruction to eligible immigrants. 
            • Strengthening the capacity of New Americas Initiative (NAI) programs through high-quality technical assistance and professional development.
            • Training with best practice and USCIS testing protocols to improve instrumental effectiveness.
            • Support the development of diverse instructional formats, including in-person, virtual, and hybrid learning opportunities.
            • Conducting comprehensive program reviews to assess and enhance the training methodology for the effectiveness of the NAI citizenship education program.
      3. Pre-Implementation Survey for Baseline Assessment
        1. A pre-implementation survey will be designed and conducted to assess current organizational capacity, system efficiencies, and technical assistance needs.
        2. The survey will measure organizational development progress, training impact, and system improvements to inform tailored technical assistance strategies.
        3. Key metrics will include staff proficiency in navigating public benefits, effectiveness of language access services, and quality of citizenship education programming.
    2. Program Execution Strategies
      The organization will adopt structured methods, strategic evaluation processes, and robust reporting mechanisms to ensure effective program implementation.
      1. Technical Assistance and Organizational Development Strategies
        1. Utilize multi-faceted methods, including in-person and virtual training, one-on-one consultations, professional development workshops, and resource toolkits to strengthen service provider capabilities.
        2. Conduct language proficiency assessments to ensure interpreters and bilingual staff provide high-quality interpretation services.
        3. Deliver targeted education and skill-building programs to support community organizations in effectively assisting immigrant populations.
      2. SMART Goals-Based Evaluation Process
        1. Program evaluation will be guided by SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals to assess progress, effectiveness, and impact.
        2. Key indicators will include:
          1. Increase in service provider capacity to navigate public benefits and support immigrant integration.
          2. Enhancement of language access services through interpreter training and proficiency assessments.
          3. Improvement in learner success rates for citizenship education programs, aligning with USCIS testing protocols.
      3. Data Collection, Monitoring, and Reporting
        1. Establish a systematic reporting structure to track and evaluate progress toward SMART goals.
        2. Leverage data-driven insights to enhance program effectiveness, incorporating feedback from service providers and program participants.
        3. Ensure compliance with reporting requirements by providing comprehensive, periodic data reports detailing technical assistance outcomes and capacity-building advancements.
      4. Follow-up, Lessons Learned, and Continuous Improvement
        1. Conduct post-training assessments and feedback loops to capture lessons learned and refine technical assistance strategies.
        2. Organize peer-learning forums and knowledge-sharing platforms to facilitate best practices among service providers.
        3. Generate recommendations for ongoing improvement, ensuring sustained support and responsiveness to the evolving needs of immigrant and refugee communities.
          1. Describe how the organization will develop the following:
            1. Comprehensive plan for delivery of Capacity Building and Technical Assistance within first quarter. The plan must include list of activities and meetings scheduled to occur throughout the year.
            2. Pre-implementation survey to measure systems improvements, organizational development, and/or training, education, and skill-building activities.
          2. Discuss the following in relation to program execution:
            1. Methods and strategies to provide technical assistance, organizational development, education/skill-building, or program evaluation.
            2. Process for evaluating program goals: SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) goals.
            3. Ability to provide required data/information reports to monitor progress towards SMART goals.
            4. Follow-up of activities, lessons learned, goal attainment, and recommendations.
      5. EQUITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE COMITTMENT (10 pts)
        The purpose of this section is for the applicant to demonstrate understanding of the history and impact of racism and inequity on Immigrant, refugee, asylee and LEP communities and to describe the organization's response to address racial inequity. The applicant should provide a clear picture of its work to counteract systemic racism and inequity and to prioritize and maximize diversity and equity throughout its service provision process.
        1. Leadership & Representation: Describe the applicant's commitment and actions to address equity and racial justice. Examples of commitment and activities may include but are not limited to, having leadership (board and/or executive staff) that is reflective of the community/population being served; having (or an intention to have) a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)/equity and racial justice plan that outlines how the organization ensures equity in access to its supports/services as well as equity in outcomes; having a plan to identify and address implicit bias in all areas of the organization, including programming; having (or an intention to have) an equity and racial justice training plan.
        2. Equitable Program Analysis and Impact Assessment: Describe how the applicant will intentionally and deliberately analyze the delivery and/or impact of the program on underserved and marginalized groups (including communities of color, people with disabilities, gender nonconforming people, etc.)
        3. Diversity & Representation in Agency Leadership: Include demographic information of program staff and agency leadership (board and/or executive staff) and discuss if these demographics match the designated community(ies). Describe plans to continue to increase diversity and representation within the agency.
        4. Policy& Practice Reforms to Reduce Racial Disparities: Based on racial demographic data, provide the number, and briefly describe policies, practices and procedures that have been implemented, revised, or repealed to reduce racial disparities at your agency.
      6. BUDGET AND COST JUSTIFICATION (15 pts)

        Applicant needs to submit a budget for the period for which the services are anticipated to be delivered, within the State Fiscal Year 2026.
        1. Justification for Line-Item Expenditures: Thorough and clear justification for all proposed line-item expenditures.
        2. Reasonable and Allowable Costs: All expenditures and program costs are reasonable and allowable.
        3. Sufficient Staffing: Proposed staffing is sufficient to address client projections and client language needs.
        4. Identification of Supplemental Funding: Where available, supplemental or companion funding is clearly identified.
        5. Budget Narrative: Provide a clear and concise information. In this section provide a detailed Budget Narrative of the items allocated within your proposed budget. Identify the source of those funds and detail how the specified resources and personnel are being allocated to ensure the tasks, activities, goals, and objectives described in your proposal will be implemented. If you plan to use additional state or federal funds, or other funds to support the program, please also describe how these additional funds will be utilized to implement the program.
          Note: Applicants MUST enter their budget into CSA and attach a PDF IDHS: Uniform Grant Budget Template (state.il.us) form to application.