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

Specifications

Funding Opportunity Description

The Developmental Disabilities Council of the District of Columbia (DD Council) is soliciting applications 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 mission of the DD Council is to strengthen the voice and presence of people with developmental disabilities and their families in DC in support of 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.

The DD Council’s current Five-Year State Plan 2022-2026 focuses on self-determination, advocacy, and leadership; employment; and community living. The complete plan can be found here: https://ddc.dc.gov/page/2022-2026-state-plan

Strong applications will include the following:
1. A clear connection between the proposed project and the DD Council mission and goals
2. New and innovative ideas for building community, creating inclusive educational opportunities, and generally supporting people with DD and their families to live their best lives
3. Involvement of people with and without disabilities
4. Involvement of diverse cultural and linguistic communities, such as LGBTQIA+, Latinx, Ethiopian, Eritrean, limited English proficiency, etc.
5. A plan for promoting cultural and linguistic competence within the program
6. A clear connection between the key activities and expected outcomes
7. Collaborative initiatives with partners
8. A sustainability plan beyond DD Council funding
9. Promising or best practices that focus on capacity building, advocacy, and systems change

The 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 2021-137. 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.

Award Information

The DD Council anticipates awarding 3 to 5 grants in this cycle. The total amount available for the FYs 2024 and 2025 period is approximately $125,000. Individual awards shall not exceed $50,000. Grant funding will be awarded by March 2024 and last through September 30, 2025. The DD Council funding is available for projects focusing on the State Plan Activities listed below. Projects may focus on one or multiple activities. Project funds must be used to benefit DC residents.

State Plan-Specific Criteria:

Goal 1: Self-Determination, Advocacy, and Leadership
• 1.1.2, 1.1.3 - Peer-to-peer training of people with 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 Information

1. Eligible Organizations: Public and private entities, nonprofit organizations, education institutions, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and fiscally sponsored unincorporated groups are all eligible to submit applications.
2. Cost Sharing or Match: Applicants must include a 25% match in their proposal, which may be provided as cash, in-kind contributions, volunteer hours, etc.
3. Other: Applicants must be able to provide a Clean Hands Certificate if their proposal is chosen for funding. More information can be found here: https://otr.cfo.dc.gov/page/certificate-clean-hands.

Application and Submission Information

1. There will be an orientation to share the purpose of the grants, explain the application process, and answer any questions on Thursday, November 9, 2023, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Zoom. Register in advance for this virtual orientation:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZckdumvrDkvGdDcyd47X3uGxlwY81vNeFVA. To request reasonable accommodations to participate in the orientation, please contact Luz Collazo, luz.collazo@dc.gov, 202-336-2539. The orientation will be recorded, and the video and transcript will be posted at https://ddc.dc.gov/service/funding-opportunities-page by November 15, 2023.
2. Application and Submission: The grant application can be found at https://www.ddsuite.org/?nofa_id=2103. Applications must be submitted through the DD Suite platform. The application must include a Project Work Plan with objectives, activities, timelines, staff, demographic measures, and target performance measures, and a detailed budget and brief narrative, including an explanation of how the 25% match will be obtained.
3. Submission Dates and Location: Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on Thursday, November 30, 2023. Applications received after this time will not be accepted. All DD Council Grantees must use DD Suite for ongoing reporting throughout the period of the award. More information about how to get started on DD Suite can be found here: Create DD Suite Account
4. Funding Restrictions: Indirect costs should not make up more than 10% of the overall funds being requested. Indirect costs that exceed 10% of the overall budget may be counted toward the 25% match requirement. We will not consider applications for general operating costs.

Application Review Information

1. Evaluation Criteria - Applications will be rated on a 100-point scale with the following categories and possible points:
a. Connection to the DD Council mission and goals - 20 possible points
b. Innovativeness - 20 possible points
c. Support for Inclusion - 20 possible points
d. Cultural and Linguistic Competence Elements - 10 possible points
e. Evaluation Plan Quality - 10 possible points
f. Budget Plan Quality and Feasibility - 10 possible points
g. Overall Quality of Application - 10 possible points
2. Review and Selection Process: Applications will be reviewed by a Grant Review Panel of not less than three people who are appointed members of the DD Council. All Grant Review Panelists will be required to sign an affidavit stating that they have no conflicts of interest with the applicants. The Grant Review Panelists will complete an evaluation for each application and submit these evaluations to DD Council staff. The DD Council staff will compile the information and average the scores of all panelists to determine the overall score. The Grant Review Panel and DD Council staff will then meet to discuss the results. The Grant Review Panel will deliberate on final decisions and submit them to the DD Council Executive Committee for final approval.
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates: The DD Council anticipates announcing Grant Awards by January 31, 2024 and issuing initial funding to grantees by March 31, 2024.

Award Administration Information

1. Award Notices: All applicants, including unsuccessful applicants, will be notified via email of the funding decision. Applicants chosen for funding can begin drawing down funds once the grant agreement is fully approved in the DC government procurement system. It is anticipated that this will occur in March 2024.
2. Programmatic, Administrative, and National Policy Requirements: Successful applicants will be required to submit a Clean Hands Certificate from the Office of Tax and Revenue (OTR). Please see the following link for more details: https://otr.cfo.dc.gov/page/certificate-clean-hands.
3. Grantees must also obtain a Basic Business License from the DC Department of Licensing and Consumer Protection (DLCP).
4. Reporting: The required Final Report template is attached to this RFA. A mid-way report will also be required and contain the same questions as the Final Report to assess progress. There will be an informational meeting to explain the reports procedure through DD Suite and the monitoring process and answer any questions.
5. Payment: Upon approval of the grant agreement, grantees may draw down 75% of the grant award. Grantees may draw down the remaining 25% of the award upon project completion.

Pass-through Entity Contact (s)

Alison Whyte, Executive Director, DC Developmental Disabilities Council
441 4th Street NW, Suite 729N, Washington, DC 20001

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
DDC website: https://ddc.dc.gov/

Key Dates: