Creating Inclusive Communities – Education

Target Area: Education

2024 Competitive Grant Program Request for Proposals (RFP)
(Awards to begin January 15, 2024)

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.

Overview and Purpose

Through this RFP, the Board seeks to support local, regional, or statewide efforts that are culturally and linguistically competent. The developed grant will result in a project aimed at providing parents and caregivers of students with developmental and other disabilities, school administrators, instructors, transition coordinators and other school personnel, the necessary training about a student’s right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), including during an emergency. To view past grants, go to: Grants Highlights. Projects that aim to address the unique set of challenges experienced by students with developmental and other disabilities in underserved and unserved rural areas of the Commonwealth are of particular interest to the Board.

Projects should holistically incorporate cultural and linguistic competence in project design and activities. 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.” 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 NCCC defines 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 requires 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” (cite).

Developmental disability, as defined in federal law, is a severe, chronic, often lifelong disability that causes substantial limitations in several major life activities such as: self-care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, the capacity for independent living, and economic self-sufficiency. It is attributable to a mental, emotional, sensory, and/or physical impairment that is apparent before the age of twenty-two. People with developmental disabilities often need a combination of special services, support, and other assistance that is likely to continue indefinitely. The Board is asking grantees to develop a grant project that meets the specified State Plan objective, using your expertise and creativity that will achieve the Board’s desired outcomes. The Board encourages innovative proposals, based on promising or best practices.

Available Grant Funds

The Board may fund up to $200,000 to one or more organizations for the current grant cycle. 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 will achieve the desired systemic change. Grant periods are typically 18 – 24 months, however, shorter or longer periods may be considered. The selected grantee will be required to submit an annual renewal application for multi-year projects, in order to demonstrate project outcomes prior to receiving funds for the following year.

The selected grantee is required to contribute a minimum match (cash or in-kind) of 25 percent of total project costs (grant funds + match). Federal funds cannot be used as match.

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).In light of the Board’s limited funds availability, applicants are strongly encouraged to use indirect costs towards the minimum match requirement.

What We Will Not Fund

This RFP will not support the following:

• Existing projects or services that are a part of an organization’s current program or budget;
• 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 directly align with one or more of the Board’s State Plan Objectives specified in the RFP.
• 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 achieve systems change, i.e., to 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, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life.  For projects in which there will be direct benefit to individuals, at least 60% of the target population that will benefit from the grant, must be persons with Developmental Disabilities (DD). All submission requirements can be found in the Grants Manual.  Be sure to review the Grants Manual prior to submission of a proposal. In addition, all required reports and other documents should be submitted to the Board in Microsoft Word format.

Projects that will be Considered for Funding

Applications must address the following target area.  View the Board’s State Plan for more information about target areas.

Target Area

Description

Education

By October 2026, the Board will support culturally and linguistically competent initiatives that promote an inclusive school environment for Virginians with developmental disabilities, including opportunities for inclusive K-12 and postsecondary education.   State Plan Goal:  By October 2026, more Virginians with developmental disabilities, reflecting the state’s geographic and cultural diversity, will have (1) increased ability to participate and learn in an inclusive school environment; and (2) increased ability to prepare for, and obtain, competitive, integrated employment and other career goals and opportunities.

Target Area: Education

State Plan Objective

By October 2026, the Board will support culturally and linguistically competent initiatives that promote an inclusive school environment for Virginians with developmental disabilities, including opportunities for inclusive K-12 and postsecondary education.

Background

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 protects the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal financial assistance, including federal funds. Section 504 provides that: “No otherwise qualified individual with a disability in the United States . . . shall, solely by reason of her or his disability, be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance . . .” (cite).

Section 504 also requires a school district to provide a “free appropriate public education” (FAPE) to each qualified person with a disability who is in the school district’s jurisdiction, regardless of the nature or severity of the person’s disability (cite).

An appropriate education may comprise education in regular classes, education in regular classes with the use of related aids and services, or special education and related services in separate classrooms for all or portions of the school day. Special education may include specially designed instruction in classrooms, at home, or in private or public institutions, and may be accompanied by related services such as speech therapy, occupational and physical therapy, psychological counseling, and medical diagnostic services necessary to the child’s education (cite).

The Board is interested in supporting efforts which aim to meet the State Plan Objective above.  The Board is particularly interested in proposals which include and address one or more of the topics listed below. 

1. Develop outreach materials or conduct a series of trainings that are designed to inform parents of students with developmental and other disabilities, school administrators, instructors, transition coordinators and other school personnel, about the student’s right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), including during emergencies.
   
   Scope of Project: The goal of this project is to develop outreach materials, in a variety of formats, or conduct a series of trainings that are aimed at providing parents and caregivers of students with developmental and other disabilities, school administrators, instructors, transition coordinators and other school personnel, with information on the student’s right to receive a free and appropriate public education. The developed materials and training must also include processes for ensuring continued services to students during emergency situations, including school responsibilities, as required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

2. Conduct a series of outreach events that are designed to inform parents of students with developmental and other disabilities, school administrators, instructors, transition coordinators and other school personnel, about the student’s right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE), including during emergencies.
   
   Scope of Project: The goal of this project is to conduct publicly-accessible outreach events across the state that provide parents and caregivers of students with developmental and other disabilities, school administrators, instructors, transition coordinators and other school personnel, with information on the student’s right to receive a free and appropriate public education. The events should also inform parents and school personnel of processes for ensuring continued services to students during emergency situations, including school responsibilities, as required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 .

All project activities will be conducted in consultation with staff to the Board and subject to periodic approvals based on the needs of the organization.

Performance Measure Requirements

Applicants must demonstrate that their project 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. Applicants are encouraged to identify additional output and outcome information they will collect, even if those outputs and outcomes are not captured by any of the federal performance measures listed below.

If you have questions regarding the performance measures, please feel free to contact the Board’s Grants Manager, Jason Withers, at 804-786-9375 or Jason.Withers@vbpd.virginia.gov.

Systems Change (SC) Federal Performance Measures
Short-Term Output Measures:
SC 1.3 Promising and Best Practices. The number of promising and /or best practices created or supported. Number of promising practices created. Number of promising practices supported. Number of best practices created. Number of best practices supported.
SC 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.
SC 1.5 Collaboration. The number of collaborative activities with organizations actively involved.
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.   Grantees will be required to report aggregate data regarding race/ethnicity, geographic location (urban vs. rural), sex assigned at birth, and sexual orientation & gender identity (SOGI) of participants.
IFA 1.2 The number of family members 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 the family, the lives of others, and/or systems.   Grantees will be required to report aggregate data regarding race/ethnicity, geographic location (urban vs. rural), sex assigned at birth, and sexual orientation & gender identity (SOGI) 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 of people with developmental disabilities 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 of people with developmental disabilities who are satisfied with a project activity.

In addition to the federal performance measures above, grantees will be required to report aggregate data regarding race/ethnicity, geographic location (urban vs. rural), sex assigned at birth, and sexual orientation & gender identity (SOGI) of project participants in connection with Performance Measures IFA 1.1 and IFA 1.2. Demographic information in connection with Performance Measure SC 1.4 is also welcome, but not required. Please consult the “Demographic Data Collection” tip sheet on our grants webpage for recommended survey questions.

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Survey Respondents
American Indian or Alaska Native
Asian
Black or African American
Hispanic/Latino or Latina
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White
Two or more races
Other race or ethnicity
Do not know or do not want to answer the question
Geographic Location	Number of Survey Respondents
Rural
Urban
Do not know or do not want to answer the question
Sex Assigned at Birth	Number of Survey Respondents
Female
Male
Do not know
Do not want to answer
Gender Identity	Number of Survey Respondents
Female
Male
Transgender female
Transgender male
Two-spirit
Other
Do not know
Do not want to answer
Sexual Orientation	Number of Survey Respondents
Bisexual
Gay
Lesbian
Straight/Heterosexual
Two-Spirit
Other
Do not know
Do not want to answer

Application Submission Process

The review of proposals will be completed as listed in the below table.  Eligible applicants may submit a Proposal application which will be reviewed and scored by the Board’s Grant Review Team (GRT).  Final awards will be made after the review of all proposal applications. Key dates are listed below.

Application Activities	Key Dates
Technical Assistance for Proposal submission	October 2, 2023
Proposal applications due	November 3, 2023, by 4 p.m. ET
Notification of funding  decisions	December 13, 2023
Earliest possible project start date	January 15, 2024

The Board only accepts grant applications submitted electronically through the performance management and government resource planning site called DD Suite.

In order to submit a Proposal Application, applicants must first 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.

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 above table. Late submissions will not be accepted for any reason.

Proposal applications should contain clear and concise information on the following:

• Coversheet
• Abstract
• Budget
  • Budget Justification Narrative
  • Budget Form
  • Quarterly Activity Timeline & Expenditure Projections
• 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.

Review and Scoring of Applications

Each Proposal will be date and time stamped upon electronic receipt.  Late proposals will not be reviewed.  After a review for technical completeness, the GRT will review all proposals.  Within the dollar amount available, the highest scoring proposals will be recommended to the Board for funding.  Cut off scores are at the discretion of the GRT. A project Work Plan (see page 20 in the Grants Manual for required elements) must be developed as part of your application and must demonstrate how the proposed objectives and activities align with the selected performances measures.

Full Proposal Scoring

Applicant Profile	10 pts
Cultural and Linguistic Competence	5 pts
Target Population	5 pts
Involvement of Individuals with DD and Families in Project Development, Implementation and Evaluation	7 pts
Collaboration	6 pts
Systems Change, Capacity Building & Sustainability	12 pts
Work Plan: Project Goal, Objectives, Activities, Outcomes, Stories and Performance Measures	30 pts
Strength of Evidence	7 pts
Evaluation Plan	10 pts
Budget	10 pts
Technical Submission Requirements	3 pts
Total Possible Points	105 pts

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, which include federally required demographic data. 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.

The Board requires that the selected 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 grant activities.  Examples of the types of stories (who, what, when, where and why) the Board is looking for may include: how someone became more independent because they obtained employment, housing, or transportation; how someone became more connected to their community as a result of opportunities provided through the grant; or how someone was able to remain in the community vs. being institutionalized.  The privacy of program participants must be protected at all times.

FAQs