FY26 Immigrant Family Assistance Hotline 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 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/Immigrant Family Access Hotline (IFAH)
  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. Total number of agencies included in the grant application.
    2. Geographic coverage of the entire application (e.g. statewide, County, zip code, specific communities):
    3. Target population served:
    4. Language capacity in-house (languages covered at the agency, must identify bilingual/bicultural staff and languages spoken):
    5. Specific deliverables for the grant period:
      1. Number of Multicultural Media Campaigns
      2. Number of persons reached via multi-media campaign
      3. Number of information and referrals projected
      4. Number of Know your Rights (KYR presentations)
      5. Number of KYR train-the-trainer presentations
      6. Number of rapid response teams
      7. Call volume and response times
         
  2. COMMUNITY IDENTIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF NEED (15 pts)

    Provide an in-depth analysis of the target communities, including:
     
    1. Geographic Coverage & Demographic Profile: Describe the geographic coverage proposed in this application. Include information on immigrant/refugee communities in which the agency currently works by country of origin, language(s) served, estimated size, age groups, and economic statuses.
    2. Service Needs & Barriers: Describe the priority populations that are the most in need of services. What are their greatest service needs while accessing public benefits and safety net programs? What are the common barriers they face while trying to access public benefits?
    3. Demand for Services: Describe the services the agency anticipates will be in high demand, or require high-level of attention, in the community to be provided through this program.
    4. If you are a new agency proposing service under this initiative, how do you propose to recruit/identify clients? What agency or agencies are currently serving the populations for whom you are proposing service?
  3. AGENCY QUALIFICATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY (25 pts)

    The purpose of this section is for the applicant to present an accurate picture of their ability to implement the IMMIGRANT FAMILY ACCESS HOTLINE as outlined in this NOFO. The applicant must demonstrate evidence of linguistic and cultural competence throughout. Information in this section should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:
     
    1. Overview of the Agency: Give a brief overview of the agency, outlining programs and services offered. Describe how the applicant's mission statement and goals align with the purpose of this funding opportunity.
    2. Agency Qualifications and Track Record: Describe your agency's qualifications and track records in the following applicable areas: human services, managing state and/or federal grants, system planning and program operation, collection of service data and production of reports.
    3. Years of Experience: Describe number of years of experience the applicant organization has providing and managing hotline services and connecting the public with social services agencies.
    4. Staffing Expertise: Describe the internal staffing expertise the applicant organization has to provide bilingual staffing for the Access hotline.
    5. Management and Fiscal Capacity: Describe management's process for insuring agency compliance with service outcomes, interagency policy agreements, and timely submission of both fiscal and programmatic reports.
    6. 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.
    7. 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 Immigrant Access Hotline organization chart and staffing plan as Appendix 4. Include resumes and/or job descriptions of the staff responsible for implementing this program as Appendix 5.
      2. 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 (30 pts)

    The purpose of this section is for the applicant to provide a comprehensive, clear, and accurate picture of its intended program design. The applicant must demonstrate evidence of linguistic and cultural competence throughout. At minimum, the proposal must describe how the organization will provide the proposed services and activities consistent with the Immigrant Family Assistance Hotline.
     
    1. Family Support Services
      The hotline will serve as a critical resource for immigrants and their families to access essential services and information. The selected organization must ensure:
      • The hotline is widely publicized and accessible through various outreach channels, including ethnic media, community-based organizations, and multilingual informational materials.
      • Services are available in multiple languages to accommodate Illinois' diverse immigrant population.
      • Trained staff provides comprehensive referrals, including but not limited to healthcare, education, public benefits, immigration legal aid, workplace rights, and mental health support.
      • Advanced call management platform capable of generating real-time reports and tracking call trends.
      • The system is equipped to handle high call volumes, with the flexibility to scale services based on demand.
      • Provide urgent deportation defense support and coordinate rapid response efforts for family separation cases.
    2. Know Your Rights (KYR) Presentations
      The organization must conduct Know Your Rights (KYR) presentations to educate immigrant and refugee communities about their constitutional rights, regardless of immigration status. These presentations must:
      • Be accessible in multiple languages, with interpretation services provided as needed.
      • Incorporate up-to-date materials that reflect current immigration policies and executive orders.
      • Include a train-the-trainer component to empower community leaders to broadly disseminate KYR information.
    3. Rapid Response Teams
      The funded agency will establish and coordinate Rapid Response Teams to assist communities facing increased risks of family separation due to immigration enforcement activities. These teams must:
      • Operate in strategic locations across Illinois, based on identified community needs.
      • Be staffed with trained volunteers who can observe, document, and verify enforcement activities, ensuring accurate reporting and legal coordination.
      • Work proactively to combat misinformation and reduce panic within affected communities.
      • Provide ongoing training, technical assistance, and support to Rapid Response Team members to enhance their effectiveness and preparedness. 
    4. Implementation Plan
      The selected organization must develop a comprehensive implementation plan that includes:
        • Staffing and Training: A detailed plan for recruiting and training multilingual personnel to staff the hotline and support the KYR presentations and Rapid Response Teams.
        • Outreach and Promotion: Strategies for promoting the hotline and KYR presentations through partnerships with community-based organizations, social media campaigns, ethnic media outlets, and local advocacy networks.
        • Technology and Infrastructure: A robust system for call tracking, real-time reporting, and case management to ensure efficiency and data-driven decision-making.
      • Monitoring and Evaluation: Mechanisms to assess the hotline's effectiveness, measure call volume trends, and evaluate the impact of KYR presentations and Rapid Response initiatives.
  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. Equity Implementation Plan & Timeline: If no equity and racial justice efforts are currently being practiced, describe the applicant's plan to implement those efforts, including a timeline of activities.
    3. Root Causes of Racial Inequity & Historical Context: Identify and describe some of the potential root causes of racial inequity within the targeted communities; address and/or include how historical factors have contributed to the conditions of the communities as appropriate. Include recommendations on how to address inequities.
    4. Applying an Equity Lens in Program Design: Describe how the applicant will use an equity lens when creating and implementing programming. An equity lens is a process that analyzes the impact of policies and practices on marginalized communities to inform and ensure equitable outcomes. Include applicant organization's written commitment to advancing equity and racial justice. If one is not yet written, please detail when and how such a statement will be institutionalized.
    5. Impact Analysis & Reducing Barriers for Marginalized Groups: 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.), and how barriers to program participation will be addressed.
    6. Trauma-Informed Behavioral Health Services: Describe how the applicant will provide trauma informed behavioral health services to address the disparate impact of immigration, discrimination, and racial profiling on communities of color.
    7. 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.
    8. 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: Budget Narrative is clear and provides context. 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.