ILLINOIS, January 29 - CHICAGO— ICJIA today kicked off a recruitment initiative for community volunteers to read and review grant applications submitted by organizations across Illinois. This collaborative approach builds equity into ICJIA's application review process with the assistance of individuals with diverse backgrounds, viewpoints, and experiences.

"ICJIA prioritizes equity, fairness, and opportunity in grantmaking," said ICJIA Executive Director Delrice Adams. "It is imperative to involve those who are in touch with their communities—and especially those with lived experience—in our mission to ensure funds are distributed in a fair and effective manner."

ICJIA administers 13 federal and 16 state programs, most of which require notice of funding opportunity application review processes. Volunteers are needed to engage in application review to determine the best use of grant funding.

Application reviewer responsibilities include:

• Attending training on effectively, ethically, and equitably review grant applications.
• Reviewing applications submitted by organizations seeking grant funding via web-based portal.
• Scoring applications based on a rubric provided.
• Providing comments to justify scoring.
• Participating in one meeting to discuss applications and scores.
• Submitting final application scores and comments by deadline.

Through this process, selected application reviewers will receive:

• Training on grant application review, cultural competency, and confronting our own implicit biases.
• Valuable information on what state agencies look for in a successful grant application.