Projects of National Significance: Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center | HHS 2021 ACL AOD DNRC 0073

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACL AOD DNRC 0073

Projects of National Significance: Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2021-ACL-AOD-DNRC-0073) is a discretionary cooperative agreement funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL), through the Administration on Disabilities (AoD), under CFDA 93.631. The opportunity is designed to support a single national center that strengthens and expands self-advocacy capacity across the United States by making practical tools easier to find, easier to use, and more effective for self-advocates and the organizations that support them.

At the core of the project is the creation and maintenance of a public, online clearinghouse that pulls together high-quality self-advocacy resources in one place. This includes compiling best practices, training curricula, and real-world success stories that self-advocacy organizations can adapt locally. The intent is not just to post documents online, but to curate and organize materials in a way that helps groups quickly locate what they need, learn from peers, and replicate approaches that have already worked in communities and states.

In addition to serving as a resource hub, the Center is expected to provide hands-on training and technical assistance to self-advocacy organizations nationwide. This means helping organizations build skills, improve operations, and strengthen their ability to lead and influence systems that affect people with disabilities. The Center is also required to operate a fellowship program that provides leadership development and employment opportunities for fellows, creating a structured pathway for emerging self-advocate leaders to gain experience, develop professional skills, and contribute directly to national work.

A major emphasis of this grant is the expansion of an "Easy Read Language" initiative. The Center will work with state and regional self-advocacy organizations to help them form relationships with government partners and secure contracts with state and local agencies to produce easy-to-read documents. The goal is to increase the availability of information that is truly understandable and usable, especially for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and others who benefit from clear language and accessible formats. To support this, the Center will coordinate with AoD and other federal agencies, specifically noting potential collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services (OSERS), and the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). The practical outcome is federal and public-facing information that is easier to understand, more accessible, and more likely to be used correctly.

To reach self-advocates consistently and in different learning styles, the Center will use multiple communication channels. The opportunity explicitly mentions fact sheets, webinars, YouTube videos, and regular outreach video calls with self-advocates across the country. This multi-format approach signals that the Center is expected to translate information into accessible, engaging content and to keep two-way communication active, not just deliver one-time trainings.

Finally, the project must include a strong evaluation component. The Center will develop procedures and tools to measure the usability of its products, how often they are used, and what impact they have on the grant's intended outputs and outcomes. In other words, the Center is expected to track not only what it produces (materials, trainings, videos, fellowships) but also whether those products are actually being accessed, understood, adopted, and making a measurable difference for self-advocacy organizations and the people they represent.

Administratively, the opportunity offered an award ceiling of $400,000 with one expected award. It was posted on May 25, 2021, with an original closing date of July 26, 2021. Eligibility was broad and included many entity types such as state, county, and city governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; and for-profit organizations (including small businesses). This broad eligibility reflects the collaborative nature of the project and the expectation that the lead applicant can convene and coordinate partners across disability networks, academia, and government systems while keeping self-advocates at the center of the work.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Projects of National Significance: Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.631.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 25, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 26, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for HHS 2021 ACL AOD DNRC 0073

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