Attention CRPs:

The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has announced the availability of $4 million in grant funds to support research and development activities that, "develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities."  NIDRR anticipates making 20 awards at $200,000 per site.  For more information or to apply for this opportunity, please visit the official announcementfor CFDA Number 84.133 on grants.gov.

If you have a project that may be eligible for funding under this opportunityand would like assistance from the Institute, please contact Kaitlin Woolf ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at the Institute for Economic Empowerment. 

New Grant Opportunity 

The Employment and Training Administration has announced a new grant opportunity under the Workforce Innovation Fund.  This opportunity will make a total of $98.5 million available to support ideas leading to improved outcomes for workforce system customers through enhanced service delivery strategies and/or administrative system processes.  Funded activities must demonstrate effectiveness through documented performance evaluation.  State Workforce Agencies and local Workforce Investment Boards are eligible to apply, and are encouraged to partner with service providers in the community.  Please see the grant announcement for CFDA Number 17.283 for more information. 

If you have a project that may be eligible for funding under this opportunity and would like assistance from the Institute, please contact Kaitlin Woolf ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) at the Institute for Economic Empowerment. 

For Additional Information

Please contact Kaitlin Woolf with any questions.

Kaitlin Woolf

Grant Writer

Institute for Economic Empowerment/Workforce Development

Phone:  703-584-3957

Email:    This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

ERS Employment Data Workgroup

The next face-to-face meeting of the Employment Data Workgroup will be on March 7 and 8, 2012 in Arlington, TX.  The Employment Data Workgroup is a group of representatives from a diverse group of CRPs participating in the AbilityOne Program.  The group includes representatives from agencies large and small, from urban and rural environments across the country, serving a variety of populations through work in products and services. They have been involved for three years, crafting the concept and requirements for the Employee Research System (ERS) to serve the needs of the nonprofit agencies as well as the AbilityOne Program.

We are looking forward to meeting representatives from our newly participating CRPs and to discussing future phases of ERS.  Our continued thanks and gratitude go to the CRPs that actively participate in the Employment Data Workgroup.  

Here is an excerpt from a grantsmanship presentation provided by Katie Woolf, Institute Grant Writer, for the PW/NW NCWC.
 

As the manager of a Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP), you are up against a diverse range of challenges in your efforts to create employment opportunities for people with significant disabilities.  Navigating your way through organizational processes, directing logistics, and satisfying the distinct needs of your customers can be a juggling act.  And then there is the matter of obtaining adequate funding to keep your valuable services available.  It may seem natural to turn to grants as an addition to your CRP’s fundraising campaign. 
 

 It may only take one well-timed grant funding opportunity to make for a healthy fiscal year in which your programs can thrive.  Here are a few tips to help you on your way toward obtaining grant support in the complex reality in which you operate:
 

•  Applying for grants is a highly resource-consuming, unreliable and competitive process.  Be sure to spend plenty of time upfront in the planning phase to identify:

1. Whether your needs can be appropriately met through grant funding.  Most funders support projects over programs, meaning there is a unique initiative with a specified beginning and end, and with outcomes that can be tracked and measured.
2. Whether you are able to justify the specific dollar amount needed.  If you simply need $1 million for administrative support, grants may not be your best option.  Funders will want to see that you are able to explain exactly how the funding will be used to achieve the project’s stated goals and objectives.
3. Whether you have the staff, time and talent to dedicate to the intensive application process.  Be sure that you are able to commit a fairly large percentage of your staff members’ time to the development of the application, and that they will have adequate time to follow up with the grant requirements if it is funded.  Additionally, make certain that you have the capacity to comply with any cost sharing or matching responsibilities that may be required.
4. Whether you are prepared to navigate the high failure rate.  In a best-case-scenario, 80% of your support will come from 20% of your donors.  More recently though, those figures may reflect something closer to 90% of funds from 10% of your donors, or even 99% of funds from 1% of donors.  Be sure you are prepared to wade through the sea of “no’s” on your way to a single “yes.”

• Remember that grants should be considered partnerships, not gifts.  The funder has financial resources and a desire to affect some pre-determined improvement in a given situation.  You have the knowledge and ability to make that improvement when matched with appropriate funding.  Keeping this partnership concept in mind, search for potential matches using the following resources:

1. The Foundation Directory available (for a fee) through www.foundationcenter.org
2. Current federal opportunities through www.grants.gov
3. Future federal opportunities through www.cfda.org
4. Internet searches for opportunities that may be too new for inclusion in the above-mentioned databases
5. Personal and professional relationships

• Once you have identified a potential partnership, it is time to approach the funder.  If you do not have an existing personal or professional relationship, be sure to do your research before contacting the funder with questions.  Ask if it is appropriate to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) summarizing the project to the funder.  If the answer is yes, proceed with the construction of your application.
• Above all, always follow the instructions provided by the funder.  Every grant application is different, and even small formatting errors can get your proposal declined.  Still, the average proposal should contain the following components:

1. Letter of Intent (LOI).  Not technically part of the proposal, this letter lays the groundwork for your application and allows the funder to screen your request for appropriateness.
2. Executive Summary.  This is a one-page summary of the project.
3. Needs Statement.  This is where you describe the issue to be addressed.
4. Project Description.  This is where you present your solution, how it will work, and by whom.  Project goals and objectives must be clearly stated here.
5. Evaluation.  This is where you describe how you will know that you have achieved your goals and objectives.
6. Budget.  This is where you justify your need in monetary terms.
7. Organization Information.  This is where you introduce your organization, its mission, past accomplishments, programs, and staff.
8. Conclusion.  This is where you make your final appeal.
   For more complete instructions on developing a grant proposal, see The Foundation Center’s Guide to Proposal Writing, written by Jane C. Geever. 

• Regardless of the final funding decision, always remember to thank the funder for the opportunity.  If your project is funded, be sure to follow up with a gracious thank you note and plenty of progress reports.  If your project is not funded, you should still thank the funder for the consideration and you may request feedback for making your application stronger in the future.

NISH and the Institute for Economic Empowerment are pleased to announce the offering of the Quality Work Environment (QWE) resource fund.  All NISH affiliated producing agencies that submit their QWE Strategic Action Plan are eligible to apply.  To aid in the implementation of the QWE Strategic Action Plan up to $10,000 is available to CRPs.  An additional $2,500 is available for projects that would result in a best practice that can be replicated at other agencies.  The grant money can be used for a variety of projects such as training, assistive technology, equipment and consulting services.
 

For the QWE grant application and fact sheet, visit the Institute website www.instituteforempowerment.org and select the Quality Work Environment Grant link or visit www.nish.org and select “For nonprofits”.  The QWE grant is found under the financial assistance link. 
 

You may also contact the QWE Director, Jan Williams, for more information at 703-584-3932 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

In June, students from the AbilityOne® Design Challenge top three winning universities traveled to Washington, DC to attend the NISH Grassroots Advocacy Conference and were presented with their awards at a Congressional Reception on Capitol Hill. The first place team was awarded $10,000 for their design of the Frappe Valve Assembly, a mechanical press used to assemble a three part liquid dispensing valve that reduced repetitive strain injury and increased employee productivity by 200%! Winning team members from Ohio University, Broc Pittinger and David Few, accepted their award and the matching $10,000 prize for Ohio University. In addition, Judy Sheppard from PSA, Inc. accepted the CRP’s matching award of $10,000 on behalf of SW Resources from Parkersburg, WV. Also, in attendance at the reception were second place winning students from Duke University and third place winning students from UNC Chapel Hill. Read more information about the winning teams here.

For ten years NISH has sponsored the AbilityOne® Design Challenge, a competition for students to develop assistive technology devices that empower people with disabilities in the workplace.  This year, the entries for the AbilityOne® Design Challenge were even more competitive than in the past with the highest number of entries.  Three-quarters of the entries were built in conjunction with NISH CRPs; and the remainder were designed in collaboration with veteran disability service or other local disability service programs.
 

The 2011-2012 AbilityOne® Design Challenge kicks off this month with a new format. The college and high school program have combined into one program with two tracks. Registration and submission procedures and requirements have been streamlined and are all online so students from around the country are able to compete.
 

High School teams will work through the fall to research, design and submit a presentation featuring their device. The top five teams win a trip to Washington, DC in March 2012 to present their devices and compete for cash prizes for their school up to $5,000. The deadline for high school submissions is Wednesday, December 14, 2011.  University students will work throughout the academic year and are eligible to win cash prizes up to $10,000 and a representative from each winning school will be invited to Washington, DC in summer 2012 to attend a conference and receive their award. The deadline for university entries is Friday, April 20, 2012
 

Students, faculty and school administrators, form your team and register today! Contact us for help finding a project.
 

CRPs don’t miss this “win-win” opportunity that helps your employees overcome productivity challenges or other barriers to employment and at the same time creates an avenue for students to better understand the positive impact that they can make by applying their talents and skills to the development of assistive technology. If your agency partners with a student team that is awarded one of the top 3 prizes, you will receive matching cash awards! Order application materials by contacting This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (571)226-4527. Reach out to the engineering department of a college or university near you, schedule a site visit to your CRP, and collaborate on this “win-win” opportunity to benefit your business, help your employees and support students!
 

For more information go to www.a1designchallenge.org , email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (571)226-4527.

Expanded Employment Choice Model for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

The Institute released an RFI to identify a Community Rehabilitation Program (CRP) to partner with in the exploratory pilot phase of the Expanded Employment Choice research and demonstration model on June 10, 2011.  Nearly 30 CRPs responded to the Expanded Employment Choice RFI request.  We were pleased to learn more about the activities and programs that CRPs across the country are pursuing in order to increase options and support preference in employment choice for people with significant intellectual and developmental disabilities. 
 

On July 5, 2011 the Institute announced that PARC – Pioneer Adult Rehabilitation Center – in Clearfield, UT had been selected as the pilot site due to the strength of their current employment and training and placement programs (supported and customized employment; case management) and other critical attributes needed (workforce, partnerships, community relationships) to be a successful exploratory pilot site.

The goal of this exploratory pilot is to expand employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a model that utilizes an in-depth discovery process and experiential learning as a basis for informed choice among employment alternatives that include community-based integrated employment.  The project will provide opportunities for adults and youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including those currently working in facility based settings) to experience different types of jobs and work settings through work rotations with different employers.