Section 1100.420 Grant
Awards
a) In a
given fiscal year, the Program appropriations shall be allocated for projects
based on the following order of priority:
1) Funding
for baccalaureate completion programs to facilitate student articulation from
an ADN program offered by a community college to a BSN or RN-BSN program;
2) Funding
for continuation of a grant previously awarded under this Part; or
3) Funding
for a new grant to expand or improve an eligible nursing program.
b) Grant
applications under this Part shall include, but need not be limited to, the
following items:
1) Comprehensive
description of the proposed use of funds, including evidence of current
research and best practices, to support proposed strategies.
2) Budget
by line items, including personnel services, fringe benefits, travel,
equipment, supplies, contractual services, consultant (professional services),
training and education, and direct administrative costs, submitted on the
uniform grant budget template provided by GATU (see GATA Rule Section
7000.330). Acceptable expenditures may include, but are not limited to, the
following direct costs:
A) Hiring
additional qualified nursing faculty and staff;
B) Developing
or expanding instructional programs (e.g., online, weekend, evening);
C) Developing
or expanding academic support services or programs;
D) Securing
additional clinical instruction sites;
E) Improving
or increasing spaces for classrooms or laboratories; and
F) Purchasing
equipment and other program-related instructional materials.
3) Project
objectives and performance goals, including, but not limited to, the following:
A) Number
of degrees conferred (3-year trend);
B) First-year
retention rate (3-year trend based on 30 semester hours or equivalent);
C) NCLEX-RN
pass rate for first-time test takers in comparison to the national average for
the previous calendar year as reported by DFPR; and
D) Job
placement within 6 months after degree completion (3-year trend).
4) Statement
of institutional support and sustainability of grant-funded activities.
5) Uniform
grant application provided by GATU and signed by authorized representative (see
GATA Rule Section 7000.330).
d) The
grant awards for eligible nursing programs shall be determined using a
competitive process to review applications. The Board's standards for approval
include, but are not limited to, the following criteria, considerations and
weightings:
1) Evidence
of effective project objectives and performance goals (25%);
2) Proposed
use of funds and budget justification demonstrating an effective use of program
resources (25%);
3) Evidence
of institutional support and sustainability of grant-funded activities (10%);
4) Evidence
of an effective plan to evaluate progress (15%); and
5) Other
Board considerations (25%).
e) For a
grant applicant who is a prior recipient of an award under this Part, the Board
shall review available information on the awardee's prior performance and
consider that information when assessing grantee risk. This is part of the
grantee risk assessment provided by GATU (see GATA Rule Section 7000.340).
f) Grant funding is subject
to Program appropriations.
(Source: Added at 43 Ill. Reg. 7429,
effective June 20, 2019)
