Illinois posts $11 million NOFO to expand Adult Redeploy Illinois diversion programs
March 13, 2026 | Criminal Justice Information Authority, Illinois, C, Boards and Commissions, Executive, Illinois
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Maryanne Dyer, program director of Adult Redeploy Illinois at the Criminal Justice Information Authority, led a technical-assistance session on the notice of funding opportunity released March 12, 2026, saying the NOFO “makes $11 million available” to expand local prison-diversion programs and support implementation at current and new sites.
The NOFO is intended to fund local plans that divert people with probation-eligible offenses from prison into community-based supervision and services. Dyer said the funding range for grants is $50,000 to $1 million, with an estimated 25 to 35 awards and a 12-month award period from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
Why it matters: the program links grant awards to measurable reductions in prison admissions. “The reduction goal is the primary performance measure,” Dyer said, explaining that ARRI grantees must set a target population drawn from Department of Corrections admissions data and agree to a 25% reduction in prison commitments for that population. As an example, a jurisdiction with an eligible population of 80 would set a reduction goal of 20 diversions.
Who can apply and key requirements: only county units of government or judicial circuits may apply (a county may apply on behalf of a group of counties or a judicial circuit). Private nonprofits and other local governments may not apply directly but may participate as subawardees or subcontractors. Applications must include a completed local plan (program narrative, logic model, letters of support, implementation schedule, goals and performance metrics, and a budget with a detailed narrative) and a DOC commitment data table derived from ARRI’s downloadable eligibility tables.
Program models and certification: acceptable interventions include problem-solving courts (which must be certified or in the process of certification by the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts under statewide problem-solving court standards), intensive supervision probation with services, and specialized probation caseloads. Dyer said ARRI encourages evidence-informed innovation but requires adherence to principles of effective intervention, person-centered language, assessment-based practices, and ongoing measurement.
Performance measurement and potential reimbursement: grantees must submit quarterly progress reports, upload client-level data, and participate in required external evaluations. Dyer said corrective action plans are available if a site is at risk of not meeting its reduction goal; ultimately the ARRI oversight board may impose a reimbursement penalty if goals are not met, which Dyer said is currently estimated at about half the marginal cost of imprisonment.
Application process and scoring: applicants register through the GATA grantee portal and submit proposals via Amplifund. Amplifund times out after 20 minutes of inactivity, so applicants should save work frequently. There are 14 application forms totaling 100 points; eligible applications scoring at least 70 points may be recommended for funding by a site-selection committee and approved by the ARRI oversight board in May 2026.
Budget and cost-effectiveness: budgets must cover a 12-month program period. Applicants must use the ICJIA budget template and calculate cost per person served to demonstrate cost-effectiveness versus prison (Dyer cited a comparative prison cost of roughly $53,000 per person). Allowable expenses include personnel, training, supplies, treatment and wraparound services, incentives, and data collection; vehicles may be purchased only by government agencies. Applicants must certify that grant funds will supplement, not supplant, existing local resources.
Deadlines, resources and contact: the NOFO was posted March 12, 2026; all questions about the NOFO must be submitted in writing (the last date for submitting questions is April 9, 2026) and answers will be posted publicly each Friday. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. Central on April 14, 2026; ARRI’s website hosts eligibility tables, templates, webinar recordings, and other technical assistance resources. Dyer named program manager Stacy Woods as the ARRI grants contact for the NOFO and closed by urging prospective applicants to assemble the full checklist of uploads before submitting.
Next steps: applications will be screened and those deemed eligible go to merit review; funding recommendations will be finalized for the oversight board’s May 2026 meeting and, if approved, funded programs would operate July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027.
The NOFO is intended to fund local plans that divert people with probation-eligible offenses from prison into community-based supervision and services. Dyer said the funding range for grants is $50,000 to $1 million, with an estimated 25 to 35 awards and a 12-month award period from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
Why it matters: the program links grant awards to measurable reductions in prison admissions. “The reduction goal is the primary performance measure,” Dyer said, explaining that ARRI grantees must set a target population drawn from Department of Corrections admissions data and agree to a 25% reduction in prison commitments for that population. As an example, a jurisdiction with an eligible population of 80 would set a reduction goal of 20 diversions.
Who can apply and key requirements: only county units of government or judicial circuits may apply (a county may apply on behalf of a group of counties or a judicial circuit). Private nonprofits and other local governments may not apply directly but may participate as subawardees or subcontractors. Applications must include a completed local plan (program narrative, logic model, letters of support, implementation schedule, goals and performance metrics, and a budget with a detailed narrative) and a DOC commitment data table derived from ARRI’s downloadable eligibility tables.
Program models and certification: acceptable interventions include problem-solving courts (which must be certified or in the process of certification by the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts under statewide problem-solving court standards), intensive supervision probation with services, and specialized probation caseloads. Dyer said ARRI encourages evidence-informed innovation but requires adherence to principles of effective intervention, person-centered language, assessment-based practices, and ongoing measurement.
Performance measurement and potential reimbursement: grantees must submit quarterly progress reports, upload client-level data, and participate in required external evaluations. Dyer said corrective action plans are available if a site is at risk of not meeting its reduction goal; ultimately the ARRI oversight board may impose a reimbursement penalty if goals are not met, which Dyer said is currently estimated at about half the marginal cost of imprisonment.
Application process and scoring: applicants register through the GATA grantee portal and submit proposals via Amplifund. Amplifund times out after 20 minutes of inactivity, so applicants should save work frequently. There are 14 application forms totaling 100 points; eligible applications scoring at least 70 points may be recommended for funding by a site-selection committee and approved by the ARRI oversight board in May 2026.
Budget and cost-effectiveness: budgets must cover a 12-month program period. Applicants must use the ICJIA budget template and calculate cost per person served to demonstrate cost-effectiveness versus prison (Dyer cited a comparative prison cost of roughly $53,000 per person). Allowable expenses include personnel, training, supplies, treatment and wraparound services, incentives, and data collection; vehicles may be purchased only by government agencies. Applicants must certify that grant funds will supplement, not supplant, existing local resources.
Deadlines, resources and contact: the NOFO was posted March 12, 2026; all questions about the NOFO must be submitted in writing (the last date for submitting questions is April 9, 2026) and answers will be posted publicly each Friday. The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. Central on April 14, 2026; ARRI’s website hosts eligibility tables, templates, webinar recordings, and other technical assistance resources. Dyer named program manager Stacy Woods as the ARRI grants contact for the NOFO and closed by urging prospective applicants to assemble the full checklist of uploads before submitting.
Next steps: applications will be screened and those deemed eligible go to merit review; funding recommendations will be finalized for the oversight board’s May 2026 meeting and, if approved, funded programs would operate July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027.
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