2025 Application for Funding

Background
The Administration for Community Living launched The Grassroots Project in 2023 to provide people with disabilities and their support networks access to tools, resources, information, and peer-to-peer networking and ensure the perspectives, priorities, and preferences of disabled people are reflected in disability policies and service systems in their states and communities.
People with disabilities must be at the center of work to improve the nation’s disability support systems. The Grassroots Project supports people with disabilities and disability advocates who want to make change where change is needed.
The project aims to equip people with disabilities and the people who support them with the knowledge they need to navigate the highly complex policy, practice, and financial systems that drive human services and supports. Specifically, the project will:
· Develop structures, processes, and relationships that build the next generation of cross-disability, cross-generational, and culturally diverse leaders.
· Connect, grow, and strengthen networks to support each other and share the skills and knowledge to advocate for improvements in the quality of community living.
· Support outreach and education to help people with disabilities stay informed about policies that affect them, understand how systems work, and how to effect change.
Building at the National and Local Levels
To achieve these goals, the project has established a National Advocacy and Action Coalition (NAAC) made up of national disability organizations. The NAAC supports collaboration and engagement at the national and local level to advance advocacy in the following ACL priority areas:
1. Person-centered planning, consumer direction, and self-direction models to expand autonomy, service experiences and outcomes
2. Addressing and improving the caregiver crisis
3. Health and safety in community living so that we are free from harm
4. HCBS settings rule implementation of waiver services and supports
5. Civil Rights protections for all people
6. Community integration in where we live and what we do
7. Technology access and use in ways that makes our lives better
Ultimately, the project aims to achieve two major outcomes: increasing the skills of advocates at the ground level and strengthening the voice of advocates with policymakers at the federal, state, and local levels.
Funding Opportunity:
The Grassroots Project is supporting State and Local coalition development through this funding opportunity. By bringing together different groups at different levels, the Grassroots Project will help to build a unique infrastructure of collaborative advocacy. The Grassroots Project is administered by Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), which will manage all aspects of the proposal review and awards, as well as the implementation of the projects once funded.
Who can apply?
Organizations focused on disability advocacy that are interested in building or expanding their coalitions and networks, developing informational and education tools and resources to support advocates to connect and engage in advocacy related to disability policy and service design and implementation in their state or local areas.
Organizations should have the capacity to accept and administer the funds available, and to execute a meaningful workplan.
What is the funding amount and time period?
Organizations can apply for funds up to $30,000 for a period between January and September 31, 2024.
How many awards will there be?
We will fund between 8-12 state or local advocacy and action coalitions, depending on the scope and availability of funding.


What is the kind of work that can be supported?
To further the work of the Grassroots Project, the State and Local Advocacy and Action Coalitions will be funded to execute scopes of work in their communities which span the DD, IL, and TBI networks.

State and Local Advocacy and Action Coalitions might consider proposing the following types of activities. These are offered as suggestions, but the list is not exhaustive. If applicants are interested in pursuing an idea, they may contact grassroots@hsri.org for guidance. Please put “Grassroots Project Application question” in the subject line.

· Supporting efforts to enhance racial, cultural, disability, and geographic diversity of their membership, including asset mapping, listening sessions, and gap analysis to ensure full community representation in engaged partners.

· Supporting coalition building within and across state groups to connect across disability groups around shared interests.

· Providing training and TA to State and Local Advocacy and Action Coalitions using a variety of methods such as micro-learning, learning communities, webinars, and guidance resources.

· Supporting the development of local grassroots advocates across each state using promising approaches such as Partners in Policymaking and other proven approaches such as Asset-Based Community Development.

The selection for the initial cohort of State or Local Advocacy and Action Coalitions (StAAC and LAACs) this year will aim to fund to have a cohort of coalitions that is poised to benefit from technical assistance and align with the Plan to Address Gaps. Our vision is to produce a varied cohort that advances a range of grassroots advocacy priority areas.

We look forward to hearing from you about your coalition!

Please respond below with details about the work you propose doing in the coming year.

What is the funding amount and time period?
Organizations can apply for funds up to $30,000 for a period between January and September 31, 2025.

How many awards will there be?
We will fund between 6-10 state or local advocacy and action coalitions, depending on the scope and availability of funding.

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