Illinois Department Of Human Service

Illinois Department Of Human Services, a state government entity and child division of the State of Illinois, operates as a federal grant recipient and occasional prime contractor delivering social services, nutrition assistance administration, behavioral health programs, early intervention services, and regulatory compliance work across 51 federal funding agencies. The agency functions exclusively as a prime recipient or prime contractor (99% of recent awards) with minimal subcontractor engagement, holding no federal contract vehicles but managing a broad portfolio of federal grant allocations and a single indefinite-delivery contract for tobacco retail compliance inspections.

The agency's federal footprint centers on human services and nutrition programs funded through formula grants rather than competitive procurement. The top customer agencies by award count—the Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (261 awards), Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (131 awards), Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families (88 awards), and Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (82 awards)—account for 56% of recent awards. This concentration reflects the agency's role administering entitlement and formula-based social services across Illinois. Recent grant work includes a $874.7 million Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grant (CFDA 93.558) from the Office of Family Assistance through September 2026; a $489.5 million Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) discretionary award (CFDA 93.575) through September 2028; a $150.1 million Child Care and Development Fund mandatory and matching grant (CFDA 93.596) through September 2027; and a $108.06 million Child Care and Development Fund mandatory and matching grant through September 2028. The agency also administers large SNAP allocations totaling over $104.9 million in state administrative costs (CFDA 10.561), along with WIC programs exceeding $146.2 million for food expenses (CFDA 10.557) and related administrative and peer-counselor funding.

Beyond nutrition and child care, the agency operates Substance Abuse Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant funding ($51.95 million through September 2027, CFDA 93.959) and Block Grants for Community Mental Health Services ($40.5 million through September 2027, CFDA 93.958) administered through SAMHSA. The agency also receives substantial allocations for vocational rehabilitation services ($144.376 million, CFDA 84.126), special education early intervention for infants and toddlers ($20.2 million, CFDA 84.181), and emergency food assistance programs. A $26.25 million Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program grant (CFDA 93.870) from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau targets at-risk communities across Illinois through evidence-based home visiting models.

On the contract side, the agency holds a single indefinite-delivery, single-award contract with the Food and Drug Administration (ceiling $9.15 million, through September 2030) for tobacco retail compliance inspections, including undercover purchase operations and advertising/labeling monitoring at retail establishments statewide. Two task orders totaling $4.2 million in combined potential value have been issued against this vehicle. A $2.4 million delivery order was awarded on May 30, 2026, running through May 29, 2027 on a cost-no-fee basis; a second task order valued at $1.758 million was issued September 30, 2025 for performance through May 2026.

Activity has remained relatively flat year over year, with 70 awards in 2022, 56 in 2023, 63 in 2024, and 57 in 2025. The combined potential value across all prime and sub awards stands at $23.1 million, though the agency has obligated $47.32 billion across all awards—a figure reflecting the agency's role as a pass-through entity distributing federal formula allocations to sub-recipients and local providers throughout Illinois. Eighty-two awards face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, carrying $2.4 million in combined potential value.

Service Contract Inventory data captures minimal activity, with $1.2 million in SCI-reportable invoiced revenue in FY2024 across 12.8 FTEs, reflecting government-paid median hourly rates around $46.72 per hour. No sub-hours are reported across prime contracts in the SCI dataset. The agency distributes grant funds through sub-awards to hundreds of local nonprofits, food banks, community health centers, and specialized service providers—including Feeding Illinois, Greater Chicago Food Depository, Illinois Action for Children, and many others—but these operate as sub-recipients of federal grants rather than subcontractors to the agency as prime.