Notice of Funds Available (RFP)

Specifications

Background

The DC Developmental Disabilities Council (DD Council) is established and operates by the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act) - Public Law 106-402 and Mayor’s Order 2023-101. The DD Council consists of 23 members appointed by the Mayor. The Office of Disability Rights (ODR) serves as the DD Council’s Designated State Agency (DSA) to provide administrative support. The DD Council is awarded federal grant funds by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, and subgrants these funds in accordance with regulations published at 45 CFR Part 75.

The mission of the DD Council is to strengthen the voice and presence of people with developmental disabilities and their families in DC to support greater independence, inclusion, empowerment, and the pursuit of life as they choose. We strive to create change that eliminates discrimination and removes barriers to achieve full inclusion, diversity, and equity through our advocacy.

This Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is for Fiscal Years (FYs) 2024 and 2025 grants. These grants shall provide leadership and advocacy training for people with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families, technical assistance and capacity building to expand practices in competitive integrated employment (CIE), and support educational programs for people with DD and their families on health, education, and community living. The DD Council supports creative ideas to build inclusive communities where people with and without disabilities from all cultural and linguistic backgrounds thrive together. The complete DD Council Five Year State Plan can be found here: https://ddc.dc.gov/page/2022-2026-state-plan.

State Plan Activities

DD Council funding is available for projects focusing on the State Plan Activities listed below. Projects may focus on one or multiple activities.

Goal 1: Self-Determination, Advocacy, and Leadership
• 1.1.2, 1.1.3 - Peer-to-peer training of people with developmental disabilities (DD) in advocacy and leadership.
• 1.2.3, 1.2.4 - Training in advocacy and ongoing support groups in Spanish for Latinx families.
• 1.3.1, 1.3.3 - Peer-to-peer training of families of people with DD in advocacy and leadership, including policy advocacy and systems change.

Goal 2: Employment
• 2.1.9 - Provide technical assistance to direct support professionals and providers in building capacity and expanding the use of evidence-based practices in competitive integrated employment (CIE).
• 2.2.3 - Pilot an employment-focused mentorship program to support people with DD to obtain competitive jobs.

Goal 3: Community Living
• 3.2.1 Educational programs for people with DD and their families to have healthy and safe relationships; to recognize abuse, bullying, neglect, sexual or financial exploitation, and violation of legal or human rights; and develop skills to create personal safety plans to live well in their community.
• 3.2.2 Engage with an underserved cultural and linguistic community to increase knowledge about disability rights, advocacy, and disability and mental health services and support in the community.
• 3.3.1 Training to develop skills and knowledge in navigating and advocating in the education and disability service system for a successful transition from school to adulthood.
• 3.3.2 Develop a parent-to-parent support network.

Eligibility

Public and private entities, nonprofit organizations, education institutions, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and fiscally sponsored unincorporated groups.

Length of Awards

Grant funding will be awarded by March 2024 and last through September 30, 2025.

Available Funding for Awards

The total amount available for FYs 2024 and 2025 is approximately $125,000. Individual grant awards shall not exceed $50,000.

Anticipated Number of Awards

The DD Council anticipates awarding 3 to 5 grants in this cycle.

Funding Source:

The source of funding for this grant is the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living through the DD Act State Councils on Developmental Disabilities Program.

Request for Applications (RFA)

The Request for Applications (RFA) will be released on Friday, November 3, 2023, through email, the DD Council website, and our grants management platform, DD Suite. All applications must be submitted through DD Suite. The deadline for submission is Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 11:59 p.m.

The DDC will facilitate an orientation on Thursday, November 9, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to explain the grant application process and evaluation criteria. We will also discuss creating an account on and using the DD Suite platform. This orientation will be recorded and available on our website by November 15, 2023. Register in advance for the virtual orientation: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckdumvrDkvGdDcyd47X3uGxlwY81vNeFVA.

All DD Council grant applicants and grantees must use the DD Suite platform. More information about how to get started on DD Suite can be found here: https://ddsuite.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/DSH/pages/844562468/Creating+a+DD+Suite+Account

For additional information regarding this grant competition and to request reasonable accommodations for the virtual orientation or application process, please contact:
Luz Collazo, Administrative Support Specialist at luz.collazo@dc.gov or 202-336-2539 (cell)
Carla McCaskill, Program Support Specialist at carla.mccaskill@dc.gov
Alison Whyte, Executive Director, alison.whyte@dc.gov
Main Office: 441 4th Street NW, Suite 729N, Washington, DC 20001

Key Dates: