Regional Vaccine Summit and Media Campaign

The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), through its Office of Performance Management, has released an initial funding opportunity titled the Regional Vaccine Summit and Media Campaign. This initiative is designed to enhance public health education and vaccine uptake by supporting a statewide coordination of regional vaccine summits and implementing robust public immunization media campaigns. IDPH has a long-standing commitment to improving health outcomes and strengthening provider education across Illinois. This program aligns with the department's focus on immunization and disease prevention by targeting Vaccines for Children (VFC) providers and addressing persistent vaccine hesitancy. This funding opportunity aims to facilitate the organization of vaccine summits in all six immunization regions of Illinois (excluding Chicago) with the potential for multiple summits per region, depending on the number of providers and regional demand. The grantee will be responsible for the entire logistics of the summits including identifying and securing presenters, venues, and managing all event-related operations. These summits will serve as platforms to deliver both mandatory and specialized training for VFC providers. In addition, grantees must also create a Learning Management System (LMS) to provide virtual or asynchronous access to these educational modules for providers unable to attend in person. The media campaign component of the program is designed to combat vaccine misinformation and improve routine vaccination rates across all age groups. Grantees are expected to develop and deploy targeted campaigns using digital, print, and social media to reach healthcare providers and the public. These campaigns should address common misconceptions, highlight the importance of timely vaccinations, and respond to outbreaks such as measles when applicable. Campaigns must align with IDPH priorities and public health messaging. Allowable costs under this grant include personnel, travel, supplies, contractual and consultant services, telecommunications, rent and utilities, training, and other program-related expenditures. With prior approval, funding may also be used for out-of-state travel and capital equipment exceeding $5,000 per item. Indirect costs are allowed under the grant and applicants may use the de minimis rate of 15% or a negotiated indirect cost rate. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. Applications must be submitted through IDPH's Electronic Grants Administration and Management System (EGrAMS) by 4:00 PM on May 1, 2026. A non-mandatory technical assistance session will be held virtually on April 8, 2026, at 3:00 PM. Only one award is anticipated, with funding totaling $250,000. Applicants must be either a governmental agency or a tax-exempt organization with prior experience in public health programming, education, or community engagement. Prequalification through the Illinois GATA system is mandatory prior to application submission. Applications will be competitively reviewed by a panel using criteria that include the applicant’s work plan, scope of work, and prior experience with similar public health initiatives. The anticipated award date is June 15, 2026, and the grant period will begin on July 1, 2026, and end on June 30, 2027. The program is not recurring and has no noted submission recurrence cycle beyond the current opportunity. Interested applicants can contact Spenser T. Morrissey at [email protected] or 217-685-4833 for further information.

Include SMART objectives and a clear, detailed work plan. Experience with public immunization campaigns is a key evaluation factor.