Small Grant Opportunities (NY State Council on Developmental Disabilities)

Small Grant Opportunities (NY State Council on Developmental Disabilities) is sponsored by New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD). These grant opportunities are released periodically to support projects that can have a significant impact with limited funding, focusing on people with developmental disabilities and their families in NYS.

Growing Advocacy Small Grant Opportunity 2026 | Council on Developmental Disabilities Growing Advocacy Small Grant Opportunity 2026 Growing Advocacy Small Grant Opportunity 2026 Grant Overview and Eligibility The application period for this opportunity has closed.

The NYS Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD) is seeking grant applications that support new and budding advocacy initiatives in New York State, as well as strengthen the capacity of existing advocacy organizations.

Applications should focus on one of the following focus areas: Self-Advocacy Organizations: Supporting the growth or building the capacity of advocacy organizations run and led by people with developmental disabilities (DD). Family & Caregiver Advocacy Organizations: Supporting the growth or building the capacity of advocacy organizations run and led by families or caregivers of people with DD.

Other Non-profit Organizations: Creating new advocacy opportunities for people with DD in organizations across NYS. Applicants must select only one (1) of the following three (3) focus areas to be considered. There are specific eligibility requirements based on the applicant’s focus area, which are listed below.

Focus Area 1: Growing Self-Advocacy Eligible Applicants: Self-Advocacy Organizations: An organization run and led by people with developmental disabilities (DD).

Description: The NYS CDD is seeking grant proposals to increase the number of self-advocates and leaders with developmental disabilities (DD) by strengthening peer-led organizations, supporting opportunities for leadership, and improving engagement of self-advocates in cross-disability and culturally diverse communities.

This grant aims to support new self-advocacy organizations or help build the capacity of existing self-advocacy organizations.

Examples of what grant funds could support include: Organizational staff time to carry out grant activities Resources for self-advocacy organization to convene meetings, such as meeting materials, virtual platform subscriptions, or closed captioning services Resources to grow a self-advocacy organization’s network Translation of materials into other languages Subscriptions for outreach platforms, like Constant Contact or MailChimp Focus Area 2: Growing Family & Caregiver Advocacy Eligible Applicants: Family or Caregiver Organizations: An organization run and led by parents, siblings, family members, or caregivers of people with developmental disabilities (DD).

Description: The NYS CDD is seeking grant proposals to support and expand opportunities to empower culturally diverse families and caregivers by increasing training in advocacy and leadership efforts, as well as engagement in activities that help support family well-being and inclusion. This grant aims to support new family or caregiver organizations or help build the capacity of existing family or caregiver organizations.

Examples of what grant funds could support include: Organizational staff time to carry out grant activities Resources for family/caregiver organization to convene meetings such as meeting materials, virtual platform subscriptions, or closed captioning services Resources to grow a family/caregiver organization’s network Translation of materials into other languages Subscriptions for outreach platforms, like Constant Contact or MailChimp Focus Area 3: Supporting Non-Profit Organizations to Build Self- Advocacy Leadership Eligible Applicants: Non-profit organizations: Any non-profit organization that has established leadership roles within their current structure (i.e., Advisory Board, Council, or Committee, etc.).

Description: The NYS CDD is seeking grant proposals to support existing non-profit organizations to create and enact leadership opportunities for people with disabilities (DD). Grant funds must result in the creation of a leadership role and the successful recruitment of 1 or more leaders with developmental disabilities (DD).

Examples of what grant funds could support include: Organizational staff time to carry out grant activities Staff training on inclusive practices Leadership training for self-advocates Resources for outreach to people with developmental disabilities or self-advocacy organizations to recruit leadership Resources to support the participation of people with developmental disabilities in meetings (i.e. closed captioning, ASL, plain language, large print materials, etc.) Important Dates Grant Release: Application Information Session: Anticipated Award Announcement: The grant period will be for one year with an anticipated start date of April 1, 2026.

Non-profit organizations in New York State can apply for a maximum of $10,000 and a minimum of $5,000. Application Information Session: The CDD will be hosting an information session to provide additional details and answer questions about this opportunity. The information session will be held on February 13, 2026 from 10:00AM-11:00AM.

A recording of the information session will be posted to this webpage after the session is held.

View the Recorded Information Session Here Slides from this session can be found in the Documents section at the bottom of this page Overall Grant Expectations: If selected for award, grantees will be expected to complete the following activities: Carry out activities over the course of 1 year to address the area of need you selected in your grant application.

Collect satisfaction surveys from people who benefit from the work of the grant. Complete the NYS CDD Final Report and share data and feedback collected using the satisfaction survey within the Final Report. Adhere to CDD’s financial guidance as outlined in Allowable and Unallowable Expenses.

Meet the minimum federal match requirement as outlined in Match (Cost Sharing). Note: Documents referenced in this section are located in the Opportunity Documents at the bottom of this webpage.

Nonprofit organizations (note: the lead applicant cannot be a for-profit organization; however, for-profit organizations may serve as subcontractors) Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, or hospitals Disability-service organizations Community-based organizations Local or county governments Consortia, groups, or partnerships among organizations Eligibility requirements: All applicants must be a registered and pre-qualified Vendor in the NYS Statewide Financial System (SFS).

Proposals received from eligible applicants who have not been registered and pre-qualified will be disqualified from further consideration. Find more information on NYS grants management at the following address: https://grantsmanagement. ny.

gov/ Please note: We do not accept applications directly from individuals, only eligible organizations can apply for this opportunity. All applications must be submitted electronically in Qualtrics by 11:59 PM, March 5, 2026 . Documents referenced in the application can also be found in the 'Opportunity Documents' section below.

Apply for the opportunity here Designated Agency Contact: If you have any questions about this opportunity, please contact the CDD’s Designated Agency Contact for this funding announcement. Email: [email protected] Please note: Documents referenced in this section are located in the Opportunity Documents at the bottom of this webpage.

Terms and Conditions: Please review all Standard NYS and CDD Terms and Conditions found in the Grant Award Letter of Agreement .

Underserved Communities: According to the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, the term un- and underserved communities “includes populations such as individuals from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, disadvantaged individuals, individuals with limited English proficiency, individuals from underserved geographic areas (rural or urban), and specific groups of individuals within the population of individuals with developmental disabilities, including individuals who require assistive technology in order to participate in and contribute to community life."

Per the DD Act, priority will be given to proposals that reach underserved members of the developmental disabilities’ community. Reference: https://acl. gov/sites/default/files/about-acl/2016-12/dd_act_2000.

pdf Timeline & Award: The grantee must spend the grant funds within one (1) calendar year of award. Application Review Process: CDD will review all eligible applications. See eligibility requirements for more information.

Upon completion of the review, applicants will receive notification of either award or declination via email. If awarded, grantees must complete a Grant Award Letter of Agreement and agree to the Standard NYS and CDD Terms and Conditions. Reimbursement: Grant funds will be disbursed primarily via reimbursement and grantees can request a 25% advance of grant funding at the start of the grant period.

Grantees must provide documentation of all expenses, including both grant and match expenses.

Documentation of expenses include, but are not limited to payroll, timesheets, invoices, receipts, subcontractor agreements, etc. Reporting: To receive grant reimbursement funds, grantees must submit a Final Report which outlines the activities, number of people who benefited from CDD grant funds, how people benefited from CDD grant funds, and includes final expenditure information and backup fiscal documentation.

Budget & Matching Funds: In the application form, you must provide a detailed budget that reflects how you intend to utilize CDD funds. Your budget must include an outline of your organization’s match funds to the project. Match funds must be at least 34% of the total award.

For example, if you request $10,000 from the CDD, you will need to have $3,400 in Match funds. Match funds can be in-kind dollars that will be provided from sources beyond CDD funding and other federal funds. For more information on the CDD’s Match requirements, please see Match (Cost Sharing).

Applicants cannot include nonallowable expenses in their budget in either grant or match expenses. Please see Allowable and Unallowable Expenses posted with this solicitation for additional guidance. CDD Acknowledgement: Any materials created by a contractor, under a contract with the CDD, must acknowledge the funding support of the CDD.

For example, “This document was produced in part by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Administration for Community Living through the New York State Council on Developmental Disabilities. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions.

Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy or the opinions, interpretation or policy of the NYS CDD. ” The NYS CDD reserves the right to: Reject any or all applications received in response to this opportunity. Withdraw or reissue this opportunity at any time, at the sole discretion of CDD.

Reject any application if, in the sole discretion of CDD, it determines the applicant is not a responsible vendor. Change any of the scheduled dates stated in this opportunity. Fund only one portion or selected activities of the selected applicant’s proposal and/or adopt all or part of the selected applicant’s proposal based on federal and state requirements.

Rescind awards for failure of awardees to meet grant expectations as outlined in the overall grant expectations section. Necessary forms related to the application can be found in the documents below. 8.

Allowable-and-Unallowable-Expenses RFP 2026 Each line item in a grantee’s budget will be reviewed to determine whether it is allowable and reasonable. All costs associated with the project must be appropriate, necessary, and prudent. The Council reserves the right to request a revised budget if any costs or expenses do not meet these requirements 7.

Match-Cost-Sharing-4-24-2026 Grant Award Letter of Acceptance Attachment B_1 Growing Advocacy 2026 Updated Q&A Growing Advocacy 2026 Application Questions Growing Advocacy 2026 Growing Advocacy Information Session PowerPoint Scroll back to the top of the page Council on Developmental Disabilities