Education for homeless children and youth

The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education awarded $5,067,486 to the Illinois State Board of Education on July 1, 2026, under the Education for Homeless Children and Youth program (CFDA 84.196), a formula grant that provides states with funding to ensure homeless children and youth have equal access to free, appropriate public education.

The award funds activities to establish or enhance programs that enable homeless students in Illinois to access the same educational services available to other children in the state's public elementary and secondary schools, including homeless preschool children and their parents. The Illinois State Board of Education, the state educational agency, receives the formula allocation and competitively awards subgrants to local educational agencies based on need and application quality.

Performance runs through September 30, 2027, with administrative oversight and place of performance in Springfield, Illinois. The Illinois State Board of Education functions as a pass-through entity, distributing federal resources to hundreds of local school districts, educational service centers, charter schools, and community organizations throughout Illinois while maintaining compliance and accountability oversight. Non-federal entities expending $750,000 or more in federal awards annually are subject to single or program-specific audit requirements; grantees must maintain records for three years.