Proposals due: September 6, 2024, 5:00 PM CST
Submit Applications via this link
Are you passionate about improving inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities in your community?
The National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD) is excited to announce our community-based micro-grant program, offering up to $5,000 to support innovative projects that promote accessibility and inclusion in health promotion, healthcare, and healthy living activities.
We are seeking proposals for community-based projects that integrate disability inclusion into programs, policy, systems, or environments that enhance health promotion, community inclusion, or healthcare access. Ideal projects will focus on making healthier choices more accessible for everyone, particularly in areas where people live, learn, work, play, pray and receive care.
Why disability inclusion matters?
People with disabilities often face significant barriers that limit their ability to participate fully in health promoting activities. By prioritizing Inclusion, we ensure that every community member has the same opportunity to engage in all aspects of life, to the fullest extent of their abilities and desires.
What are we looking for?
Our micro-grant program aims to recognize, support, and grow efforts that design communities promoting inclusive health for people with disabilities. We are particularly interested in projects that will have a lasting impact on the community beyond the grant period. Project should be realistic and achievable within a 10-month timeframe. While we welcome new initiatives, we encourage applicants to leverage existing projects that could benefit from additional funding to enhance or expand disability access and inclusion.
Projects that are eligible for funding may include but are not limited to the following categories:
- Health Promotion
- Virtual inclusive exercise, nutrition or wellness programs and resources.
- Inclusive mental health and stress management programs for people with disabilities.
- Healthcare
- Improving access to healthcare and wellness for people with mobility disability.
- Community
- Universal design of community environments (e.g., parks, trails, playgrounds) that go beyond minimum ADA requirements.
- Inclusive wayfinding and accessible route planning at a community level.
- Addressing disability access or inclusion within school systems or universities (e.g., professional development training, adaptive equipment loaner program).
To apply, your proposal should include:
- A detailed description of a project that is being planned or currently implemented in your community.
- An explanation of how you will ensure the project is inclusive of people with disability.
- Identification of key partners who will be involved in planning and implementing the project.
If your proposal is selected, you will be expected to:
- Provide a logo with a summary of your goals to the NCHPAD communications team for the announcement.
- Gather community feedback on enhancing the project’s inclusivity.
- Finalize and implement the inclusive project.
- Document the reach of the project to people with disabilities (including both potential and actual reach if available).
- Submit a final report on the project; including photos and any stories that can be shared.
Project Requirements:
To be considered for funding, your project proposal must:
- Clearly demonstrate the potential to increase access and inclusion for people with disabilities in the areas of health promotion, healthcare and/or healthy living activities.
- Show how the project will have a significant and lasting impact on people with disabilities within an identified community.
- Ensure that local disability representatives, either individuals with disabilities or representatives from organizations that serve or advocate for persons with disabilities, are actively involved throughout the project.
- Participate in virtual training and utilize technical assistance provided by NCHPAD.
- Provide a brief final report, using a template provided by NCHPAD, within 30 days after completion of the project.
- Work with the NCHPAD Evaluation and Performance Measurement Team at regular intervals to develop and track evaluation data that is relevant to both the applicant and NCHPAD.
- Collect and provide contact information for individuals with mobility disabilities to be referred and introduced to the NCHPAD Connect registry.
- Demonstrate how the project will improve health outcomes for people with mobility disabilities at individual, system, or community levels.
- Agree to have your project publicly shared and reported by NCHPAD.
The following types of projects will NOT be considered for funding:
- Projects that seek funding for improvements required under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), such as making a restroom accessible or providing sign-language interpretation.
- Projects that do not prioritize health promotion, healthcare, or healthy living activities for people with disabilities.
- Projects that do not include disability representation on the project team.
- Projects that are not at the community level and are only accessible to a limited number of people.
- Projects that do not involve community feedback and engagement.
Who can apply?
This funding opportunity is open to any non-profit organization, group, or agency (including schools and universities) that has demonstrated reach at a community level.
Award Information:
Award ceiling: $5,000
Estimated number of awards: 5
Length of project period: 10 months
Estimated start date: October 1, 2024
Funding decisions will be made for a project period of 10 months, starting on October 1, 2024, and concluding on July 31, 2025. Awards are contingent upon the availability of funds and the submission of satisfactory progress reports. Payment of funds will occur through a Fee for Service contract with 50% of the project awards upfront and the remaining 50% upon completion of the final report. Please note that indirect costs or overhead expenses are not permitted.
*The first month (Oct) will be used for planning, paperwork, and kickoff and once the paperwork is complete, you can submit the invoice for the first payment that includes any work done starting on or after October 1, 2024.
Application Submission:
Applications for this cooperative agreement include completion of the required application, budget and budget justification. Please fill out all application questions using the online form. The budget and budget justification should be included with your application.
Budget Narrative/Justification
Applicants are required to provide an itemized budget breakdown for their project, with a maximum budget cap of $5,000. The budget should detail and justify the costs associated with personnel salaries, project staff travel, materials and supplies, consultants and subcontracts, and any other projected expenditures. In the budget justification section, applicants should provide a detailed explanation for each proposed activity and its associated costs. The justification should clearly demonstrate how each expense contributes to the project’s goals. Budgets exceeding $5,000 will not be reviewed. Only direct project costs are permitted; indirect costs or overhead are not allowed. No part of the grant may be used directly or indirectly for lobbying or construction activities. Specify any cash-matching or in-kind contributions that will support the project. This award is contingent upon the availability of funds.
Completed applications must be submitted via this link by 5:00 PM CST on September 6, 2024.
Review Process:
NCHPAD will review all applications received by the deadline date. During the review process, NCHPAD may request clarifications or revisions as needed. Additionally, NCHPAD will also seek to maximize a diverse range of awards, considering the varying objectives of the proposed projects.
For more information regarding the grant application, please contact:
Penny Edwards | Strategy III Program Manager
National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD)
School of Health Professions | University of Alabama at Birmingham
3810 Ridgeway Drive | Birmingham, AL 35209
Phone: 205.975.5720 | Email: edwardpe@uab.edu
Helpful Documents and Links:
- 2020 Accelerating Disability Inclusion through Community-Based Micro-Grants
- Accelerating Disability Inclusion through Community-Based Microgrants (During COVID-19)
- NCHPAD’s Strategic Priorities 2021-2026
- NCHPAD for Healthcare Professionals
- Commit to Inclusion’s 9 Guidelines for Disability Inclusion
- Reaching People with Disabilities through Healthy Communities
- CDC’s Disability Inclusion
- COVID-19 Disability Community Needs Assessment Report
This funding opportunity is provided by the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD). NCHPAD is a public health practice center providing inclusive health promotion programs and resources for people with disabilities. NCHPAD is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), Division of Human Development and Disability, Disability and Health Promotion Branch, Grant #NU27DD000022. The contents of this funding opportunity are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
Table 1. Sample Outcomes
| Outcome of interest | Potential target (PWD = people with disabilities) |
| Increased knowledge and awareness of healthy lifestyle behaviors | PWD |
| Increased participation in evidence-based, innovative risk-reduction and health promotion programs | PWD |
| Increased knowledge and awareness of risk factors for chronic disease and need for follow-up care | PWD |
| Increased adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors (i.e., physical activity, healthy eating, stress reduction) | PWD |
| Increased management and control of chronic disease and mental health conditions | PWD |
| Improved life satisfaction and perceived social-emotional support | PWD |
| Increased utilization and satisfaction with telehealth technology | PWD |
| Expanded application of telehealth technology in health promotion and wellness programs | Providers |
| Improved data collection methods to increase quality, timeliness for continuous program improvement | Organization or system |
| Increase awareness about the effectiveness of health promotion/wellness programs for people with mobility limitations | Providers |
| Improved quality of health promotion programs and services for people with mobility limitations and their caregivers | Providers |
| Increased knowledge and awareness of the unique health needs of people with mobility limitations among health care professionals, students, caregivers, decision makers, and the public | Providers |
| Increased number of providers trained to deliver prevention and healthcare services to people with mobility limitations | Providers |
| Increased number of people with mobility limitations receiving prevention and healthcare services from providers with knowledge of the unique needs of people with mobility limitations | Providers or PWD |
| Increased frequency and reach of disseminated communications that include up-to-date directories of healthcare providers and health promotion services committed to serving people with mobility limitations | Community, systems, or providers |
| Increased availability of tools, and resources to inform inclusive health promotion programs, policies, systems, and environments | Community, systems, or providers |
| Increased use of tools, and resources to improve the health of people with mobility limitations | Community, systems, or providers |
| Increased knowledge, skill, and competency of staff to deliver health promotion programs and services | Providers |