The ANCHOR Technical Assistance session was pre-recorded and is posted below.
We hosted a live Q&A session on August 15, 2025, and the recording is posted below.
You can continue to submit questions here, and answers will be posted to this page the following Friday. We will accept questions until September 12, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. (CST).
The following table answers general questions about the NOFO and NOFO process.
| # | Question | Answer |
| 1. Application | ||
| 1.1 | Should I register as an individual or an organization? | Please register as an individual. |
| 1.2 | Can more than one person complete the application? | Yes. Collaborators can be added to the application process. |
| 1.3 | Will I receive an email notification when my application is submitted? | Yes. If you do not receive this email, please ensure the entire application was completed. In addition to completing each section, the entire application must be submitted. If you do cannot find this email, please contact the help desk. |
| 2. NOFO | ||
| 2.1 | Who are the SME’s that write the NOFOs? | The SMEs that write the NOFOs are individuals at Advocates for Human Potential who have demonstrated expertise and knowledge on the topic/initiative being funding, including the services that will be funded through the NOFO. These SMEs include individuals with diverse backgrounds who live in Illinois and are familiar with Illinois’ SUD prevention, treatment and recovery systems, and some are people with lived experience. SUPR also provides SMEs who draft the original statement of work that is then used to construct the NOFOs. |
| 3. Reviews | ||
| 3.1 | Will I be notified if there is a problem with my application? | During the prequalification process, applications are reviewed for completeness and eligibility to determine whether they will be considered for funding. You will be notified if your application does not meet those criteria. However, once submitted, no further changes can be made to the application. |
| 3.2 | Who is on the selection committee for each NOFO? | The review committee includes, at a minimum, three individuals who are SMEs on the topic area and/or are people with lived experience. |
| 4. Awards | ||
| 4.1 | Can an entity be awarded multiple awards? As in, applying for two different NOFOs and receiving an award for both. | Yes, an entity can apply for and, if eligible and has the capacity to fulfill the requirements of each, may be awarded more than one award. |
| 5. Communications | ||
| 5.1 | How will I receive updates from AHP? | Please ensure that your organization has whitelisted the following emails/email domains, so you can ensure you receive all communications.
|
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
|
1. Application |
||
|
1.1 |
Should I register as an individual or an organization? |
Please register as an individual. |
|
1.2 |
Can more than one person complete the application? |
Yes. Collaborators can be added to the application process. |
|
1.3 |
Will I receive an email notification when my application is submitted? |
Yes. If you do not receive this email, please ensure the entire application was completed. In addition to completing each section, the entire application must be submitted. If you do cannot find this email, please contact the help desk. |
|
2. NOFO |
||
|
2.1 |
Who are the SME’s that write the NOFOs? |
The SMEs that write the NOFOs are individuals at Advocates for Human Potential who have demonstrated expertise and knowledge on the topic/initiative being funding, including the services that will be funded through the NOFO. These SMEs include individuals with diverse backgrounds who live in Illinois and are familiar with Illinois’ SUD prevention, treatment and recovery systems, and some are people with lived experience. SUPR also provides SMEs that draft the original statement of work that is then used to construct the NOFOs. |
|
3. Reviews |
||
|
3.1 |
Will I be notified if there is a problem with my application? |
During the prequalification process, applications are reviewed for completeness and eligibility to determine whether they will be considered for funding. You will be notified if your application does not meet those criteria. However, once submitted, no further changes can be made to the application. |
|
3.2 |
Who is on the selection committee for each NOFO? |
The review committee includes, at a minimum, three individuals who are SMEs on the topic
area, and/or are people with lived experience. |
|
4. Awards |
||
|
4.1 |
Can an entity be awarded multiple awards? As in, applying for two different NOFOs and receiving an award for both. |
Yes, an entity can apply for and, if eligible and has the capacity to fulfill the requirements of each, may be awarded more than one award. |
|
5. Communications |
||
|
5.1 |
How will I receive updates from AHP? |
IL RCCA Whitelist Copy Please ensure that your organization has whitelisted the following emails/email domains, so you can ensure you receive all communications. ilrcca@ahpnet.com – RCCA program email address (and any email from ahpnet.com) noreply@sign.ironcladapp.com – Ironcloud, which AHP uses to send notices of awards and non-awards noreply@mail.smapply.net – Survey Monkey Apply, which AHP uses to communicate with applicants support@ahpnet.freshdesk.com – Freshdesk, which AHP plans to use for help desk communications in the future jira@ahp.atlassian.net – Jira, which AHP uses to manage all communications that come to the ILRCCA@ahpnet.com email account or are submitted directly on the help desk platform. |
| Question | Answer | |
| 1 | Are applications supposed to include a budget for 3 years or just the prorated first year funding period? | The budget workbook requests budget information for both the prorated first year (December 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) and FY27 (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2027) to demonstrate your approach for the second (2nd) year of the award, if renewed. |
| 2 | Am I correct that a government unit may apply since it is a tax exempt entity? | Any nonprofit, for-profit, or tax-exempt entity located in Illinois may apply. That includes government units. |
| 3 | Do you provide a conflict of disclosure form that applicants can complete and submit? If not, since we do not have any conflicts, should we just upload an attachment stating this information? Do you need something on letterhead? | You can find the grantee conflict of interest form here. |
| 4 | In Section B.1.1 on eligibility, the NOFO states that applicants must be “located in Illinois.” Is the intent to limit eligibility only to organizations with a physical address in Illinois, or something different? Would the ILRCCA consider broadening this requirement such that national organizations, and/or those that are physically headquartered in another state, but who may wish to propose a project specific to Illinois have the opportunity to apply? |
In addition to other eligibility requirements found in the NOFO and Section B, 1. applicants must be a nonprofit, for-profit, or tax-exempt entity located in Illinois; 2.
applicants must be able to fulfill the scope of services detailed in this funding notice; 3. applicants must have the capacity to comply with the legal, fiscal, reporting, and programmatic requirements as described in this funding notice; 4. applicants proposing the use of program funds to provide services that require state or federal licensure must be actively licensed; and 5. all entities must be qualified to do business with the State of Illinois.
|
| 5 | When addressing the prorated amount for Year 1 and the number of awardees, how should an agency develop their budget? | Applicants should create a budget that supports the justification of the services they are proposing. While the budget submitted may not be the final approved budget, due to a number of factors such as the number of awardees, non allowable costs, etc., the budget should be based on the plan you intend to execute, and if awarded, further adjustments will be made during a final budget review. |
| 6 | How should we plan to build the budget, when we don’t know what the award amount will be? Per the NOFO the award amount will vary depending on how many awards are made. We will be able to serve more depending on the award amount, however, some costs will be fixed (i.e. the 24/7 hotline costs). | Please see the answer to Question 5 (above). |
| 7 | Is there a requirement for matching funds to be matched by the organization? | No. |
| 8 | For the public health region where we plan to provide ANCHOR services, for Cook County, Bellwood is listed in parenthesis. What is the significance of that, do we need to be in vicinity of Bellwood? | In Section 6 of the application, Need and Opportunity, question 6.1 asks applicants to select the public health region(s) where they plan to provide ANCHOR services. If you are planning to provide services in Cook County, but not Bellwood, you would select the “Cook County (Bellwood)” public health region. Questions 6.2 and 6.2b ask for more specifics about the county or counties, and municipality (ies), where you plan to provide services, so you can include additional details there. |
| 9 | For Task 4: Monitor Program – Can you provide more detail on what this would look like or provide guidance on QAP and QCP? | ANCHOR subrecipients are responsible for assessing the current needs, designing ANCHOR services, and developing a plan for data collection which includes quality assurance and control plans. The subrecipient will implement ANCHOR services (Task 3) and monitor those services and review performance measures by developing a Quality Assurance Plan (QAP) and Quality Control Plan (QCP), outlined in Task 4. |
| 10 | Would awardee organizations be required to provide matching funds for this benefit? | No. |
| 11 | Creating a budget in this manner, would they lose points based on the proposed budget? For example if they estimate a budget for the $583k for 1 awardee, and 5 orgs are awarded. | The criteria listed in the NOFO under Section D. Application Contents and Format describe the elements that are scored. This includes review of the applicant’s experience and capacity as well as the program budget and other information. Applicants should create a budget that supports the justification of the services they are proposing. While the budget submitted may not be the final approved budget, due to a number of factors such as the number of awardees, non allowable costs, etc., the budget should be based on the plan you intend to execute, and if awarded, further adjustments will be made during a final budget review. |
| 12 | Are organizations expected to do the full needs assessment, equity and racial equity plan for each year of funding? Or would it be done primarily in the first year and updated as needed in subsequent years? | The Implementation and Sustainability Plan (ISP) and Organizational Needs Assessment (ONA) are completed for each funding year. The Equity and Racial Justice Plan (ERJ) is a living document, so programs are not expected to redo these plans each year, but to continually demonstrate their implementation by reporting progress. |
| 13 | Other applications have asked applicants to choose counties in their public health region, but this one identifies serving across one entire public health region. Do they have to provide services across all of those counties or only identify those counties where they’ll provide services within that region? | In Section 6 of the application, Need and Opportunity, question 6.1 asks applicants to select the public health region(s) where they plan to provide ANCHOR services. Questions 6.2 and 6.2b ask for more specifics about the county or counties, and municipality (ies), where you plan to provide services, but subrecipients would not be required to provide services all counties within a specified public health region, unless they identify a need in all of those counties. |
| 14 | In Section 6, Need and Opportunity, regarding the public health region – we propose to serve in Chicago. Cook County (Bellwood) and West Chicago are specifically referenced. We serve Southside communities in zip codes with high opioid fatality rates, concentrated poverty and firearm violence and other conditions that hinder communities. Please confirm Southside zip codes in Chicago are eligible. |
Yes – ANCHOR services are statewide.
More than ninety percent (90%) of opioid overdose deaths in Illinois involve synthetic opioids. Among the state’s teenagers (ages 13 to 17), synthetic opioid overdose deaths increased more than 350 percent in a single year. Experimentation is common during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Therefore, the priority population for this funding is adolescents with opioid use disorder (OUD) (or polysubstance use disorder [PUD] including opioids) and their families/caregivers. “Adolescents” refers to youth and emerging adults ages 12 to 21. Applications will be prioritized based on overdose data in the applicant’s proposed service area (including statewide), current availability of other services, and plans to specifically outreach to and engage populations who are disparately impacted (e.g., Native American adolescents) by opioid overdoses.
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| 15 | In the NOFO, it describes the areas of service for direct service work and capacity building. If an organization has experience in 1-2 of those areas are they still competitive against those with experience in more of those areas? | Applications will be prioritized based on overdose data in the applicant’s proposed service area (including statewide), current availability of other services, and plans to specifically outreach to and engage populations who are disparately impacted (e.g., Native American adolescents) by opioid overdoses. |
| 16 | Can multiple organizations from the same region receive an award or is there a limit of one award per region? | The number of ANCHOR awards may range from 1 to 5. The NOFO does not indicate a limit to the number of awards per region. Applications will be prioritized based on elements such as overdose data in the applicant’s proposed service area (including statewide), current availability of other services, and plans to specifically outreach to and engage populations who are disparately impacted (e.g., Native American adolescents) by opioid overdoses. No person shall be denied service because of ongoing substance use or a recurrence of substance use. |
| 17 | Who needs to hold Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (IDHS/DBHR) licenses? The application question 1.14 asks: “List Illinois Department of Human Services/Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery (IDHS/DBHR) licenses, if any” Who is this question referring to? | Per Section B.1. of the NOFO, “Applicants proposing the use of program funds to provide services that require state or federal licensure must be actively licensed.” |
| 18 |
In the NOFO requirements it is stating that the high opioid fatality rates in Counties other than Cook County with a crude rate of 1.8 or greater per 100,000 people (as an example of utilizing the dashboard). Although, the Illinois Opioid Data Dashboard measurement is stated 10,000 people.
Are we to calculate for 100,000 people or perhaps is this a typo?
|
“Overdose rate” should be defined as the rate of opioid overdose per 10,000 population for all demographics in a given geographical area. |
| 19 | In order to apply for this grant, does the agency have to have a current Substance Use Treatment and Intervention License through SUPR? | Per Section B.1. of the NOFO, “Applicants proposing the use of program funds to provide services that require state or federal licensure must be actively licensed.” |
| 20 |
For the ANCHOR NOFO, Section 7.3 asks about the program leadership. Does RCCA want to see any of the team members that will support the project designated within the leadership roles, or is it better to speak on the person or persons who will be overseeing the project in whole?
For example, there are two individuals who will be working as the Project Investigators/Directors and will ensure forward movement on the project if we are funded. There is also another clinical team member who will provide some support, and an evaluation director who will also be providing evaluative support. Should all four individuals be included as leadership in their own right, or solely the two original individuals who will be leading the project from Point A to Point Z over the course of the grant cycle.
|
The applicant may provide information on more than two individuals who will be providing program leadership, as well as any other positions that will be supporting the program. |
| 21 | For Attachment H, it asks us to complete a detailed program plan, including a month-by-month timeline of activities. Should we complete a timeline for the first year only or activities for all three funding periods (if funded)? | The timeline should include, minmially, the initial period of performance. Subrecipients may expand the timeline to include additional periods to further support their application. |
| 22 | For the ANCHOR NOFO, Section C.4 provides a table of important tasks and dates that they’re due. Task 1 directs to H.10 for detailed descriptions. In H.10, the timeline and dates are different than what’s provided in C.4. What collection of due dates should we be referencing? | Dates may be aligned with Section C.4 or H.10. in the timeline. The dates used will not impact application scoring as long as all deliverables are incorporated into the plan. Final deliverables due dates will be communicated to awardees in their Statement of Work. |
| 23 | In the NOFO it says that conferences are unallowable without prior approval. If we want to include a conference in our proposed budget, do we need to get prior approval before submitting the application? | Approval prior to application is not required. However, for applicants who are awarded, additional information and budget revisions may be required if proposed activities are determined to be unallowable. |
| 24 | In the NOFO it says that conferences are unallowable without prior approval. If we want to include a conference in our proposed budget, do we need to get prior approval before submitting the application? | Approval prior to application is not required. However, for applicants who are awarded, additional information and budget revisions may be required if proposed activities are determined to be unallowable. |
| 25 |
In the NOFO under Task 2.D Data Collection Plan, it states:
“Additionally, the subrecipient shall work with an external evaluator to identify additional outcome indicators for the subrecipient scope of services, to be included in their data collection plan (DCP).”
Does this mean that applicants must have an external evaluator identified in the application? Or is this referring to an external evaluator through AHP?
|
The external evaluator for this program is coordinated through AHP. |
| 26 | The NOFO Section C.2 Need defines service areas disproportionately affected by the opioid crisis as “ZIP Codes within Cook County with more than 100 overdoses (fatal and nonfatal) within the most recent year included in the Illinois Opioid Data Dashboard (https://dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/opioids/idph-data-dashboard/overdoses.html)”. The dashboard does not seem to have an option to drill down below the county level for data. Does this mean an applicant with a service area in Cook County should obtain that data elsewhere? And just needs to ensure that the data is from 2023 to match the most current year included in the state dashboard? And then as a follow-up if this is the case: the Chicago Health Atlas (https://chicagohealthatlas.org/) provides drug overdose mortality counts by Community Area not zip code, and also uses the definition for drug overdose not just opioid overdose (see screenshots). Is it acceptable to use this data? The Cook County Health atlas (https://cookcountyhealthatlas.org/) does provide opioid specific data, but groups by municipality not zip code (see screenshot). | The Chicago Health Atlas data may be used to support the need for services in the proposed geographic service area. Applicants may include both the drug overdose data by zip code and the opioid-specific data by municipality. |
| # | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Are state and local government entities eligible to apply? |
Per C.1. of the NOFO, applicants must be a non-profit, for-profit, or tax-exempt entity located in Illinois and qualified to do business with the state of Illinois. |
|
2 |
The NOFO states that, “the maximum award applied for should be $300,000 for the initial period of performance. Funding period 1 will span October 1, 2024–June 30, 2025, and funding period 2 will span July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026.” Does that mean we can request $300,000 for funding period #1 and $300,00 for funding period #2 for a total of $600,000 OR is it $300,000 total across both funding periods? |
Yes, the award range for each funding period is $250,000 – $300,000 for each funding period. Award amounts will be based on RCCA-approved budgets and the availability of State funding. Budgets must be sufficiently detailed and justified to be approved by the RCCA. |
|
3 |
Can federal entities apply? |
Per C.1. of the NOFO, applicants must be a non-profit, for-profit, or tax-exempt entity located in Illinois. |
|
4 |
Is a county considered a ‘tax-exempt entity’? |
Yes. |
|
5 |
When we have the WARM Kickoff meeting, (inviting all community members and organizations), will the food purchased for the Kickoff meeting be allowable costs? Are the costs associated with sober fun events and supplies allowable expenses? |
Supplies for program activities that are necessary and reasonable based on the activity contained in the Statement of Work, are justified in the Budget Narrative, and are allowable under Subpart E of 2 CFR 200 are permissable. |
|
6 |
Are there any age distinctions for this opportunity? |
The WARM funding notice does not contain any age distinctions, but does state that “Services shall be designed for a population disparately affected by the opioid crisis.” Descriptions of priority service areas and population characteristics with the highest need are described in Section A.3. of the notice. |
|
7 |
Dropdowns in the WARM budget are not working. |
The budget has been revised as of 6/6 and may be downloaded on the WARM NOFO Overview page. |
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8 |
Must applicant propose to pay for the first-month’s rent or pay for other moving costs if other housing services are being provided by the grant? |
The determination of which housing costs to fund may be determined by the organization’s program procedures. |
|
9 |
Can federal entities apply? |
Federal entities may not apply on their own, but may partner with another organization to accomplish the program objectives. |
|
10 |
Must applicant propose to pay for the first-month’s rent or pay for other moving costs if other housing services are being provided by the grant? |
The determination of which housing costs to fund may be determined by the organization’s program procedures. |
|
11 |
Inpatient Treatment is listed as an option to consider for individuals that will experience a significant housing transition upon discharge that we can focus on for the proposal. Does this include residential Level III substance use treatment programs? If so, is it an acceptable strategy to identify clients for the project that would come from our own level III residential substance use treatment programs? |
As noted in NOFO Section A.5, Programs must: “provide peer recovery support services using a warm handoff model,” “services shall be designed for a population disparately affected by the opioid crisis,” and “the subrecipient must establish relationships, agreements, and protocols to implement the model. Relationships should include, as aligned with the proposed model, the following:
a. One or more hospital, jail, prison, or provider of homelessness services; and
b. MAR providers, other community-based SUD treatment providers, homelessness Continuums of Care, providers of housing/homelessness services, overdose education and naloxone distribution programs, recovery community organizations (RCOs), and harm reduction groups.” |
|
12 |
If the correctional facility applying for these funds is held within the county administration, would you like to see the organizational budget and chart for the jail or the county? How specific should these charts and budgets be? Should they pertain to the county as a whole, or can they pertain to the relevant departments? |
The budget should include the overall county budget and the revenues and expenditures of the relevant department. |
|
13 |
For question 80 in the Survey Monkey application portal, should said individual be the county board chairperson or the jail superintendent who will be coordinating the program? |
The individual should be the name of the person submitting the application and must be authorized by the organization to do so. |
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14 |
Whose signature should be on the conflict of interest form? |
The conflict of interest should be signed by a designated grantee representative of the entity receiving the award. |
|
15 |
As a consulting organization, are we allowed to turn in the application on the correctional facility’s behalf? |
A consulting organization may submit the application on the correctional facility’s behalf if authorized to do so by the applicant organization and clearly indicated in the application. |
|
16 |
Our organization helps individuals transition out of nursing facilities and into independent living. Would this type of housing transition be included in the scope of services for WARM? |
As noted in NOFO Section A.5, Programs must: “provide peer recovery support services using a warm handoff model,” “services shall be designed for a population disparately affected by the opioid crisis,” and “the subrecipient must establish relationships, agreements, and protocols to implement the model. Relationships should include, as aligned with the proposed model, the following:
a. One or more hospital, jail, prison, or provider of homelessness services; and
b. MAR providers, other community-based SUD treatment providers, homelessness Continuums of Care, providers of housing/homelessness services, overdose education and naloxone distribution programs, recovery community organizations (RCOs), and harm reduction groups.” |