Notice of Funds Available (RFP) Print Apply for this Grant

Specifications

Overview and Purpose

**Please be sure to read the entire RFP, information on this page, and Grants Manual before submitting a Proposal application. Applicants must navigate to the Supporting Documents section of THIS announcement (at the bottom of this page) and download the Word-formatted Proposal Coversheet, Abstract, Budget Justification Narrative Form, Budget Form, Quarterly Activity Timeline & Expenditure Projection, and Proposal Narrative forms. In addition, the proposal should include all applicable PDF-formatted Appendices, as referenced on page 20 of the Grants Manual**

Letters of Interest (LOIs) are not part of the proposal submission process for this RFP and should NOT be submitted as part of your proposal application.

The Board only accepts grant applications submitted electronically through the performance management and government resource planning site, DD Suite, which can be accessed via the following link: https://www.ddsuite.org/. Unless specified in the RFP, emailed, faxed or hard copy proposals are not accepted.

In order to submit a Proposal, applicants must first register here (https://www.ddsuite.org/users/register) with DD Suite to create an account. Please allow sufficient time to complete your account registration. If you experience any difficulties with registration, please see the DD Suite technical assistance page found here (https://www.ddsuite.org/ta).

The completed proposal package, including signed Proposal Coversheet and Budget form and Appendices should then be uploaded as ONE (1) file (128MB file size limit) under the “Support Docs” tab within your online application in DD Suite. No other attachments, outside of the information requested in this RFP, should be attached to your proposal application.

Please note that you will be required to assign an individual to 3 specific roles under the "People" tab for your electronic application in DD Suite. These roles are for the 1) Financial Officer, 2) Organizational Director, and 3) Project Director. For the purposes of submitting your online application, you may assign the same individual to all 3 roles; however, please make sure your uploaded proposal clearly specifies the individuals who will serve in these positions for your project.

The Virginia Board for People with Disabilities (the Board) is the Commonwealth’s Developmental Disabilities (DD) Council. The Board’s mission is to advance opportunities for independence, personal decision-making, and full participation in community life for individuals with developmental and other disabilities. The Board’s grant and contractual investments are designed to advance its mission and support the tenets of full inclusion by working with organizations at the local, state, and national levels to achieve our goals.

Through this RFP, the Board seeks to support local and statewide efforts that result in increased access to COVID-19 vaccines for people with disabilities. Grant projects funded through this RFP must be used for organizing and conducting culturally and linguistically competent outreach, education, and/or vaccination events and providing needed supports for people with disabilities, including individuals with diverse identities and/or individuals who are underserved. Grant projects may also indirectly benefit individuals with disabilities by targeting other groups such as family members of people with disabilities, direct support workers/providers, personal care attendants, and other support staff. To view past grants, please see our Grants Highlights document located at the following address: https://vaboard.org/grants_highlights.htm

The Board considers cultural competence to include the following: the organization has defined values, principles, policies and behaviors that demonstrate that (1) diversity and differences are valued; and (2) the organization is able to work effectively across cultures and adapt to the cultural context of the communities being served.

Available Grant Funds

The Board may fund up to $98,842 in grant awards for one or more projects in Virginia for the current grant cycle. Funding for individual projects may range from $5,000 to $98,842. The Board may award all or a portion of available funds. The Board may choose not to award grant funds if budget limitations are encountered or if it determines that none of the grant proposals received will achieve the desired systemic change. The grant period for this RFP will be approximately 10-11 months.

This is no matching requirement for this RFP.

Entities with a federally negotiated Indirect Cost Rate (ICR) agreement may elect to charge indirect costs to the project and a copy of the ICR agreement must be included with the application. Board staff will review the ICR agreement to determine the most appropriate cost rate. Entities that do not have a negotiated cost rate agreement may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10 percent of modified total direct costs (MTDC definition can be found in the Grants Manual).

What We Will Not Fund

Through the Board’s grants process, we will not support the following:
1. Existing projects or services that are a part of an organization’s current program or budget;
2. Projects that would supplant or replace existing federal, state, or local dollars to conduct the project;
3. Projects which have a federal, state or local mandate to be delivered by the applicant organization;
4. Projects which include capital expenditures for the acquisition of land or buildings, new construction or major repair;
5. Projects that do not ensure meaningful diversity and inclusion, and are exclusive of an individual’s race, sex, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, political affiliation, disability, and veteran status;
6. Projects that take place in restrictive, isolated, or segregated settings that do not promote community integration for children or adults with disabilities.

Board Objectives and Target Population

Projects should also be designed to build capacity, by expanding and improving the ability of individuals with DD, their families and support networks, to promote and enhance self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life.

The project must focus on the ability of people with disabilities, in particular, to access COVID-19 vaccines. The project may also choose to support the ability of their support networks, as a secondary target population, to access COVID-19 vaccines. All submission requirements can be found in the Grants Manual. Be sure to review the Grants Manual prior to submission of a proposal.

Projects that will be Considered for Funding

Background:

People with disabilities may have an increased risk for contracting COVID-19 based on where they live and/or the services they receive. People with disabilities may require close contact with direct service providers, including personal care attendants or other support staff. Additionally, many people with disabilities may have underlying health conditions that increases the risk of severe illness due to COVID-19. It is therefore critical that people with disabilities have access to the COVID-19 vaccine and associated resources.

Barriers to information about COVID-19 vaccines and access to the vaccines can vary depending on where a person lives in Virginia and other individual factors, such as available natural supports, access to the internet, accessibility of the information, and mobility. Additionally, some people with disabilities may be hesitant to get the vaccine because they are afraid of needles or need a sensory friendly environment. According to a survey conducted in March – April 2021 by the American Association on Health & Disability, people with disabilities are also hesitant to get the vaccine due to concerns about how the vaccine would interact with their underlying health conditions.

Funding provided through this RFP can be used to support time, supplies (including sensory and other support needs), provision of transportation or other supports to access vaccines, marketing materials, developing accessible information (preferred language, plain language), non-cash stipends to participants in exchange for proof of vaccination, etc. An example of an allowable participant stipend would be a $10 or $25 gift card in exchange for getting vaccinated and sharing a picture or taking a survey on why they got vaccinated, or a stipend for a person with a disability or family member to share their vaccination story during an outreach or educational event. Other allowable activities include:

• Holding at least one outreach event, which may include providing vaccinations for people with disabilities and their family members and/or support staff;
• Providing education about the vaccine to debunk myths and address hesitancy in accessible formats that could also include languages other than English;
• Assisting with scheduling vaccine appointments;
• Helping to arrange vaccine appointments for people with disabilities who are not able to leave their home, including appointments for their family members and support staff;
• Arranging and providing accessible transportation to vaccine appointments;
• Providing companion/personal supports through each stage of the vaccination process from scheduling to receipt of final shot (vaccine wraparound services);
• Providing technical assistance to local health departments or other entities on accessibility of vaccine sites;
• Providing an ongoing series of campaigns as new information and resources become available e.g., the Delta variant, access to vaccines is expanded e.g., children 5 to 12 years old, and booster shots as recommended by the CDC.

The Board understands that COVID-19 vaccination needs for individuals with disabilities are fluid and vary across the state. We want to ensure, to the extent possible, that the types of activities conducted are flexible and allow for changes should needs change or additional guidance is received (e.g. boosters, vaccinations for children under 12, etc.). Applicants are invited to submit proposals that include or target children under age 12 in anticipation of vaccine approval for that age group. Any modifications to approved project activities will require Board staff approval in advance of the change being implemented.

Please see the following accessible Vaccine Face Sheet from the American Association on Health and Disability: https://aahd.us/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AccessibleVaccineFactSheet_04072021.pdf

Please review the FAQ document from the Administration for Community Living regarding funding for incentives, available in the supporting documents section of DD Suite, located at the bottom of this page.

Grantee Reporting

The funds being awarded through this RFP were provided to the VBPD from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), with funding and partnership support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to provide critical services to help communities combat COVID-19. Funded projects will be required to report to the Board on any activities that were implemented using grant funding. Grantees should have mechanisms in place to track their activities and impact.

Grantees are expected to report on the number and type of people served. This may include some of the following information, as appropriate, per the project scope:

• Number of people with disabilities reached by your education activities;
• Number of all other people reached by your education activities;
• Number of local health departments or other entities assisted with technical assistance on vaccine accessibility;
• Number of people helped in scheduling vaccine appointments;
• Number of people assisted with accessible transportation to a vaccination site;
• Number of people assisted with companion/personal support to receive vaccines; and/or
• Number of people who needed and received a reminder of their second vaccination appointment.

Grantees are expected to report on the overall outcome of the project. This includes, to the extent available, the number of people with disabilities and the number of other people who are vaccinated as a result of project implementation.

Grantees are also expected to report on their collaboration and joint activities with other community-based organizations, including successes and challenges in your collaboration efforts.

The selected grantee will be required to submit quarterly and final programmatic and financial progress reports to the Board for review. The reports will include, but are not limited to, the aforementioned information regarding number and type of people served and vaccinated. Reporting deadlines and requirements will be included in the award letter and grant agreement. In some circumstances, the Board may require monthly programmatic and/or financial reporting. In addition, some grantees may be required to provide post grant reporting and more frequent reports may be required in certain circumstances.

Application Submission Process

Note: The Board only accepts grant applications submitted electronically through the performance management and government resource planning site, DD Suite, which can be accessed via the following link: https://www.ddsuite.org/. Unless specified in the RFP, emailed, faxed or hard copy proposals are not accepted.

In order to submit a Proposal, applicants must first register here (https://www.ddsuite.org/users/register) with DD Suite to create an account. Please allow sufficient time to complete your account registration. If you experience any difficulties with registration, please see the DD Suite technical assistance page found here (https://www.ddsuite.org/ta).

Proposal Applications must be received electronically in the DD Suite system by 4 p.m. ET on or before the due dates listed in the Key Dates attachment document. Late submissions will not be accepted for any reason.

Proposals should include clear and concise information on the following:

1. Coversheet
2. Abstract
3. Budget
A. Budget Justification Narrative
B. Budget Form
C. Quarterly Activity Timeline & Expenditure Projection Form
4. Narrative (max 20 double-spaced pages)
A. Applicant Profile
B. Target Population
C. Involvement of Individuals with DD & Families in Project Development,
Implementation and Evaluation
D. Collaboration
E. Systems Change, Capacity Building and Sustainability
F. Work Plan - Project Goal, Objectives, Activities, Outcomes, Stories and Number and Type of People Served and Vaccinated
G. Strength of Evidence
H. Evaluation Plan

Required Appendices for proposal applications:

1. Letters of Commitment or MOUs (required if partnering to achieve project
goals)
2. Letters of Support
3. One page resume and position description for each key project personnel
4. Form 990 (for non-profits)
5. IRS Determination letter on non-profit tax exempt status (for non-profits)
6. Articles of Incorporation (for non & for profits)
7. Annual submission to SEC for SCC (for profits)
8. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)

Review and Scoring of Applications

Each proposal will be date and time stamped upon electronic receipt in the DD Suite system. Late proposals will not be reviewed. After a review for technical completeness, staff to the Board will review and score all proposals. Cut off scores are at the discretion of Board staff. Within the dollar amount available, the highest scoring proposal(s) will be funded. A project Work Plan (see page 19 in the Grants Manual) must be developed as part of your proposal application and must demonstrate how the proposed objectives and activities align with the selected performance measures.

Full Proposal Scoring:

1. Applicant Profile - 10 pts.
2. Target Population - 5 pts.
3. Involvement of Individuals with DD & Families in Project Development, Implementation and Evaluation - 7 pts.
4. Collaboration - 6 pts.
5. Systems Change, Capacity Building & Sustainability - 12 pts.
6. Work Plan - Project Goals, Objectives, Activities, Outcomes, Stories and Number/Type of People Served and Vaccinated - 30 pts.
7. Strength of Evidence - 7 pts.
8. Evaluation Plan - 10 pts.
9. Budget - 10 pts.
10. Technical Submission Requirements - 3 pts.
11. Bonus Points (projects with multiple funding sources) - 5 pts.

Total Possible Points - 105

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who can apply for funding from the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities’ Competitive Grant Program?

A: Eligible organizations include state or other public agencies, including universities, non-profit organizations or for-profit organizations. The Board encourages braided funding and partnerships. Please be sure to clearly describe the planned role and responsibilities of each partner at all stages of the project. Only one organization can receive the grant and will be contractually responsible for grant administration, reporting and delivery of the project.

Q: Where does VBPD receive its funding?

A: Board grants are 100% federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health, Administration for Community Living, Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

Q: Can an organization submit more than one application in response to this RFP?

A: No.

Q: If I currently have an active grant from the Virginia Board for People with Disabilities, can I submit an application?

A: Yes.

Q: How are grantees reimbursed for project expenses?

A: All grant payments are processed on a cost reimbursable basis.