The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has released the Fiscal Year 2026 funding opportunity for the Antibiotic Stewardship Campaign (ASC), a statewide initiative to combat antibiotic resistance through education, collaboration, and stewardship interventions. This grant, funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Program, will award one grantee up to $150,000 to implement a series of activities focused on enhancing antimicrobial stewardship practices among healthcare professionals in Illinois.

The primary goals of the campaign are to increase healthcare provider engagement, promote best practices in antimicrobial prescribing, and develop sustainable stewardship programs, particularly in long-term care facilities. Key activities include organizing virtual educational sessions and regional conferences, participating in the PALASE Collaborative (which bridges communication and coordination between acute and long-term care), and conducting one-on-one consults with facilities to implement stewardship practices. Applicants are expected to align their work with both state and national priorities and emphasize health equity throughout the project.

To be eligible, applicants must be fully prequalified through the State of Illinois' Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) portal, which includes requirements like having an active UEI, SAM.gov registration, and good fiscal standing. While all organizations except public housing and foreign entities are eligible to apply, only one award will be granted.

The application window runs from April 7, 2025, to May 6, 2025, with a firm submission deadline of 5:00 PM CDT on the closing date. Applications must be submitted via the EGrAMS platform (idphgrants.com). A mandatory technical assistance session will be held on April 9 at 11:00 AM CDT and April 23 at 2:00 PM CDT, with call-in details provided in the NOFO.

Applicants must include a completed application, budget narrative, and two letters of support. A robust evaluation plan and clear alignment with the IDPH Health Equity Checklist will be essential to scoring well during the competitive review process. Health equity considerations, including the use of culturally and linguistically appropriate services and attention to social determinants of health, will be heavily weighted during application scoring.

For technical and program-specific inquiries, applicants should contact Jamie Jacob at Jamie.Jacob@illinois.gov. The anticipated project start date is August 1, 2025, and it will run through July 31, 2026.