TCDD held quarterly Council and Committee meetings both virtually and in person from May 4-6, 2022. During the meetings, Council members awarded funding for new and ongoing grant projects, heard presentations on legislative advocacy, and discussed public policy priorities. 

Funding For New Projects

TCDD invests in projects to strengthen service and support systems across Texas and build community capacity to help people with developmental disabilities (DD). This quarter, the Council awarded new funding for 11 projects in New Initiatives, Self-Advocacy Capacity Building Mini-Grants, and Public Policy Fellowships. The following information includes project descriptions and the organizations awarded funding. 

New Initiatives: Identify statewide, regional, or local needs of people with DD who are historically underserved and develop strategies to address those needs.

• Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute — trauma-informed care
• Paso del Norte Children’s Development Center — early childhood intervention
• Texas State University — postsecondary campus support programs
• Texas Tech University — financial literacy
• University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston — training for law enforcement officers 
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Self-Advocacy Capacity Building Mini-Grants: Support local self-advocacy groups to build their capacity and expand their impact.

• Gulf Coast Self-Advocates
• Imagine Art
• TILT Performance Group 
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Public Policy Fellowships: Increase the number of policy professionals in Texas who have the skills, knowledge, and experience to engage in disability policy activities.

• Coalition of Texans with Disabilities
• Epilepsy Foundation of Central and South Texas
• NAMI Texas 
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When funding is available, TCDD issues Requests for Applications (RFAs) for topic-specific projects. After applications are reviewed by subject-matter experts, the Council makes decisions on funding awards. See Funding Available to learn more about current and upcoming RFAs as well as stipend opportunities.

Funding to Continue Ongoing Projects

In addition to funding new projects, Council members also awarded funding to existing TCDD grantees to continue the development of eight ongoing projects.

New Initiatives: Identify statewide, regional, or local needs of people with DD who are historically underserved and develop strategies to address those needs.

• Literacy United — Reading for All
• Texas Parent to Parent — The Transition Center 
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Peer Support for People in Institutions: Train people with DD to be peer-support specialists to help other people with DD who live in institutions exercise more control over their own lives.

• Project Amistad
• Texas Advocates
• Texas State Independent Living Council 
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Advanced Leadership Training for Professionals: Develop leadership training programs for professionals who work with people with DD.

• Texas Tech University — Project Leadership Challenge 
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Sexual Assault Response and Prevention: Develop projects to reduce the number of people with DD who are victims and survivors of sexual assault.

• University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School 
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Support for Older Adults with DD and their Caregivers: Develop new and innovative initiatives to support people with DD who are aging and their caregivers.

• UT Health Science Center at Houston 
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TCDD funds grant projects to address local, regional, and statewide needs of people with DD, family members, service providers, and others. To learn more about ongoing and completed projects, see Funded Projects.

Council Business and Discussions

Council members approve and monitor TCDD’s strategic state plan, which guides projects and policy work. During their meetings, the Council discussed state plan activities related to 18+ transition programs, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and career exploration; grief and loss; caring for aging parents; smart homes and technology, and the availability of a workforce of community-based attendants who earn living wages.

The Council heard a presentation on legislative visits from Texas Rep. Alex Dominguez. Council members also participated in a workshop on legislative advocacy strategies from Joe Gagen, a legislative grassroots trainer and owner of Legislative Communications. Additionally, Council members discussed TCDD’s Public Policy Priorities for 2023.

Next Meetings

TCDD’s next quarterly meetings will take place Aug. 3-5, 2022. To receive announcements about future meetings, subscribe to our newsletter.