The Council has two types of grant programs: Competitive and Solicited. Funding recommendations are made by the State Plan and Implementation Committee comprised of Council members with a final determination made by the full Council. All grants are subject to the same administrative, program and financial requirements. All grants are reimbursement grants. *
Competitive: The Council develops and distributes Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for its Competitive Grant Program. The RFPs are specifically designed to achieve the goals and objectives of the Council’s state plan. The program has an application process that includes the submission of a grant proposal. The competitive nature of these grants requires extensive review of all proposals.
Requests for proposals under the Competitive Grant Program will be published in a newspaper with statewide circulation. Copies of the notice will be provided on this website, on GCDD social media and to GCDD mailing list recipients and/or to other organizations upon request.
Solicited: The Council may identify projects for which specialized expertise or experience may be needed to accomplish specific goals and objectives in the state plan. In these cases, the Council may solicit a proposal from a state agency, university, or other expert organization. Solicited proposals may occur at any time.
GCDD Arkansas grant opportunities are listed on https://www.ddsuite.org/ when available.
Federal Source of Funds
CFDA # 93.630
Funding Source: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES/Administration for Community Living
Title of Program: (SCDD) DD Act State Councils on Developmental Disabilities
Award Authority: P.L. 106-402 (DD Act)
Grantee: Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration/Governor’s Council on DD Arkansas
The Council has the discretion to allocate these funds through a competitive grant process, solicitation of work, direct expenditure or a combination of these approaches. The Council is bound to grant awards only to the extent that the funds are or become available. **
HOW TO APPLY FOR GCDDAR FUNDING-Slides
HOW TO APPLY FOR GCDDAR FUNDING-Link to Download the Recording (mp4)
EXAMPLE APPLICATION
Current Funding Opportunity
THE NEXT COMPETITIVE FUNDING CYCLE IS EXPECTED TO OPEN MARCH 2025.
CHECKLIST OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS TO SUPPORT AN APPLICATION
For additional information contact: Council Office 501-682-2897, or email ddcstaff@dfa.arkansas.gov.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
To be able to apply for funding, you must first create a DD Suite account, an organization and sign up to your organization.
Find help here at the DD Suite Knowledge Base
Look under “Accounts and Organizations” and then under “Grantees” for instructions.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities (GCDD) supports projects to benefit Arkansans with IDD and their families across the state to achieve the goals and objectives of the Council’s state plan. Please see our Funded Projects Page to learn more. Funding may be awarded for subgrants for projects which will support the following GCDD State Plan Goals and Objectives under our 2022-2026 Five-Year State Plan:
Goal 1 – People with developmental disabilities and their families will be active in advocacy activities that improve their lives, the lives of others and the service system.
Objective 1
Each year of the five-year plan, the Council will provide support to strengthen statewide self-advocacy organizations by increasing activity and participation by self-advocates.
Activity 1
The Council will provide funding to strengthen statewide advocacy organizations by facilitating and funding ways to allow an organization to increase membership and participation of self-advocates in that group.
Activity 2
The Council will provide for training, support, and assistance to self-advocates to increase leadership and participation in self-advocacy.
Objective 2
The Council will increase leadership training for self-advocates and their families, in collaboration with Disability Rights Arkansas and Partners for Inclusive Communities, by providing technical assistance and administrative support.
Activity 1
The Council will provide funding and resources in collaboration with the developmental disabilities network to continue employment of a statewide self-advocate coordinator, who is a self-advocate, to support self-advocates and families.
Activity 2
The Council will collaborate with Disability Rights Arkansas and Partners for Inclusive Communities to increase self-advocacy by providing funding, technical assistance, and administrative support in a continuing annual self-advocacy leadership training event
Objective 3
Each year of the five-year state plan, the Council will increase opportunities for self-advocates who are leaders to train other self-advocates for leadership and increase opportunities for participation in cross-disability, culturally diverse organizations, activities and/or events.
Activity 1
The Council will provide funding and support for self-advocates to participate in boards, councils and cross-disability culturally diverse events, or activities.
Activity 2
The Council will provide funding and support that enables those self-advocates who completed leadership training to provide training, in their own communities, to other self-advocates who then may also become leaders.
Goal 2 – People with developmental disabilities and their families will have improved access to community support and services.
Objective 1
The Council will provide support to community partners to strengthen access to information, training and education for Arkansans with developmental disabilities and their families about available programs and services within the State and about emergent issues affecting the Arkansas IDD community; provide additional training as needed.
Activity 1
Support community partners in strengthening access to information and training, both regional and statewide.
Activity 2
Share information, knowledge, and opportunities about programs and services available within Arkansas by creating, maintaining, and updating a website, social media channels and providing printed materials for distribution.
Activity 3
Provide training, through in-house activities, as needed to meet state plan outcome goals.
Objective 2
To address targeted disparity, the Council will work with partners across the state to reduce barriers when accessing information and services for Marshallese people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), families, and community leaders.
Activity 1
The Council will fund community partner projects to reduce barriers to supports and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Marshallese population.
Objective 3
The Council will collaborate with community partners to identify and act on strategies to reduce barriers when accessing supports and services for Arkansans with IDD who have limited English proficiency (non-English speaking, English as a Second Language, and those with other communication needs).
Activity 1
The Council will fund community partner projects to reduce barriers to supports and services for Arkansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities who do not speak English, have limited English proficiency (LEP), or other communication needs.
Goal 3 – The Council will work to improve competitive, integrated employment of Arkansans with developmental disabilities.
Objective 1
The Council will promote participation of people with IDD in employment first activities and similar community programs to advocate for legislative and policy changes that lead to an increase in competitive, integrated employment.
Activity 1
The Council will participate in employment first initiatives and similar community programs to advocate for legislative and policy changes designed to increase competitive, integrated employment.
Activity 2
The Council will act to ensure and promote meaningful involvement by self-advocates in employment first initiatives.
Objective 2
The Council will help increase the capacity of service providers and educate employers to increase opportunities for competitive, integrated employment of Arkansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
Activity 1
In collaboration with DD Network partners, the Council will provide training, mentorship, and guidance on competitive, integrated employment of people with developmental disabilities to managed care organizations.
Activity 2
The Council will collaborate with state vocational rehabilitation service agencies to support educational activities and capacity-building.
Activity 3
Provide information and resources on inclusive hiring practices to employers and human resource departments to increase competitive, integrated employment of people with developmental disabilities.
For additional information contact: DDCStaff@dfa.arkansas.gov or 501-682-2897.
* A reimbursement grant is one where you receive the funds only after you’ve incurred the costs for your program. This means that the Subgrantee pays for the project costs/expenses initially, then the Grantor/Council reimburses the funds that were expended (only after receipt of a completed and signed reimbursement form accompanied/evidenced by supporting documentation). The GCDD Arkansas reimburses on a monthly schedule (as long as federal funds are available to the Council). Reimbursement request submitted during the last week of each month will be held and processed for payment after the first of the following month due to internal processes and reporting.
** GCDD Arkansas grant program funding is 100% federal funding. All obligations of the Council, including subgrant reimbursement payments, are contingent upon the availability and continued appropriation of federal funds, and in no event shall the Council be liable for any payments in excess of such appropriated funds. If the amount of any available or appropriated funds provided by Federal sources shall be reduced, terminated, or not continued at an aggregate level sufficient to allow for the activities stated in the grant agreement, the Council shall notify the Subgrantee of such reduction of funds available, and the GCDD Arkansas shall be entitled to reduce its subgrant funding commitment as it deems necessary.