Inclusive Transportation Small Grant Opportunity

The application period for this opportunity has closed.

The NYS Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD) is offering funds for localities throughout NYS to implement innovative transportation projects that support people with DD to better access their communities. Applicants can apply for between $2,000 and $10,000 to put towards improving transportation for individuals with IDD. 

Proposals should focus on one of the following areas:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Local/Regional Collaboration- Building partnerships, connections, and/or alliances between community partners working toward measurable improved transportation outcomes for people with IDD.

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 ones 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: Local/Regional Collaboration

Description: The CDD is seeking grant applications to build goal-oriented 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 tangible deliverables.

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.

Important Dates:

Grant Period:

The grant period will be for one year with an anticipated start date of April 1, 2026.

Award Amount:

Non-profit organizations in New York State can apply for a maximum of $10,000 and a minimum of $2,000.

Overall Grant Expectations:

If selected for award, grantees will be expected to complete the following activities:

• Carry out activities over the course of 1 year to address the area of need you selected in your grant application.
• Collect satisfaction surveys from people who benefit from the work of the grant.
• Complete the NYS CDD Final Report and share data and feedback collected using the satisfaction survey within the Final Report.
• Adhere to CDD’s financial guidance as outlined in Allowable and Unallowable Expenses.
• Meet the minimum federal match requirement as outlined in Match (Cost Sharing).

Note: Documents referenced in this section are located in the Opportunity Documents at the bottom of this webpage.

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 and pre-qualified Vendor in the NYS Statewide Financial System (SFS). Proposals received from eligible applicants who have not been registered will be disqualified from further consideration. Find more information on NYS grants management at the following address: https://grantsmanagement.ny.gov/

Please note: We do not accept applications directly from individuals, only eligible organizations can apply for this opportunity.

All applications must be submitted electronically in Qualtrics by 11:59 PM, February 27, 2026. Documents referenced in the application can also be found in the 'Opportunity Documents' section below.

Designated Agency Contact:

If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact the CDD’s Designated Agency Contact for this funding announcement.

Kay Broughton, 
Grants Coordinator
Phone: 518-486-7505
Email: [email protected]

Apply for the opportunity Here

Please note: Documents referenced in this section are located in the Opportunity Documents at the bottom of this webpage.

Terms and Conditions: Please review all Standard NYS and CDD Terms and Conditions found in the Grant Award Letter of Agreement.

Underserved Communities: According to the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, the term un-and underserved communities “includes populations such as individuals from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, disadvantaged individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals from underserved geographic areas (rural or urban), and specific groups of individuals within the population of individuals with developmental disabilities, including individuals who require assistive technology in order to participate in and contribute to community life." Per the DD Act, priority will be given to proposals that reach underserved members of the developmental disabilities’ community. Reference: https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/about-acl/2016-12/dd_act_2000.pdf

Timeline & Award: The grantee must spend the grant funds within one (1) calendar year of award.

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. If awarded, grantees must complete a Grant Award Letter of Agreement and agree to the Standard NYS and CDD Terms and Conditions.

Reimbursement: Grant funds will be disbursed primarily via reimbursement and grantees can request a 25% advance of grant funding at the start of the grant period. Grantees must provide documentation of all expenses, including both grant and match expenses. Documentation of expenses include, but are not limited to payroll, timesheets, invoices, receipts, subcontractor agreements, etc.

Reporting: To receive grant reimbursement funds, grantees must submit a Final Report which outlines the activities, number of people who benefited from CDD grant funds, how people benefited from CDD grant funds, 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 organization’s match funds to the project. Match funds must be at least 34% of the total award. For example, if you request $10,000 from the CDD, you will need to have $3,400 in Match funds. Match funds can be in-kind dollars that will be provided from sources beyond CDD funding and other federal funds. For more information on the CDD’s Match requirements, please see Match (Cost Sharing). Applicants cannot include nonallowable expenses in their budget in either grant or match expenses. Please see Allowable and Unallowable Expenses posted with this solicitation for additional guidance.

CDD Acknowledgement: Any materials created by a contractor, under a contract with the CDD, must acknowledge the funding support of the CDD. For example, “This document was produced in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Administration for Community Living through the New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy or the opinions, interpretation or policy of the NYS CDD.”

CDD Reserved Rights: The NYS CDD reserves the right to:

• Reject any or all applications received in response to this opportunity.
• Withdraw or reissue this opportunity at any time, at the sole discretion of CDD.
• Reject any application if, in the sole discretion of CDD, it determines the applicant is not a responsible vendor.
• Change any of the scheduled dates stated in this opportunity.
• 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.
• Rescind awards for failure of awardees to meet grant expectations as outlined in the overall grant expectations section.