Grant Opportunities

Introduction:

The Michigan ADA Steering Committee was formed in 1991 and is comprised of business, government and disability representation. The Steering Committee serves as a statewide network providing material and other resources to Michigan's business and disability communities to foster an understanding of and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The Steering Committee is one of six steering committees that are funded under the DBTAC: Great Lakes ADA Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The Center receives its funding from the National Institute for Disability Research and Rehabilitation, U.S. Department of Education. The other five steering committees are located in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Problem Statement:

The Michigan ADA Steering Committee has offered a variety of training and information dissemination activities over its life aimed at target populations in the state. While the Committee has worked to increase awareness of the ADA in the past, it now is focusing on employment of people with disabilities. The Committee believes the best way to accomplish this is to offer grants to non-profit agencies which will use the monies to promote awareness at the grassroots level in individual communities across Michigan.

Purpose:

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is issued for the purpose of obtaining proposals to help increase the awareness of the employment provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act in cooperation with the Michigan ADA Steering Committee.

Objectives of Request for Proposal:

1. To provide outreach across the state in an attempt to promote the employment provisions of the ADA through activities such as trainings and workshops.
2. To target audiences of employers and individuals who are potential employers of people with disabilities or are involved directly with employing and/or promoting employment of people with disabilities.

Funding:

There will be approximately $5,000 in funding available for fiscal year 2008-09. The Committee anticipates funding up to three proposals.

Proposal Format:

1. Summary
2. Organizational Capacity
3. Qualification of Personnel
4. Plan of Work
   • activities, objectives, etc.
5. Timeline
6. Means of Measuring Outcomes
   • i.e. pre-post test of participant knowledge; evaluation followed up by phone/email/online survey after the activity
7. Budget Breakdown
   • narrative justification and detailed summary

Proposal Requirements:

1. All activities shall be completed by September 30, 2009.
2. All activities must have measurable outcomes, where change can be demonstrated and measured as a result of the activity (i.e. increased awareness of the employment provisions of the ADA; increased awareness of reasonable accommodation for employees qualified with disabilities; development or modification to an employer's reasonable accommodation policy or a provision of reasonable accommodations to a qualified employee with a disability). Activity outcome data shall be submitted to the Michigan ADA Steering Committee by September 30, 2009.
3. Any product (handouts, videos, evaluations, pre-post test documents, etc.) developed pursuant to this grant shall be submitted to the Michigan ADA Steering Committee.
4. Any product (manual, video, article, etc.) shall include the following notation: "Funded in part by the Michigan ADA Steering Committee, a branch of the DBTAC: Great Lakes ADA Center. Funds are provided in part by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation and Research (NIDRR) Grant #H133G060097."
5. Any product developed must be made available in alternative formats and must be demonstrated to be an effective form of communication.
6. The receiving organization shall submit a follow-up report to the Michigan ADA Steering Committee no later than September 30, 2009.

Proposal Evaluation Criteria:

Representatives of the Michigan ADA Steering Committee will act as the proposal review committee and use the following criteria:

1. Quality of Proposed Activity — 40 percent
   1. The activity leverages funds from other organizations.
   2. The activity will reach a large number of people with valuable information.
   3. The schedule appears workable in terms of completing activities in grant period.
   4. The budget appears reasonable for the task.
   5. The proposal does not rely on uncommitted partners/presenters for success.
2. Individual & Organizational Expertise — 40 percent
   1. The organization has the background on disability issues.
   2. The individuals specified for development hold the expertise to perform the project.
   3. The presenters listed have proven speaking ability & disability expertise.
   4. Other resources listed are suitable for the activity and have demonstrated expertise in the field of ADA issues.
3. Resource Commitment — 20 percent
   1. The receiving organization will provide financial or in-kind services.

Examples:

Successful workshop/training proposals in the past have included the following topics:

• What to do when an employee discloses a disability.
• Employing people with disabilities.
• The employment provisions of the ADA.
• Employment trends regarding workers with disabilities.

Proposal Submission:

Acceptable proposals must contain all information concerning the organization, its employees and any subcontractors planned to be used in this project.

Interested parties must submit a proposal by September 3, 2008, to the Michigan ADA Steering Committee coordinator, Dan Cooper. Please submit your proposal electronically to dcooper@mpas.org or, if not possible, send to the following address:

Michigan ADA Steering Committee
C/o Michigan Protection & Advocacy Service, Inc.
29200 Vassar, Suite 200
Livonia, MI 48152-2116

It is anticipated that awarded grantees will be notified by late September 2008.

This Request for Proposal (RFP) is available upon request in alternative formats such as Braille, large print and audiotape by calling Dan Cooper at 1-800-414-3956 (voice/TTY). Inquiries related to this proposal should be directed to the above named person by at 1-800-414-3956 or 248-473-2990 (voice and TTY) or email at dcooper@mpas.org.