How to Apply for Funding

Any organization that meets the requirements of the Request for Applications (RFA) may apply. Types of organizations could include:

• government agencies (state, local, or federal),
• nonprofits,
• colleges and universities,
• faith-based institutions,
• educational entities (public or private), and
• for-profit businesses.

The organization that applies for a grant must demonstrate the ability to administer the grant as well as receive, disburse, and account for grant funding.

Individuals may not apply for a grant.

One organization may have up to three TCDD grants at any one time. This does not include stipends. Grantees having three current grants with at least one ending within six months after the deadline to respond to the RFA may still apply.

General Instructions

All applications must be:

• completed in their entirety and contain all required sections of the application, including applicant information, project description, project budget and justification, workplan and project evaluation plan, and statutory/program assurances;
• responsive to all RFA requirements;
• signed by an authorized official in each place a signature is required and include completion of all sections of the required forms.
• from an organization that has a valid or pending approval for its Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and its account is active; and
• from an organization that is registered and in good standing as a Texas state vendor. 

The required forms consist of multiple sections:

Applicant Information: This form is completed by the applicant to provide information about the applicant organization.

Project Description: The purpose of the Project Summary/Abstract is to describe succinctly the proposed project. It should contain a statement of objectives and methods to be employed to achieve RFA outcomes.

Budget and Justification: Budgets should be developed for the first 12 months of a project period. The purpose of the budget and justification is to present and justify all expenses required to achieve project goals and objectives. This part of the application packet is to be used by the applicant to complete and submit the details of its funding request.

• Budget Summary and Detail: In the Budget Detail, the justifications provided must be detailed, explain the methodology used, and clearly show how calculations were made.
• Cost Allocation Plan: If any of the costs included in the applicant’s project budget will benefit more than one agency activity or program, the applicant must submit its agency’s Cost Allocation Plan.

Project Workplan and Products: This is the description of how the project will be implemented, including project phases, activities, tasks, the names of the people responsible for each activity and task, and the corresponding due dates. Applicants are encouraged to provide a multi-year vision for how the project will be implemented, expanded, and sustained over time. However, the required work plan, activities, and budget must be limited to the first 12 months of the project period. Future-year plans may be described at a high level but should not be included in the detailed work plan or budget submission. Products refer to the forms, flyers, handbooks, videos, websites, training materials, and other items developed with TCDD funding to conduct and share about the project’s work. Universities or other organizations who require institutional review board (IRB) approval must share the organizations’ expedited review timelines.

Project Advisory Committee: TCDD supports the establishment of a Project Advisory Committee (PAC) for all or part of a project period, although a PAC is typically not required. TCDD may determine the need for the grantee to establish a PAC to help the project produce outcomes that are consistent with the RFA goals.

Statutory/Program Assurances: The purpose of the assurances section is to ensure that the applicant organization will comply with all relevant federal laws and guidelines. Applicants must certify that it understands and will comply with TCDD assurances and all applicable federal and state laws and regulations. The applicant must read the federal and state requirements listed under the Application Submission and Delivery section.

Letters of Support are optional unless specified in the individual project RFA. To include letters of support or letters from other entities or individuals that state they will partner with the applicant on the project, the letters must be submitted as an attachment to the application. Up to three letters may be submitted.

Project Staff: Each project must have the following positions. These positions must be independent and cannot be served by the same person.

• Authorizing Official: person responsible for receiving the funds and meeting approved workplan and outcomes.
• Financial Authority: person responsible for requesting and accounting for funds.
• Project Director: person responsible for implementation of projects goals, activities, outcomes, and reporting.

All forms requiring signatures must be signed by an authorized official before being submitted.

Application Submission and Delivery

Deadline to Submit Applications

Applications must be received by TCDD no later than the submission deadline. Late applications will NOT be considered.

Delivery of Application

Online applications must be completed and submitted electronically as directed by the RFA. Failure to successfully submit an application by the deadline, including due to electronic submission errors or technical issues, will not be accepted as a basis for an extension or late submission.  Applications received past the deadline will not be accepted.

Applications submitted by any other method (mail, email, facsimile, or telephone) will NOT be considered.

Program Assurances

• U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) Terms and Conditions for Managing a Grant
• Code of Federal Regulations, Title 2 Subtitle A, Chapter II, Part 200
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Grants Policy Statement (PDF, 131 pages, 1.56 MB)
• TCDD Grants Manual (PDF, 85 pages, 734 KB)

Alterations, Modifications, and Withdrawals

Prior to the deadline to submit applications, an applicant may withdraw or modify its application by submitting a written request to apply@tcdd.texas.gov. The applicant can withdraw their application after submission by submitting a written request to apply@tcdd.texas.gov. 

Initial Screening

TCDD staff review submitted applications to ensure all RFA and eligibility requirements are met, all application sections are complete, and all calculations are accurate. Incomplete applications and applications that do not meet RFA requirements will not be considered.

Independent Evaluation

An independent review panel, consisting of three to five non-TCDD staff with expertise related to the RFA, reviews the applications. The panel’s review focuses on the quality of the proposed plan, the feasibility of completing the plan, and how well the proposed project supports TCDD in achieving the goals and objectives of its statewide strategic plan. The panel will only consider the contents of the application.

The following criteria will be used to evaluate applications:

Responsiveness to RFA:

• How well does the applicant address the expected outcomes outlined in the project description?
• How well do the goals address concerns of people with developmental disabilities?

Innovation:

• How well do the applicant’s proposed activities creatively address the expected outcomes?
• How well does the applicant reflect the use of new or adaptive approaches and techniques while improving what has been done in the past?
• How well does the applicant replicate a promising or best practice program in a new geographic area of the state?
• How well is the applicant adapted for individuals with developmental disabilities, family members, professionals, or the community?

Approach:

• How well does the applicant include efforts to reach a broader community and/or specific target groups to achieve the desired outcomes?
• How will the project be promoted to the broader community and/or specific target groups?

Likelihood of Success:

• Does the applicant provide reasonable evidence or justification for proposed activities or budget items to achieve the desired outcomes?

Participants:

• How well does the applicant describe who will participate in project activities?
• How well does the applicant describe recruitment and participation in project activities?
• How well does the applicant describe the evaluation of proposed project activities?
• How well does the applicant describe the collection of required data, such as participant demographic information?
• How well does the applicant incorporate self-advocates in leadership roles within the overall project?

Long-Term Impact:

• How well does the applicant identify ways the project components could be continued when the funded project period ends?
• Does the applicant identify future funding opportunities or other organizations who could continue or expand the project’s expected outcomes or desired results?
• How well does the applicant describe policy recommendations for expected outcomes?

Budget:

• Does the applicant’s budget provide detailed justification to explain and support the proposed expenses?
• Does the applicant’s budget reasonably and appropriately support the project’s proposed activities?

Executive Committee Review and Decision

The TCDD Executive Committee reviews information from the application review and makes the final funding decisions. If an organization applying for funding received a TCDD grant in the last five years, TCDD staff will inform the Executive Committee about the organization’s performance and compliance on the past project.

TCDD encourages proposals to address the needs of people who are unserved or underserved. This may include:

• people living in rural areas,
• people who experience poverty,
• people of color, and
• people with limited English proficiency.

Funding Availability

Funding under the RFA depends on federal and state funding availability. TCDD may reduce, increase, partially fund, delay, or cancel awards at its discretion.

Federal Award Information

Awards are funded through the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act) via the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL). Applicants awarded funding will receive a Notice of Grant Award that identifies federal award information and applicable requirements.

Funding Award

TCDD will notify each successful applicant of its selection to receive a grant award. The dollar amount awarded to each apparent awardee depends on the:

• available funding,
• applicant’s response merit and scope,
• independent review panel recommendations, and
• Executive Committee decision.

Any RFA award will be funded on a cost-reimbursement basis, and only to the extent the grantee commits, uses, and reports approved project funds and required match funds within each expenditure and match reporting period.

Under the cost-reimbursement method, the grantee must initially pay for project activities using its own funds. TCDD then issues reimbursement payments to the grantee on a monthly basis for reported actual cash disbursements supported by adequate documentation. All reimbursement requests must be submitted within 90 days of service or are at risk of reduced reimbursement, denial, or loss of continuation funding opportunities.

Negotiations

Before finalizing any agreements, TCDD may enter negotiations with each successful applicant to determine:

• the award period,
• the final award amount, and
• the terms of the grant.

Reimbursement is made only for allowable and reported expenses the grantee incurs within the grant term.

The negotiation phase involves direct contact between the apparent awardee and TCDD representatives and may be conducted via phone, email, virtual or in person.

Apparent awardees may expect in-depth discussions of the application and proposed project and requests for clarification or additional detail regarding the application and proposed project.

Final funding amounts and award terms are determined at the sole discretion of TCDD and must be approved per the award recipient signing the notice of grant award (NGA) prior to issuance.

TCDD Right to Cancel, Make Partial Award, or Decline to Award

TCDD reserves the right to cancel, make a partial award, or decline to award a grant under the RFA at any time at its sole discretion.

Match Funds (Cost Sharing)

Grantees must provide a matching contribution each year. This may include funding from non-federal sources, volunteer hours, and other “in-kind” donations such as office space and utilities.

Other federal funds may not be used as match. Items or funds that are used for match for another federally funded project may not be used as match. TCDD prefers that the amount of match increase each year of the project and submission of excess match is allowed and encouraged.

Match Amount

The percentage of match expected for non-poverty counties and for poverty counties is provided below. View the match calculator (zip file, 11 KB).

Poverty counties are counties in which at least 20% of the people in the county live in poverty. View the list of poverty counties (PDF, 954 KB). 

Non-poverty counties: Project activities located in counties not designated as federal poverty areas require matching resources equal to at least 25% of total project costs.

Poverty counties: Project activities located in counties designated as federal poverty counties allow matching resources equal to at least 10% of the total project costs.

Continuation Funding

Organizations that are awarded funding must apply for continuation funding each year. Continuation funding will not exceed the maximum per-year funding amount stated in the RFA.

Continuation funding is not automatic, and TCDD may choose not to award continuation funding. Continuation proposals are generally due approximately three months before the end of a12-month budget period.

Reporting

Grantees must:

• Submit regular program progress reports.
• Submit reimbursement or advancement requests, monthly. Additional documentation may be required based on TCDD monitoring protocol and risk assessment scores.
• Submit a final report with overall accomplishments toward project outcomes, lessons learned, information about systems change measures including best practices utilized; collaborations and partnerships; new policies, organizational procedures, statutes, or regulations created or changed, and recommendations for future activities and/or policy changes needed.
• Provide required data for project participants that includes:

• • Demographic information: individuals with DD, family members of individuals with DD; gender; race/ethnicity; geographic residence (region or county).
  • Number of participants with DD and family members satisfied with project activities.
  • Leadership and advocacy activities (if applicable) including number of participants with DD and family members who participate in advocacy activities; increased advocacy as a result of project activities, number of participants who can better say what they want and need; number of individuals with DD and family members who now serve on coalitions, advisory boards, workgroups, and leadership positions.
  • Personal stories related to the impact of project activities or stories of successful advocacy and action taken.
    
    

Contact information for project participants should be collected confidentially and allow for follow-up on knowledge gains and actions taken are required. 

TCDD Technical Assistance

TCDD will serve as a resource to support grantees to be successful. TCDD maintains a Grantee Resource Center with templates, education and training resources, participant surveys, and other tools to assist with grant management.

Grantees may be asked to participate in grants management training during the project period on compliance issues or new grant resources.

TCDD offers survey resources to collect required data.  Services related to data collection and evaluation are an allowable budget expense.  Failure to meet reporting and spending requirements may impact continuation or future grant awards.

Grantees may also receive calls from TCDD staff about outcome and performance measures, public policy issues that relate to a grantee’s project, products produced, and project events (if applicable).

All grantees are required to attend a new grant kick-off meeting with TCDD, typically held virtually, by phone, email, or in person, to review program requirements.

All grantees are required to attend an annual grantee summit, typically held virtually, to review updated compliance measures.

If a grantee’s project is funded for additional years, they may be asked to present about the project’s progress at a quarterly Council meeting. Travel funds to this meeting are an allowable expense of the grant.  TCDD may also share opportunities for a grantee to present at state or national conferences.