REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL GUIDELINES:

Strengthening Self Advocacy In Minnesota

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Proposals must be received at the Council office, by mail or hand delivery, no later than 4:00 p.m. on January 29, 2002.

December 2001

Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities
370 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 282-2899 voice
(877) 348-0505 toll free
(651) 296-9962 TTY
Email: admin.dd.info@state.mn.us

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART I REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL SUMMARY

PART II PROPOSAL WRITING INSTRUCTIONS

Section A: Application Cover

Section B: Program Summary

Section C: Program Narrative

Section D: Performance Measures

Section E: Program Budget and Justification

Section F: Letters of Recommendation

PART III PROPOSAL REVIEW AND EVALUATION PROCESS

PART V ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Section A: Definitions

Section B: Conflict of Interest Policy

Section C: Appeal Process

PART I: REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL SUMMARY

TITLE: STRENGTHENING SELF ADVOCACY IN MINNESOTA

ISSUED BY:

Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities
370 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 282-2899 voice
(877) 348-0505 toll free
(651) 296-9962 TTY
Email: admin.dd.info@state.mn.us

AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE:

Funding is provided to the State of Minnesota as authorized under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 (DD Act)(P.L. 106-402). These federal funds are invested by the Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities (DD Council) in three primary strategies: Partners in Policymaking^®, Information Dissemination, and Customer Focus and Quality Improvement. The results that the DD Council must report annually, and that each funded project or program must achieve are the increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion of people with developmental disabilities and their families in the community.

The DD Act, Public Law 106-402, Section 124 (b)(4)(ii) contains the following new requirement:

(I) Establish or strengthen a program for the direct funding of a state self advocacy organization, led by individuals with developmental disabilities;

(II) Support opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities who are considered leaders to provide leadership training to individuals with developmental disabilities who may become leaders;

(III) Support and expand participation of individuals with developmental disabilities in cross disability and culturally diverse leadership coalitions.

The purpose of this RFP is to fulfill the federal requirement to strengthen self advocacy, leadership development, and participation in coalitions.

DUE DATE:

Proposals must be received at the Council office, by mail or hand delivery, no later than 4:00 p.m. on January 29, 2002. Please submit fifteen (15) copies of your proposal. PLEASE DO NOT FAX YOUR PROPOSAL TO THE COUNCIL OFFICE.

DESCRIPTION OF SELF ADVOCACY:

There are several ways that people with developmental disabilities describe and define self advocacy including:

• Speaking up for themselves;
• Making their voices heard;
• Making their views known;
• Making choices and changes in their own lives;
• Coming together to support each other and have a say in the policies and practices that affect their lives.

Activities of self advocacy groups include:

• Making people aware of their rights;
• Training and talking to other people about self advocacy;
• Making information more accessible by using audiotapes or pictures;
• Making concrete changes to improve their lives (i.e. improve voter accessibility);
• Working to increase choices and quality of supports;
• Planning and organizing self advocacy conferences;
• Assisting people to speak up about abuse and exploitation;
• Organizing to fight against discrimination.

In summary, self advocacy means:

• Thinking for yourself;
• Saying what you think;
• Having relationships like anyone else;
• People listening to you;
• Making mistakes;
• Taking risks;
• Taking responsibility;
• Making decisions;
• Standing up for your rights.

GENERAL GUIDELINES:

To qualify for the grant, applicants must do the following:

1. Work with DD Council staff to understand:

• The purpose of the program;
• The results that have to be achieved;
• How performance will be measured;
• Reports that must be made.

2. Work with the DD Council staff to:

• Learn about the Baldrige framework for measuring quality in programs;
• Learn how to apply principles about quality to your program.

3. Meet with DD Council staff every three months and report about your progress.

4. Use 75% of the grant funds for self advocacy activities. The other 25% of the funds may be used for administrative expenses related to carrying out the self advocacy activities.

5. Make sure the funds are used to meet the three performance targets listed in the next section.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES:

The DD Council’s business is to provide information, education, and training for a purpose.

The purpose is to build knowledge, develop skills, and change attitudes so that people with developmental disabilities and their families will have increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion (IPSII).

We use the abbreviation IPSII to refer to independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion.

When the DD Council funds a program, the program has to find out what difference the program makes in people’s lives. The program has to collect information about the program participants to see if they become more independent, productive, integrated, included, and in charge of their lives.

The DD Council also wants the self advocacy program to do three things during the first year of funding. These are called performance targets:

1. New Self Advocacy Groups. By the end of the first year, there must be at least three (3) new self advocacy groups. The groups must begin to involve 50 self advocates. The groups will find out if the self advocates have increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion.

2. Leadership Training. During the first year, at least five (5) self advocates will teach leadership sessions. The sessions will include at least 50 self advocates. The leadership training will find out if the participants have increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion.

3. Joining Coalitions. During the first year, at least five (5) self advocates will get involved with at least five (5) cross disability coalitions and culturally diverse leadership coalitions. The self advocates who get involved will see if they have increased their independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion. The self advocates will also see if there have been changes in the policies and practices of the coalitions.

A total of $40,000 is available for this project.

QUESTIONS CONCERNING PROPOSAL PREPARATION MAY BE DIRECTED TO:

Mary Jo Nichols
Grants Administrator
Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities
370 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, Minnesota
(651) 282-2899 voice (877) 348-0505 toll free
(651) 2196-9962 TTY
admin.dd.info@state.mn.us

PART II: PROPOSAL WRITING INSTRUCTIONS

Section A: Application Cover (one page)

Please complete the Application Cover form and mark as Page 1 of your proposal. An original signature in ink is needed on one copy of your proposal. The Application Cover must be the first page of your proposal.

Section B: Program Summary (one page)

Prepare a ONE page summary of your proposed program. Mark this as Page 2 of your proposal.

Section C: Program Narrative (no more than 10 pages; type size is 12 characters per inch or larger)

Include the following in the narrative section of your application:

1. Describe your knowledge and experience of self advocacy or advocating for people with developmental disabilities.
2. Describe your advocacy knowledge and experience of leadership development, leadership training, and the promotion of self advocates as leadership trainers.
3. Describe your knowledge and experience in supporting self advocates to serve on cross disability coalitions and culturally diverse coalitions.
4. Describe your knowledge and experience in assessing outcomes such as independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion.
5. Describe a work plan that will address all three (3) goals required by the federal law. The work plan should describe which individuals will do what activities, how each of the three (3) goals will be achieved, and timelines for completing all work.
6. Identify the individuals who will be working with the self advocates to carry out the work program, their background and experience in self advocacy, leadership training, and coalitions.
7. Provide documentation about the legal status of your organization (nonprofit or other type).
8. Describe how you will select areas of the state to participate in the program.

Section D: Performance Measures (no more than three (3) pages)

Please state how you will assure that self advocates have a good understanding of the key program results – increased independence, productivity, self determination, integration and inclusion (IPSII) that are included in the DD Act (P.L. 106-402).

Explain what approach(s) you may use to encourage self advocates to evaluate themselves in these terms and meet the other performance measures contained in Part I.

Section E: Program Budget and Justification (no more than four (4) pages)

Please complete a proposed budget according to the line item categories on the Budget Form. Your budget must include a 25% local match UNLESS the program will be carried out in a designated poverty area. If the program is carried out in a designated poverty area, a 10% local match is required. Please contact us for information about how to determine if the area in which your proposed program will be carried out is designated as a poverty area.

The Budget Justification is a narrative that explains the costs that you allocate under each major line item. Please follow the BUDGET INFORMATION/SUMMARY guidelines that follow the Budget Form to prepare your Budget Justification.

The Project Budget Form AND Budget Justification must be included in your proposal.

Section F: Letters of Recommendation

Include at least three (3) letters of recommendation that relate directly to your knowledge and experience in self advocacy, leadership training, cross disability coalitions and culturally diverse coalitions. Form letters are discouraged. Letters of recommendation must be submitted with your proposal.

Part III: PROPOSAL REVIEW AND EVALUATION PROCESS

The Grant Review Committee (Committee) of the DD Council is responsible for reviewing proposals and making a recommendation to the full Council regarding the outcome of their review process. Staff of the DD Council review proposals for completeness only.

Proposals that do not contain all required sections, exceed the maximum number of pages as specified, or not submitted in the required quantity (15 copies with an original signature in ink on the Application Cover of one copy) will be withdrawn from further consideration and not reviewed by the Committee.

PLEASE NOTE: You are responsible for ensuring that your proposal is complete and meets all requirements in this RFP packet.

Each proposal is reviewed and rated by members of the Committee according to the criteria on the Proposal Evaluation Form. The Form is included in this section of the RFP packet. Scores and comments/feedback are discussed by Committee members. An applicant’s past performance may also be reviewed by the Committee if the applicant has received previous grants from the DD Council. Following the review process, a recommendation is made to the full Council.

After review and evaluation of the proposals, and prior to a recommendation being made to the full Council, the Committee may need and request further information or clarification from one of more applicants. This may include questions regarding the Budget or Budget Justification. A decision about the review process will be made no later than February 8, 2002. The successful grantee should be prepared to begin work on March 1, 2002 or as soon as the grant contract is negotiated and fully executed.

THE DD COUNCIL RETAINS THE RIGHT TO REJECT ALL PROPOSALS.

Continuation funding is based upon the availability of federal funds and the performance of the contractor.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION

Please complete a Proposal Evaluation for each proposal received in response to the RFP "Strengthening Self Advocacy in Minnesota." Score each item based on the maximum score. Total the item scores and record this number on the line below marked "Total Score." Maximum score = 100.

• Note particular strengths or weaknesses in each area that contributed to your score.
• Note items that need clarification and what specifically needs further explanation.
• Note suggestions/recommendations for improving specific items.

TOTAL SCORE _____________

Applicant Name ___________________________________________

Reviewer Name ____________________________________________

Comments/concerns regarding any of the above items (specify item):

Comments/concerns/clarification regarding Budget or Budget Justification:

Add additional pages if necessary.

PART IV: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Section A: Definitions

1. Developmental disability: The term "developmental disability" is defined in the DD Act as a severe, chronic disability of an individual from birth that

• is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or a combination of mental and physical impairments;
• is manifested before the individual attains age 22;
• is likely to continue indefinitely;
• results in substantial functional limitations in three or more of the following areas of major life activity: self care, receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self direction, capacity for independent living, and economic self sufficiency; and
• reflects the individual’s need for a combination and sequence of special, interdisciplinary, or generic care services, supports, or other assistance that is of lifelong or extended duration and is individually planned and coordinated; except that such term, when applied to infants and young children means individuals from birth to age five, inclusive, who have substantial developmental delay or specific congenital or acquired conditions with a high probability of resulting in developmental disabilities if services are not provided.

2. Independence: The term "independence" means the extent to which individuals with developmental disabilities exert control and choice over their own lives.

3. Integration: The term "integration" means exercising the equal right of individuals with developmental disabilities to access and use the same community resources as are used by and available to other individuals.

4. Productivity: The term "productivity" means engagement in income-producing work that is measured by increased income, improved employment status, or job advancement; or engagement in work that contributes to a household or community.

5. Unserved and underserved: The term "unserved and underserved" includes individuals from racial and ethnic 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 with developmental disabilities attributable to physical impairment, mental impairment, or a combination of physical and mental impairments.

6. Self determination activities: The term "self determination activities" mean activities that result in individuals with developmental disabilities, with appropriate assistance, having –

• the ability and opportunity to communicate and make personal decisions;
• the ability and opportunity to communicate choices and exercise control over the type and intensity of services, supports, and other assistance;
• opportunities to participate in, and contribute to, their communities; and
• support, including financial support, to advocate for themselves and others, to develop leadership skills, through training in self advocacy, to participate in coalitions, to educate policymakers, and to play a role in the development of public policies that affect individuals with developmental disabilities. 

Section B: Conflict of Interest Policy

Each year, the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities (DD Council) makes recommendations regarding the allocation of funds for specific strategies that are directly related to the DD Council’s business – information, education, and training – of people with developmental disabilities and their families. The process of reviewing applications and making funding decisions must be as free as possible from any conflict of interest.

A conflict of interest exists when members of the DD Council participate in the process that results in recommendations related to funding of programs or projects while, at the same time, they have a direct or indirect personal or financial interest in one or more of these programs or projects. In order to avoid problems in this area, Council members who have a direct or indirect personal or financial interest in an application or proposal or an organization that submitted an application or proposal must abstain from participating in the entire process of reviewing the applications in which the DD Council member has a conflict of interest. In this context, "personal or financial interest" includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. The Council member or a member of the family is an officer of the applicant organization, serves on a committee that governs the applicant organization or serves on the Board of the applicant organization;
2. The Council member or a member of the family will be employed by or is a paid consultant to the applicant organization;
3. The Council member or a member of the family is receiving services from the applicant organization in any capacity if the applicant is funded;
4. The Council member or a member of the family is receiving services from the applicant organization, or will receive services from the applicant organization if the application is funded;
5. The Council member or a member of the family is a party in any legal action in which the application organization is also a party.

Those members of the Council who have, or believe they have, a direct or indirect personal or financial interest in any of the applications being considered by the Council must abstain from participating in the entire process of reviewing the application in which the Council member has a conflict of interest and must be recorded as abstaining when votes are taken.

This policy applies to all Council staff and consultants involved in the grant process.

Section C: Appeal Process

All applicants are informed, in writing and at the same time, about the results of the DD Council’s proposal review process. Applicants who do not agree with the DD Council’s decision may appeal. The following steps apply to the appeal process:

1. An applicant who wishes to appeal must notify the DD Council Chair in writing within 15 working days of the date of the letter informing the applicant about the decision;The appeal letter must include the basis for the appeal. The appeal must be based on the criteria used by the Grant Review Committee to review and evaluate each proposal (see Evaluation of Proposal form in Part III of this RFP packet;
2. Upon receipt of the letter of appeal, the DD Council Chair will establish an Ad Hoc Appeals Committee. This committee will be comprised of the DD Council Chair, Grant Review Committee Chair, and at least one DD Council member who is not a Grant Review Committee member;
3. The Ad Hoc Appeals Committee will meet as soon as possible (in no case later than the next regular DD Council meeting) to consider the appeal;
4. The Ad Hoc Appeal Committee will review the deliberations of the Grant Review Committee and information presented by the applicant in the appeal letter. The Grant Review Committee may also request to hear from the applicant;
5. The Ad Hoc Appeals Committee review will determine if the recommendation of the Grant Review Committee appears to have been made according to the criteria contained on the Evaluation of Proposal form. Because the appeal letter must be based on these criteria, the information presented by the applicant will also be considered at this time;
6. The Ad Hoc Appeals Committee will present its findings in writing to the applicant and the full DD Council at the next regular DD Council meeting.

APPLICATION COVER

Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities
370 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
(651) 282-2899 voice
(877) 348-0505 toll free
(651) 296-9962 TTY
Email: admin.dd.info@state.mn.us

Organization:

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Address: __________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________

Phone: (_____) ______________________ FAX (_____) __________________

Contact: ___________________________________________________________

Title: ______________________________________________________________

MN Tax ID Number: ___________________ FEIN: _______________________

Program Title: ______________________________________________________

Budget Summary:

Certification:

I certify that to the best of my knowledge and belief, all information contained in this proposal is correct and complete; that, if approved, this program will be conducted according to this proposal, the requirements of the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, Department of Administration, and provisions of the standards for programs funded under P.L. 106-402; and that the local match will be contributed as proposed. I also certify that the applicant organization has authorized me, as its representative, to give these assurances and submit this proposal.

Signature: ____________________________________
(original signature in ink on original copy)

Title: ____________________________________________

Date: ____________________________________________

BUDGET FORM

BUDGET INFORMATION/SUMMARY

Please prepare your Budget Justification narrative using the following guidelines:

1. The Budget Form includes DD Council funds ($40,000) and local match for the entire program period. Enter the total amount that you expect to expend in DD Council funds and local match that will be provided under each expense category (major line items noted in bold on the Budget Form);
2. Include a separate Budget Justification narrative to fully explain and justify each expense category. Include the following information for each expense category:

1. PERSONNEL: Include salaries and wages. Identify the staff who will be working on this program and the hours each will devote to the program. Provide a breakdown of fringe benefits – health insurance, FICA, other insurance/benefits).
   
   
2. RENT: Rent should be part of the local match. Rent includes utilities, building/maintenance costs if paid (note separately and the amount), and the percent allocated to this program;
   
   
3. TRAVEL: Include local mileage, parking costs, and bus fare. If staff are reimbursed on a per mile basis, include the reimbursement rate that has been approved by your organization. If out-of-town travel is necessary, explain the purpose for this travel, destination, length of stay, food and lodging allowances, any other transportation costs, and staff who will be traveling. Include the same information for participants but do not identify individual participants. All local transportation costs should be included under this expense category.

   NOTE: The reimbursement rate for participants MUST be the same as the reimbursement rate for staff.

4. SUPPLIES: Enter the total cost for all consumable supplies; note the cost for specific types of supplies such as those listed under this expense category. 
   
   
5. COMMUNICATIONS: Include telephone/fax, Internet and email services that are necessary to carry out this program. Postage and other mailing costs should be noted separately.

   Copying costs are cost associated with duplicating or reproducing existing materials; printing costs would be the costs of producing a new product/publication. Converting print materials into other formats such as audio tape or large print, or translating materials, i.e. Braille, should be included in this expense category.

6. OTHER: Indirect costs and audit costs should be included under this expense category. If indirect costs are being expensed, please note your organization’s indirect cost rate and what is included in that rate.

Interpreter or facilitator costs may be necessary to assure effective communication with participants. Include personal assistance services that are necessary so individuals can fully participate in the program. Grant funds should be the payor of last resort.

Identify the individuals and their respective organizations who will be asked to present on a certain topic area(s), and the total cost (or estimated cost). If a consultant / speaker’s name is not yet available, indicate the topic area and a reasonable estimate of the cost allocated.

PLEASE NOTE: When preparing fiscal reports (quarterly or monthly), actual costs must be reported. Costs as proposed or costs averaged during a reporting period will not be accepted.

All proposed costs must be reasonable to carry out a quality program and achieve the intended program results.

DD Council funds are federal funds. If you are using dollars to meet your local match requirement, in whole or in part, those local dollars cannot also be federal funds.