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National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) Award Competition 2010

June 28, 2010

Inclusive of Individuals with Disabilities as Active Volunteers and Members in National Service 

Background

The National Service Inclusion Project (NSIP) at the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI)--University of Massachusetts Boston UCEDD, in collaboration with Association of University Centers Disabilities (AUCD), conducts a comprehensive program of training, technical assistance, and dissemination designed to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)-funded programs. NSIP, in partnership with the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), the National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC), the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) and AUCD with the 67 University Centers for Excellence on Developmental Disability (UCEDDs), delivers a comprehensive and multifaceted campaign of face-to-face training and eLearning, onsite and remote technical assistance, collaboration development among the service, volunteer and disability communities, dissemination of organizational and individual successes and products designed to enhance the capacity of all CNCS grantees and communities to meaningfully include members and volunteers with disabilities.

The mission of CNCS is to improve lives, strengthen communities, and foster civic engagement through service and volunteering. On April 21, 2009, President Barack Obama signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act (SAA). The SSA reauthorizes and expands national service programs administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The SSA also affirms the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in all CNCS programs and volunteer sectors and calls for a dramatic future expansion of new service and volunteer opportunities for Americans of all ages with disabilities to serve and the potential for the creation of new inclusive programs. Please see http://www.nationalservice.gov/about/serveamerica/index.asp for more information.  The following hyperlinks provide program descriptions and organizational charts for AmeriCorps, Learn and Serve America, and National Senior Service Corps. For additional information, please visit the CNCS website and review the Corporation's program fact sheets. In addition, you may want to view activities of past NSIP grantees.

The National Service Inclusion Project conducts the following activities:

  • State based team and action planning facilitation; 
  •  Regional, state and program-specific training and technical assistance;
  • On-going assessments to ensure applicable and meaningful training and technical assistance activities; 
  •  A "one stop" interactive website;
  • The building of state and local partnerships between CNCS grantees, local consumer driven organizations and the disability community; and
  •  The development and dissemination of information focusing on the opportunities for individuals with disabilities in national service through networking, conferences, postal and electronic mail.

NSIP awards have been dedicated to cultivating working relationships among the CNCS Grantees and UCEDD/Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) programs in each state. The UCEDD/LEND programs serve as gateways to disability organizations, consumer advocacy groups, service providers and public agencies on the state and local level. National service provides a wide range of opportunities for individuals with disabilities to participate in civic engagement, while building skills in leadership development and preparing them for possible future career and educational opportunities. With increasing frequency people with disabilities are valued as members, volunteers and leaders in national and community service. More disability organizations are proposing service and volunteerism as a valued option for their constituents. In partnership, CNCS grantees and UCEDD/LEND programs can better engage persons with disabilities in national service opportunities and promote awareness of disability related issues of accessibility and independent living.

NSIP routinely works with CNCS State Commissions, State Offices, National Service programs and National Direct programs to enhance CNCS' mission of full inclusion. The emphasis of this competition will be to generate and implement strategies that will build on this mission and result in measurable increases in the application, enrollment, and retention of service members and/or volunteers with disabilities by the UCEDD/LEND program in partnership with their respective State Commissions or CNCS State Offices and a local National Service program(s). In order to be successful, the UCEDD/LEND program must have the full cooperation of the CNCS State Commission/State office to develop and implement inclusive strategies that result in the measurable increases of active participation of service members and/or volunteers with disabilities.

Purpose

NSIP intends to award up to 3 project grants in three categories for an 18-month project period for UCEDD and/or LEND programs in support the of NSIP project goals at the statewide level. In addition, NSIP intends to award up to 3 fellowship opportunities, also for an 18-month period. Applicants may apply for:

1.  A project with a fellowship: Up to three (3) grants may be made with a maximum award of $42,000.
2.  A project without a fellowship: Up to three (3) grants may be made with a maximum award of $32,000.
3.  A fellowship alone: Up to three (3) grants may be made with a maximum award of $10,000.

Project applications (with or without a fellowship) must:

1. Describe plans to collaboratively generate and implement strategies with a CNCS Grantee or CNCS State Office that will result in a measurable increase of applications from and enrollments of individuals with disabilities in national service.

2. Describe plans to work with a consumer and /or member-driven organization to achieve project goals. Such organizations include, but are not limited to: independent living centers, NDSC, SABE, and People First chapters. Applicants are encouraged to develop proposals and formal partnerships with consumer and/or member-driven organizations.

3. Identify one or more project priority areas under which it will focus its activities.  The three project priority areas are:

1. Improvement in recruitment of people with disabilities with the intent to boost enrollment.

2. Outreach and engagement with economically distressed areas with a focus on National Service as a gateway to employment and/or post secondary education.

3. Increased coordination and collaboration between the UCEDDs and the State Service Commissions in the development of policies and procedures that will lead to sustainable practices in program and service sites to meaningfully include people with disabilities in accordance with the SAA.

NSIP Fellowship Program

The goal of the NSIP Fellows Program is to increase and enhance the disability and national service field's understanding and capacity to develop and implement strategies to enable citizens with disabilities to fully participate in service and volunteerism.  This will be accomplished through the collaborative experience of the fellow and a person with a disability.

Fellowship applications are being sought for applicants (Fellow) to directly support an individual with a significant disability[1] (Peer) willing to apply and serve in a national service position.  The Fellow Candidate will gain an understanding of how to influence the attitudes and practices of staff, service members, and volunteers participating and serving within National Service programs by developing and implementing inclusive strategies that are conducive in respect to the successful completion of service obligation by a service member or volunteer with a significant disability.

Fellowship applications (with or without a project) must:

1. Identify how the proposed fellowship will be consistent with the mission of CNCS and NSIP.
2. Describe any incentives, resources, or supplements that will be used to support the fellow (stipend, tuition remission, benefits, etc) in addition to the NSIP fellowship award.
3. Describe criteria for fellowship eligibility and plans to identify the fellow.
4. Describe the process of ensuring quality management of the fellowship.
5. Submit a case study with direct relevance to the Fellow's learning experience throughout the entire fellowship opportunity. Consideration for publication to a professional journal is desirable.

Note:  This funding is specifically targeted towards increasing the number of applicants and service members with disabilities in all national and community service programs, not those projects that only include individuals with disabilities. This competition will not support projects that promote a separate process for or segregated strategy of recruiting and placing individuals with disabilities. Applicants considering the fellowship option must read the supplemental form entitled "NSIP 2010 Fellowship Information", the document includes additional requirements for applying with the fellowship option.

NSIP Fellows Program 2010 Supplemental Information  [PDF, 46KB]

Eligibility

This opportunity is open to all UCEDDs and LENDs, including those that have been previously funded. UCCEDs and LENDs who have never received an NSIP grant will receive a five (5) point scoring priority.

Proposal Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria

The proposal should be submitted with the format and content described below. Maximum scores for each section are provided; the narrative is limited to 10 double-spaced pages (14 double spaced pages if you are combining a project with a fellowship). The cover page and budget may be single-spaced.

Applicant Cover Page  (0 points)

Includes contact information, signature, and project abstract of 500 words or less (1/2 page). Please use the cover page provided in Attachment A.

Narrative Components of Program Grant Proposal:

The narrative section should not be longer than 10 double spaced pages with margins that are not less than 1 inch and font no smaller than 12 point (14 double spaced pages with margins that are not less than 1 inch and font no smaller than 12 point if combining a project with a fellowship).  In this section please describe:

1. Background and Experience with National and Community Service (10 points)
This section should include a description of the applicant's past and/or current collaborative experience(s) with national and community service. Describe, if any, previous activities and level of involvement between the UCEDD/LEND program and the CNCS State Commission, State Office or local CNCS-funded programs.

2.  Brief Description of Project and Priority Area to Be Addressed (15 points)
This section should include a brief description of the proposed project and should identify and describe how the grant will address one or more of the priority areas.  

3. Project Narrative (60 points total-See subset for individual point values)

3A. Description (25 points) Description of Proposed Partnership with CNCS Grantees and/or CNCS State Office and Consumer or Member-driven Organizations (For projects that include a fellowship, the narrative must respond to both sections below)

This section should describe the proposed partnerships. Elements of the proposed partnerships should include descriptions of the:

1. Meaningful collaborative activities that are planned among the partners during the course of the project and plans for sustaining these activities following the period of the award.

2. Plans to identify joint strategies to increase individuals with disabilities in national service activities.  Those joint activities must be finalized and submitted to NSIP within thirty (30) days of the project start date and outcomes of implementing those strategies must be documented in the final progress report.

3. Plans to work with the CNCS State Commission or State Office on areas such as the development and implementation of the state commission's disability plan; identification of available state resources and other accommodation funds, creation and implementation of appropriate inclusionary practices; or other topics related to the support to individuals with disabilities in national service.

4. The identification of possible obstacles and plans to address those obstacles with partners.

5. Willingness to assist NSIP in providing technical training and assistance in collaboration with project partners.

For Fellowships:

This section should describe the proposed fellowship. Elements of the proposed fellowship should include:

1. Description of how proposed fellowship is consistent with the mission of CNCS and NSIP.

2.  If applicable, university incentives, resources, or supplements that can be used to support the fellow (stipend, tuition remission, benefits, etc) in addition to the NSIP fellowship award.

3.  A description of how the eligibility criteria will be addressed.

4.  Plans to identify the prospective fellow.

Note: Applicants for Projects must secure letters of collaboration (and submit those letters with the proposal) from (a) CNCS State Commission or CNCS State Office and (b) a CNCS grantee (c) and a  consumer or member driven organization that describe proposed activities and their level of involvement to implement the project. Applicants for Fellowships must provide documentation of any proposed university incentives, resources, or supplements (if available) that will be used to support the fellow.

3B. Projected Goals, Objectives, Outcomes and Timelines (20 points)

This section should describe proposed goals, objectives, activities, and timelines that will be used to achieve the overall outcomes of the project.  For projects that include a fellowship, the narrative must be responsive to both sections below. Applicants must describe plans to or commit to the following:

For Projects:

1. Assist in the development of and actively participate in at least one state and/or regional collaborative activity with a project partner (e.g. training, inclusive day of service, etc...).

2. Assist NSIP and AUCD in reporting CNCS data and promising practices related to the efforts to increase the participation of individuals with disabilities in national service.

3. Develop and submit a product (e.g. a case study) with direct relevance to the UCEDD/LEND program's learning experiences, increased knowledge, and best practices with regards to increasing the participation of individuals with disabilities during the course of the project.

For Fellowships:

1.  Plans for developing a fellowship project.

2. Describe the process of ensuring quality management of the fellowship.

3. Submit a case study with direct relevance to the Fellow's learning experience throughout the entire fellowship opportunity. Consideration for publication to a professional journal is desirable.

3C. Plans to Continue Activities to Promote Inclusion in National and Community Service (15 points)

This section should describe plans for continuing activities at the UCEDD/LEND, following the project period. Describe plans to integrate national service and volunteerism as a valued option for people with disabilities in one or more UCEDD/LEND activities or products.

For Fellowships:

Describe a process for on-going support for the peer during their time of service and plan for post service transition.

4. Budget (10 points)

This section should provide an 18-month budget with a justification for each line item amount. Matching or in-kind funds are not required, but are highly recommended. Proposed matching funds may not stem from CNCS. Fellowships, with or without a project, must describe and document university incentives (if any) to be offered with the proposed fellowship. The indirect rate for this competition is capped at 10%. 

Budgets may include travel for at least one person to attend the 2011 National Conference on Volunteering and Service and/or the 2011 National Conference on Disability Inclusion and National Service.

Required Attachments

  • Vita or Biosketch of key staff (each vita/biosketch is limited to 3 pages)
  • Letter(s) of collaboration from the state CNCS State Commission or State Office
  • Letter of collaboration from the National Service program
  • Letter of collaboration from a consumer or membership-driven organization

For Fellowships

  • Documentation (policy, memo, etc.) of university incentives, resources, or supplements that will be used to support the fellow, if appropriate.

Submission Process and Timelines

Applications will only be accepted through online submission (Follow the link)

Proposals submission date: DEADLINE EXTENDED August 16, 2010 by midnight eastern.

Complete proposals must be submitted by that time; completed proposals include the cover page, project proposal, budget and justification, vitas/biosketchs of key staff and ALL letters of support.  ALL materials must be submitted electronically through the above vehicle, and only complete proposals will be considered.

Timeline

Proposal Available: June 28, 2010
Proposal Due: EXTENDED August 16, 2010 Midnight Eastern
Amount of each Award: Project with a fellowship: Up to three (3) grants may be made with a maximum award of $42,000. Project without a fellowship: Up to three (3) grants may be made with a maximum award of $32,000. Fellowship alone: Up to three (3) grants may be made with a maximum award of $10,000.
Funding Duration: 18 Months
Expected Project Start Date: September 1, 2010

Questions  

Contact:
NSIP: Jason Wheeler,  (888) 491-0326  (voice/TTY)
AUCD: Anne Riordan  (301) 588-8252  (voice)