Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Initiative
The Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Initiative is led by the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) with funding support from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS).
Learn more about the initiative and the application process below.

About the Initiative
The Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Initiative is led by the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI) with funding from the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS).
The initiative will provide funding for planning, pilot implementation or expansion of medical respite services in Illinois, along with technical assistance and a learning collaborative for funded communities on developing, implementing or expanding medical respite programs that serve Illinoisians experiencing homelessness.
The funding will begin on October 2nd, 2023, when awards will be announced, and will end on June 30th, 2024.
Key Dates
Application Release | August 14, 2023 |
August 21, 2023, 1-2 PM CST | |
Last Day to Submit Questions | September 1, 2023 11:59pm CST |
Application Due | September 13, 2023 11:59PM CST |
Awards Announced | October 2, 2023 |
Grant Period | October 2, 2023 – June 30, 2024 |
Key Dates
Application Release | August 14, 2023 |
Informational Webinar | August 21, 2023, 1-2 PM CST |
Last Day to Submit Questions | September 1, 2023 11:59pm CST |
Application Due | September 13, 2023 11:59PM CST |
Awards Announced | October 2, 2023 |
Grant Period | October 2, 2023 – June 30, 2024 |

Funding Information
Up to twenty awards will be made across three tracks of applicants:
- communities interested in planning for new medical respite programs;
- communities interested in implementing a pilot medical respite program; and
- existing medical respite providers interested in expanding services.
Please note that only one project will be funded in a single community or service area.
In cases where we receive more than one application from a community that is selected for funding, we may request that you partner with another applicant.

Funding Information continued
Selected applicants for planning will receive up to $75,000 and selected applicants for pilot implementation and expansion will receive up to $100,000 and are expected to participate in five learning collaborative meetings on medical respite led by the National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC). Technical assistance will also be provided by NIMRC.
With the funding and technical assistance support, selected applicants will be expected to:
- identify stakeholders and potential partners;
- determine the need for and barriers to medical respite in their community; and
- develop a plan to implement new medical respite services or scale existing medical respite capacity to address the need in their community.
How to Apply
To apply, please send the following to Rachel.Thomas@iphionline.org by September 13, 2023, at 11:59 PM central standard time (CST) with the subject line Medical Respite RFA:
- the completed Request for Application (RFA) form (download below)
- a project budget (see the last page of the RFA form)
- a short letter of commitment from a member of your senior leadership team
- brief letters of commitment from key project partners
- (Implementation Applications ONLY) an implementation proposal
Informational Webinar
IPHI hosted an Informational Webinar introducing the Request for Applications (RFA) for the Illinois Medical Respite Capacity Building Initiative on August 21, 2023. The webinar described the program’s background, purpose, and components, and explained how to navigate the Request for Applications (RFA). Please view the recording of the webinar below.
FAQs
Questions asked during our informational webinar or submitted via email will be compiled into an FAQ. The FAQ will be posted here on September 1, 2023.
Any Questions?
Questions on the application can be sent to Rachel.Thomas@iphionline.org. Use subject line IMRCI RFA Question.