Section 7000.330  Uniform Grant Application and Budget Template

a)         Unless an exception has been granted and documented in the CSFA, State agencies shall use the uniform grant application template provided by GATU and available through the GATA Resource Library at https://gata.illinois.gov or the Grant Management System, as directed by GATU.

b)         The uniform grant application shall include a standard Agency Completed Section and a standard Grantee Completed Section. 

c)         The completed application template serves as the transmittal for the agency-required documentation that must be submitted to apply for grant funding.  Each grant application is available from the NOFO (see Section 7000.310) provided through the publicly accessible CSFA.

d)         Unless an exception has been documented in the CSFA, State agencies shall use the uniform budget template provided by GATU and available through the GATA Resource Library at www.grants.illinois.gov.

1)         Illinois' uniform budget template was modeled after the federal budget template (SF-424A).

2)         The budget template includes major line items and may be modified for additional grant-specific budget lines. State awarding agencies must format the template with the applicable line items before the template is released as part of the grant application. 

3)         The uniform budget template was designed as a compliant format with State agency flexibility.  

e)         Unless otherwise required by State or federal statute, as part of the application process the State agency shall require the award applicant to submit mandatory disclosures, certifications and representations required by State and federal statutes or regulations.

f)         Conflict of Interest

State agency staff and the award applicant must not have any conflicts of interest or apparent conflicts of interest that may impair the fairness and impartiality of the grant process.  Authoritative sources and guidance regarding conflict of interest and financial disclosure are provided through the GATA Resource Library at www.grants.illinois.gov.

1)         Applicant Responsibilities

A)        Applicants shall disclose, in a timely manner and in writing, to the State awarding agency:

i)          All real or potential conflicts of interest related to the issuance or execution of the award; and

ii)         All violations of State or federal criminal law involving fraud, bribery or gratuity violations potentially affecting the award.

B)        Applicants must comply with disclosure requirements specified in Section 60(a)(5) of the Act.

C)        An applicant's failure to make the required disclosures may result in remedial actions, including:

i)          Temporary withholding of cash payments pending correction of the deficiency or more severe enforcement action by the State awarding agency;

ii)         Disallowance of (i.e., denial of both use of funds and any applicable matching credit for) all or part of the cost of the activity or action not in compliance;

iii)        Whole or partial suspension or termination of the award;

iv)        Initiation of suspension or debarment proceedings under 2 CFR 180. In the case of a pass-through entity, the State agency may recommend that such a proceeding be initiated by the federal awarding agency;

v)         Withholding further awards for the project or program; or

vi)        Taking any other remedial action that may be legally available.

2)         State Agencies

Unless prohibited by federal or State statutes or regulations, each State awarding agency is authorized to require the awardee to submit certifications and representations required by federal and State statute or regulations, including Section 120 of GATA, on an annual basis. Submissions may be required more frequently if the awardee fails to meet a requirement of a State-issued award.

(Source:  Amended at 47 Ill. Reg. 7893, effective May 26, 2023)