The Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois (CBHA), in partnership with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, released the controlling Notice of Funding Opportunity for Community Care Infrastructure/Integrated Care. CBHA states that it is administering up to $9.3 million in Year 1. The NOFO anticipates 30–40 awards; no binding minimum or maximum award has been established, but CBHA anticipates that most awards will fall between $200,000 and $1,000,000. First-year funds must be expended by June 30, 2027, with renewal opportunities for up to four subsequent years to be addressed separately.
Applications open September 23, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. CT and are due October 23, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. CT. Applications must be submitted through Euna Solutions. Applicant questions are due October 13, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. CT. The optional informational webinar is September 23 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT. Awards are anticipated by December 1, 2026, and funded activities are expected to begin January 4, 2027.
Eligibility: the lead applicant must be an Illinois Community Mental Health Center, Behavioral Health Clinic, Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, or Substance Use Treatment Facility licensed or certified by HFS or IDHS/DBHR. The organization may be located inside or outside a designated rural area, but grant-funded activities must exclusively benefit residents of federally or state-designated rural Illinois communities. Applicants are expected to partner with healthcare providers, social service organizations, schools, local governments, or other community-based organizations. Co-applicants may participate, but the eligible behavioral health provider remains the lead and is responsible for fiscal management, reporting, compliance, and project oversight. Applicants must maintain SAM.gov registration and UEI, complete GATA prequalification and the current-year Internal Controls Questionnaire, remain in good standing with the Illinois Secretary of State when applicable, and not appear on relevant exclusion, sanction, or stop-payment lists.
Cost sharing is not required. Indirect costs may be charged using an applicable negotiated rate or a de minimis rate of up to 15% of modified total direct costs. Each applicant may submit only one application under this NOFO and may not submit the same proposed project under another RHT Program funding notice.
The NOFO expressly supports integrated behavioral and physical health services, collaborative care, multidisciplinary teams, care coordination, health information technology, data-sharing infrastructure, regional partnerships, telehealth and tele-behavioral health infrastructure, remote monitoring and digital engagement tools, computer hardware and software, broadband, mobile documentation, shared care-management platforms, interoperability, analytics, reporting systems, quality-improvement infrastructure, and startup staffing and equipment for new or expanding services. Proposed technology and infrastructure must support integrated, team-based care rather than operate as stand-alone investments. Certain capital expenditures, technology investments, equipment purchases, infrastructure improvements, and similar costs may require prior written approval from CBHA, HFS, and/or CMS.
Funds may not replace reimbursable clinical services, existing federal/state/local funding, or a HITECH-certified EMR already in place as of September 1, 2025. New construction is not allowable. Minor renovations, alterations, and equipment upgrades may be allowable when linked to program goals. Clinician salary support is prohibited for facilities that subject clinicians to noncompete contractual limitations. Third-party contracts paid with grant funds remain subject to GATA, 2 CFR Part 200, CBHA-supplied contract provisions, and CBHA pre-approval of subcontractor agreements and budgets.
N9+ fit is very strong but conditional. The controlling NOFO expressly authorizes telehealth, remote monitoring, computer hardware, mobile documentation, integrated-care technology, startup equipment, and other technology-enabled solutions that improve access, coordination, and physical/behavioral health integration. A defensible N9+ strategy exists where an eligible applicant uses the platform for telehealth-enabled integrated-care encounters, guided physical examinations, vitals, remote assessment, or care-team workflows that are necessary, reasonable, allocable, project-specific, and approved under applicable procurement/capital rules. N9+ should not be introduced in initial applicant outreach. Product-specific allowability, clinical governance, interoperability, privacy/security, procurement treatment, and any required prior approval must be confirmed in the applicant-specific budget and project design before commitment.