Grant Opportunity Announcement:
Inclusive Transportation
Application Deadline: Jan 15, 2024
Award Announcement no later than: March 18, 2024
Tier 1 Award Amount: Minimum $2,000, Maximum $10,000
Tier 2 Award Amount: Minimum $10,001`, Maximum $50,000
Questions Due: December 22, 2023
Answers Posted: January 4, 2024
The application period for this opportunity has closed.
The CDD is offering funds for localities throughout NYS to implement innovative transportation projects that support people with DD to better access their communities. Tier 1 applicants can apply for up to $10,000 to put towards improving transportation for individuals with IDD. Tier 2 applicants can apply for up to $50,000 to put towards improving transportation for individuals with IDD. Tier 2 projects will have additional reporting requirements.
Complete information about application and funding requirements for each tier can be found in the PDFs below
Proposals should focus on one of the following focus areas:
- Accessibility- Increasing access to transportation. Accessibility should be considered broadly. Accessibility could include improvement to any element which would discourage people with IDD from accessing a transportation mode or service.
- Education and Advocacy- Increasing knowledge of transportation options, rights and/or “how-to” information. Education could be focused on one or multiple stakeholders. This could include but is not limited to people with IDD, families and caregivers of people with IDD, DD providers, transportation professionals or policymakers.
- Coalition Building- Building partnerships, connections, and/or alliances between community partners working towards improved transportation outcomes for people with IDD.
Eligible organizations:
- Nonprofit organizations (note: the lead applicant cannot be a for-profit organization; however, for-profit organizations may serve as subcontractors)
- Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, or hospitals
- Disability-service organizations
- Community-based organizations
- Tribal organizations
- Local or county governments
- Consortia, groups, or partnerships among organizations
Eligibility requirements:
All applicants must be a registered Vendor in the NYS Statewide Financial System (SFS). Proposals received from eligible applicants who have not been registered will be disqualified from further consideration.
Application submission:
All applications must be submitted by the Application Deadline through SurveyMonkey Apply. Below are the links to apply:
Tier 1: https://nyddpc.smapply.io/prog/transportation_tier_1
Tier 2: https://nyddpc.smapply.io/prog/transportation_tier_2
Selecting a Focus Area
Focus Area 1: Accessibility
Description: The NYS CDD is seeking grant proposals to increase the accessibility of transportation for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Accessibility should be considered broadly. It could be physical accessibility (i.e., the addition of an adaptive handgrip to the local bus), emotional accessibility (i.e., creating outreach and space that helps people with IDD feel safe and welcome), cognitive accessibility (i.e., creation of easy-read or plain language resources) or functional accessibility (i.e., updates to a product or process which make them easier to understand or use).
These funds are intended to be used to fit the unique needs of your community. These funds are NOT intended to be used on accessibility needs already required by the ADA. Examples of what grant funds could support include:
- Organizational staff time to carry out grant activities
- Resources to gather self-advocate contribution and input
- Resources for creating and updating items meant to improve access, such as adaptive lighting, no-slip materials, creation of easy-read resources, or updates to an app which increase understanding or useability
- Translation of materials into other languages (including braille and ASL)
- Subscriptions, platforms, or software to improve accessibility, such as digital/website accessibility checkers, platforms to ensure document accessibility, or software to add subtitles or closed captioning to materials.
Focus Area 2: Education and Advocacy
Description: The NYS CDD is seeking grant proposals to increase knowledge and understanding about transportation options, usage, and/or rights. Education could be focused on one or multiple stakeholders. For example, education focused on people with IDD might include ensuring people with IDD know their rights and are able to advocate for themselves or knowing what transportation options are available to them and how they can use them. Education for families and caregivers could be around raising outcome expectations for their loved ones or how to support their loved one in using new transportation options. Education for transportation professionals might be disability awareness training or effective communication skills. Education and advocacy for policymakers could focus on the needs and gaps in a community. These are not the only stakeholders who can be targeted by education and advocacy. The important qualification is that the goal of the efforts is to improve transportation outcomes for people with IDD.
These funds are intended to be used to fit the unique needs of your community. Examples of what grant funds could support include:
- Organizational staff time to carry out grant activities
- Resources to gather self-advocate contribution and input
- Resources for creating and updating educational resources and materials
- Subscriptions for outreach platforms, such as Constant Contact or MailChimp
- Resources for communication and reach, such as virtual platform subscriptions like Zoom or Teams, or closed captioning services
- Translation and/or interpretation of materials into other languages (including braille and ASL)
- Resources for holding trainings or classes
Focus Area 3: Coalition Building
Description: The CDD is seeking grant applications to build coalitions between community partners to improve transportation outcomes for people with IDD. The coalition could take various forms such as a community of practice, collaborative, partnership, alliance, or committee. Community partners can include individuals (such as self-advocates and caregivers of people with IDD), community organizations, provider organizations, transportation organizations, or other relevant stakeholders. Coalitions built through these funds should have clear, specific goals and action items.
These funds are intended to be used to fit the unique needs of your community. Examples of what grant funds could support include:
- Organizational staff time to carry out grant activities
- Resources to gather self-advocate contribution and input
- Resources to convene meetings such as meeting materials, virtual platform subscriptions, or closed captioning services
- Resources to support the participation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in meetings (i.e. closed captioning, ASL, plain language, large print materials, etc.)
- Translation and/or interpretation of materials into other languages
Please note: The NYS Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD) was previously known as the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council (DDPC). The name change was made official on Oct. 17, 2023, for more information visit: Governor's announcement.
Additional Grant Details
Designated Agency Contact: If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact the CDD’s Designated Agency Contact for this funding announcement.
Kim Berg
Program Planner
Phone: 518-486-7505
Email: [email protected]
Underserved Communities: Priority will be given to proposals that reach underserved members of the DD community or populations within the DD community who face additional barriers. Some examples of underserved communities include individuals from diverse racial and ethnic communities, individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals from underserved geographic areas (rural or urban), LGBTQ+ individuals, and specific groups of individuals within the population of individuals with I/DD, including individuals who require assistive technology in order to participate in community life.
Timeline & Award: The grantee must spend the grant funds within one (1) calendar year of official start.
Application Review Process: CDD will review all eligible applications. See eligibility requirements for more information. Upon completion of the review, applicants will receive notification of either award or declination via email by Award Announcement Date. If approved, grantees must complete a "Grantee Award Acceptance" form.
Reimbursement: Grant funds will be disbursed via reimbursement. Grantees must provide documentation of all expenses. Documentation of expenses include, but are not limited to payroll, timesheets, invoices, receipts, contracts with vendors or consultants, etc.
Reporting: To receive grant reimbursement funds, grantees must submit a Final Report on the grant which outlines the activities, number of people who benefited, how people benefited, and includes final expenditure information and backup fiscal documentation.
Budget & Matching Funds: In the application form, you must provide a detailed budget that reflects how you intend to utilize CDD funds. Your budget must include an outline of your organizations’ match funds to the project. Match funds must be at least 34% of the total award. Match funds can be in-kind dollars that will be provided from sources beyond CDD funding and other federal funds. For example, if you request $5,000 from the CDD, you will need to have $1,700 in Match funds. For more information on the CDD’s Match requirements, please see Fiscal Fundamentals: Match Dollars. Applicants cannot include any nonallowable expenses in their budget (either in grantee or matching expenses). Please see the Allowable/Non-Allowable Expenses document posted with this solicitation for additional guidance.
CDD Acknowledgement: Documents or materials translated by a grantee, under contract with the CDD, must acknowledge the funding support of the CDD. For example: “This document was translated with support by a grant from the NYS Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD).”
CDD Reserved Rights: CDD reserves the right to:
1. Reject any or all applications received in response to this opportunity at any time.
2. Withdraw or reissue this opportunity at any time, at the sole discretion of CDD.
3. Reject any application if, in the sole discretion of CDD, it determines the applicant is not a responsible vendor at any time.
4. Change any of the scheduled dates stated in this opportunity at any time.
5. Fund only one portion or selected activities of the selected applicant’s proposal and/or adopt all or part of the selected applicant’s proposal based on federal and state requirements. 6. Rescind awards at any time for failure of awardees to meet timeframes that CDD is required by statute to meet for contract development and approval.