Notice of Funds Available (RFP)

Virginia Board for People with Disabilities
This notice is not publicly posted.
The application deadline for this notice has expired.

SSA-10-2022-Proposal:  Strengthening Self-Advocacy in Virginia

Specifications

Posted Applications Due Start Date End Date Amount MatchPoverty Match Council Staff
Jul 25, 2022 Oct 17, 2022 Oct 16, 2024 $50,000.00 $0.00$0.00 Jason Withers

Overview and Purpose

A virtual Technical Assistance Zoom call has been scheduled for June 23, 2022 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET, for applicants interested in learning more about the process for submitting a proposal application. Advance registration is required. The Zoom registration link is included below:

https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5SlC_1niSmic3ghsHIpp9A

**Please be sure to read the entire RFP and Grants Manual before submitting a Proposal application** 

**In order to submit a Proposal Application, applicants must navigate to the Supporting Documents section of this announcement and download the Word-formatted Proposal Coversheet, Abstract, Budget Justification Narrative Form (Year 1 & 2), Budget Form (Year 1 & 2), 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. The completed proposal package, including signed Proposal Coversheet and Budget form and Appendices should then be uploaded as ONE file (128MB file size limit) under the “Support Docs” tab within your application. No other attachments, outside of the information requested in this RFP, should be attached to your proposal application.** 

Through this RFP, the Board seeks to support a local, regional or statewide culturally and linguistically competent self-advocacy organization or program, the purpose of which is to advocate for changes to policies, programs and systems for individuals with developmental disabilities that encourage inclusive communities. Projects funded through this special grant program must be designed to strengthen an existing self-advocacy organization or program led by individuals with DD, by improving an organization’s skill set, organizational structure and/or work to effect policy change. The Board encourages innovative proposals, based on promising or best practices.

Projects should holistically incorporate cultural and linguistic competence in project design and activities. The Board considers cultural competence to include the following: the organization has defined values, principles and policies that demonstrate that (1) diversity and differences are valued; (2) the organization is able to work effectively across cultures and adapt to the cultural context of the communities being served; (3) the organization recognizes the importance of cultural sensitivity towards the target audience; and (4) it is able to incorporate these values, principles and policies in each aspect of policy-making, administration, practice, service delivery and systematically involve consumers, families and community members. 

The National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC) at Georgetown University defines culture as “…a system of collectively held values, beliefs, and practices of a group which guides thinking and actions in patterned ways.” They define linguistic competence as “…the capacity of an organization and its personnel to communicate effectively, and convey information in a manner that is easily understood by diverse groups including persons of limited English proficiency, those who have low literacy skills or are not literate, individuals experiencing disabilities, and those who are deaf or hard of hearing. Linguistic competence required organizational and provider capacity to respond effectively to the health and mental health literacy needs of populations served. The organization must have policies, structures, practices, procedures, and dedicated resources to support this capacity.”1

1The Cultural and Linguistic Competence Assessment for Disability Organizations (CLCADO), National Center for Cultural Competence, Georgetown University https://nccc.georgetown.edu/assessments/clcado.php  

Available Grant Funds

The Board has reserved total funding of up to $50,000 for successful proposals from one or more self-advocacy organizations or a self-advocacy program, within an organization, led by individuals with DD.  Funding for a self-advocacy organization with statewide reach will receive preference. The Board may award all or a portion of available funds. We may choose not to award grant funds if budget limitations are encountered or if we determine that none of the grant proposals will achieve our desired outcomes. The Grant period may range from 12 to 24 months. Grantees will be required to submit an annual renewal application for multi-year projects in order to demonstrate project outcomes.

Under this solicitation, grantees are required to contribute a minimum match (cash or in kind) of 20 percent of total project costs (grant funds + match). Federal funds cannot be used as match. If the project primarily serves a Designated Poverty Area, the minimum match requirement is 10 percent of total project costs. Designated Poverty Areas are listed in the Grants Manual, Appendix B.

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). Applicants are strongly encouraged to use indirect costs towards the minimum match requirement.

What We Will Not Fund

Through this RFP, we will not support the following:

  • Existing projects or services that are a part of an organization’s current program or budget unless the grant program will expand upon the project or service;
  • Projects that would supplant or replace existing federal, state, or local dollars to conduct the project;
  • Projects which have a federal, state or local mandate to be delivered by the applicant organization;
  • Projects which include capital expenditures for the acquisition of land or buildings, new construction or major repair.
  • 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.
  • Projects that take place in restrictive, isolated, or segregated settings that do not promote community integration for children or adults with disabilities.
  • Projects that do not effectively demonstrate cultural and linguistic competence through established organizational policies, structures, procedures and practices.

Board Objectives and Target Population

Projects should be designed to strengthen the efforts of individuals with developmental disabilities to advocate for systems change that will transform fragmented approaches into a coordinated and effective system which ensures that individuals with DD and their families participate in the design of, and have access to, needed community services, individualized supports, and other assistance that promote self-determination, individual autonomy, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life.

The target population is self-advocates with developmental disabilities. The organization(s) or project(s) to be funded must be led by individuals with developmental disabilities. While a program or project may be part of an umbrella organization, the program’s (if not an actual organization’s) direction and decision-making must rest with individuals with developmental disabilities who are either serving as staff or as a governing Board or leadership team.

The definition of developmental disabilities and all grant submission requirements can be found in the Grants Manual: https://vaboard.org/grants.htm#administration.

Performance Measure Requirements

Applicants for this funding must demonstrate that their project(s) aligns with at least one of the federally required Performance Measures so that desired impacts are clear (see Appendix C of the Grants Manual for a complete list and their meaning). Long term measures are generally a result of the activities undertaken by the grantee and as the name suggests, they usually occur over a longer period of time. Applicants may select a combination of the measures but the project’s scoring is weighted toward grantees that can successfully demonstrate longer term impacts. Applicants must also demonstrate to the Board that they have the organizational capacity to collect and report the required data.

Applicants MUST include in their grant proposal, the specific federal performance measure(s) that it intends to meet for each activity in the work plan, when applicable. Applicants are not required to have a performance measure for each activity. In the case of this Self Advocacy funding announcement, the focus should be on the performance measures, which directly reflect impact on individuals with DD. Family advocacy performance measures may also be included but should not be primary.


Systems Change (SC) Federal Performance Measures

Short Term Output Measures:

1.1 Policies and Procedures - The number of policies and/or procedures created or changed.
1.2 Statutes and Regulations - The number of statutes and/or regulations created or changed.
1.3 Promising and Best Practices - The number of promising and /or best practices created or supported.
1.3.1 Number of promising practices created
1.3.2 Number of promising practices supported
1.3.3 Number of best practices created
1.3.4 Number of best practices supported
1.4 Training and Education - The number of people trained or educated through systemic change initiatives. This measure does not include information like website hits, social media likes, newsletter subscribers, etc. If the people trained have a disability or are family members of someone with a disability, IFA 1.1 and/or 1.2 should be captured instead.
1.5 Collaboration - The number of collaborative activities with organizations actively involved

Long Term Outcome Measures:

2.1 Promising and Best Practices - The number of efforts that led to the improvement of promising or best practices, policies, procedures, statute or regulations changes. This includes sub-measures:

2.1.1 The number of policy, procedure, statute or regulations and;
2.1.3 The number of promising and/or best practices improved.

2.2 Systems Change - The number of efforts to transform fragmented approaches into a coordinated and effective system that ensures individuals with DD and their families participate in the design of, and have access to, needed community services, individualized supports and other assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life.

2.1.2 The number of policy, procedure, statute or regulations changes implemented.
2.1.4 The number of promising and/or best practices implemented.

Individual & Family Advocacy (IFA) Federal Performance Measures

IFA 1: Short-Term Output Measures:

IFA 1.1 - The number of people with developmental disabilities who participated in Council supported activities designed to increase their knowledge of how to take part in decisions that affect their lives, the lives of others, and/or systems. You will be required to report aggregate data regarding race/ethnicity, gender, and geographical location (urban vs. rural) of participants.

IFA 1.2 - The number of family members who participated in Council supported activities designed to increase their knowledge of how to take part in decisions that affect the family, the lives of others, and/or systems. You will be required to report aggregate data regarding race/ethnicity, gender, and geographical location (urban vs. rural) of participants.

IFA 2: Long-Term Outcome Measures:

IFA 2.1 - After participation in Council supported activities, the percent of people with developmental disabilities who report increasing their advocacy as a result of Council work.

IFA 2.2 - After participation in Council supported activities, the percent of family members who report increasing their advocacy as a result of Council work.

IFA 2: Sub-Outcome Measures

IFA 2.3 - The percent of people who are better able to say what they want or what services and supports they want or say what is important to them.

IFA 2.4 - The percent of people who are participating now in advocacy activities.

IFA 2.5 - The percent of people who are on cross disability coalitions, policy boards, advisory boards, governing bodies and/or serving in leadership positions.

IFA 3: The percent of people satisfied with a project activity

IFA 3.1 The percent of people with developmental disabilities satisfied with a project activity.

IFA 3.2 The percent of family members satisfied with a project activity.

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. 

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

Proposal Applications should include clear and concise information on the following: 

1. Coversheet 

2. Abstract 

3. Budget 

  • Budget Justification Narrative (Year 1 & 2) 
  • Budget Form (Year 1 & 2) 
  • Quarterly Activity Timeline & Expenditure Projections 

4. Narrative (max 20 double-spaced pages) 

  • Applicant Profile 
  • Cultural and Linguistic Competence
  • Target Population 
  • Involvement of Individuals with DD & Families in Project Development, Implementation and Evaluation 
  • Collaboration 
  • Systems Change, Capacity Building and Sustainability 
  • Work Plan: Project Goal, Objectives, Activities, Outcomes, Stories and Performance Measures 
  • Strength of Evidence 
  • Evaluation Plan 

*Strength of Evidence: Describe in detail the evidence-based model/approach you have chosen and why it was selected for your project, i.e., what is the evidence that supports your approach.

Required Appendices for Proposal Applications: 

5. Letters of Commitment or MOUs (required if partnering to achieve project goals) 

6. Letters of Support 

7. One page resume and position description for each key project personnel Form 990 (for non-profits) 

8. IRS Determination letter on non-profit tax exempt status (for non-profits) 

9. Articles of Incorporation (for non & for profits) 

10. Annual submission to SEC for SCC (for profits) 

11. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)

Review and Scoring of Applications

Proposal 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, the GRT will review and score all proposals. Cut off scores are at the discretion of the GRT. Within the dollar amount available, the highest scoring proposals will be recommended to the Board for funding. 

A project Work Plan (see page 19 in the Grants Manual) must be developed and demonstrate how the proposed objectives and activities align with the selected performance measures. 

Full Proposal Scoring: 

1. Applicant Profile - 10 pts. 

2. Cultural and Linguistic Competence - 5 pts.

3. Target Population - 5 pts. 

4. Involvement of Individuals with DD & Families in Project Development, Implementation and Evaluation - 7 pts. 

5. Collaboration - 6 pts. 

6. Systems Change, Capacity Building & Sustainability - 12 pts. 

7. Work Plan - Project Goals, Objectives, Activities, Outcomes, Stories and Performance Measures - 30 pts. 

8. Strength of Evidence - 7 pts. 

9. Evaluation Plan - 10 pts. 

10. Budget - 10 pts. 

11. Technical Submission Requirements - 3 pts. 

Total Possible Points - 105

Reporting Requirements

All grantees will be required to submit quarterly and final programmatic and financial progress reports. Grantees also will be expected to track and share aggregated data about their projects and participants. Reporting deadlines and requirements will be included in the award letter and contract. 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.

For grants that include direct benefit to individuals, we require that the grantee provide (in the quarterly program reports, final report, or at other times as requested) stories about people with developmental and other disabilities and their families whose lives have improved as a result of the funding support provided through this grant initiative. The privacy of program participants must be protected.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

A: Eligible organizations include non-profit organizations, for profit organizations and institutions of higher education, including minority-serving institutions (MSI). 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. For this grant opportunity, the organization or program must be led by individuals with developmental disabilities.

Q: Where does VBPD receive its funding?

A: Board grants are 100% federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL), Office of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (OIDD). 

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

A: No.

Q: Are Board grantees required to have an active UEI number in order to be a recipient of federal funds?

A: Yes. An active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number is required in order to receive federal funds. On April 4, 2022, the federal government stopped using Dun & Bradstreet Numbering System (DUNS) numbers. The DUNS Number was replaced by the new, non-proprietary identifier that is provided by the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). This new identifier is called the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), or the Entity ID. In order to request a new UEI number, please click here.

Q: Are there community types you're interested or not interested in, such as urban or rural areas?

A: We are particularly interested in projects that will strengthen self-advocacy efforts in areas of the state that reflect underserved, low-income and/or culturally diverse communities.

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.