OARS funding Family Studies

When children are placed in out-of-home care (also called foster care), it is important that child welfare agencies find safe, permanent homes for them as quickly as possible. In many circumstances, children can be reunited with their families, but in some cases, children find homes with relatives or adoptive families. Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) have consistently found that many child welfare systems need to improve their adoption work, as evidenced by their difficulty in achieving substantial conformity on permanency outcomes. These shortcomings include failure to make concerted efforts towards timely permanency for adoption and preserving family connections; inadequate engagement of parents, children and youth in case planning; limited and ineffective service provision; insufficient frequency and duration of child visitations/parenting time; punitive uses of visitation/parenting time; delays in establishing the goal of adoption; a lack of meaningful concurrent planning; and lengthy appeal processes for contested termination of parental rights. These permanency outcomes relate to basic social work, legal, and judicial practices that impact adoption outcomes and also have effects on the safety and well-being of children in care. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to award up to five 5-year cooperative agreements for the development, implementation, and evaluation of strategies that focus on better adoption outcomes by improving basic social work, legal, and judicial practice in order to eliminate systemic barriers to: adoption; preventing entry into foster care; and other forms of permanency. Due to the intersection of permanency, safety, and well-being, an effective system reform effort focused on improving adoption outcomes by improving concurrent planning and reducing time to permanency will also require attention to safety and well-being outcomes.

The purpose of the RRTCs, which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to achieve the goals of, and improve the effectiveness of, services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act through well-designed research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities in important topical areas as specified by NIDILRR. These activities are designed to benefit rehabilitation service providers, individuals with disabilities, family members, policymakers and other research stakeholders. The purpose of this particular RRTC is to conduct research, training, and related activities to contribute to optimal community living and participation outcomes of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Cat 1: This program will fund a national membership and accreditation organization for children’s advocacy center programs. The funding will enable the successful applicant to provide services to membership organizations and to implement standards for program accreditation. Cat 2: This program will provide funding to manage a national grant awards program for local children’s advocacy center programs. Cat 3: This program funds CACs to provide services for child pornography victims. Cat 4: This program will fund a national organization to implement a pilot program targeted to communities with substantial military installations for the purpose of establishing CAC models inclusive of the following military partners; military investigative agencies, medical and Command personnel, and Family Advocacy Program representatives.

The Brookdale Foundation Group works to advance the fields of geriatrics and gerontology and to improve the lives of senior citizens. The Foundation's Relatives as Parents Program provides support for the creation or expansion of services for grandparents and other relatives who have taken on the responsibility of surrogate parenting when the biological parents are unable to do so. Funded programs must include supportive services to relative caregivers and the children they are raising, with emphasis on families that are not in the formal foster care system. Programs must also include regular ongoing support, and educational or social groups for relative caregivers and the children in their care. Up to 15 programs will receive a seed grant of $15,000 ($10,000 and $5,000 respectively), contingent on progress made during year one and potential for continuity in the future. Nonprofit organizations from throughout the country are eligible to apply. (State agencies in selected states may also apply.) The application deadline is June 13, 2018. Visit the Brookdale Foundation Group's website to download the guidelines and application forms.

The New Era of University Innovation & Commercialization This panel discussion examines the future of university and business collaboration, with a focus on inclusive innovation. Thursday, April 19, 2018 from 3:30 PM to 4:45 PM (EDT) Oxford, OH

The “Access to Integrated Employment: National Data Collection on Day and Employment Services for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities” project is a longitudinal study describing day and employment services nationwide for individuals with developmental disabilities. The project will: Study the effectiveness of state developmental disabilities agencies and vocational rehabilitation agencies in promoting full inclusion of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities through employment and other community activities Describe national trends in the employment and economic status of youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities on a state and national basis Highlight practices and outcomes in the transition from school to employment and promote policy enhancing integrated employment at both the systems and customer levels Develop guidelines for community-based non-work activities Implement www.statedata.info External Web Site Policy, a website illustrating service system investment in day and employment services, and www.realworkstories.org External Web Site Policy, a website featuring successes of youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities in paid jobs in their communities Provide an online catalog of innovative state-level strategies that influence policy and facilitate access to integrated employment Collaborate with other AoD data collect projects to show targeted current year and longitudinal data on the project website.

This project is a longitudinal study of annual state-by-state and national statistics on residential services and supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The project will include funding for supports and services from a variety of sources, including public and non-public, Medicaid-funded and non-Medicaid-funded residential and supportive services. The project will: • Utilize a large multistate database on individuals with developmental disabilities to examine the associations between personal characteristics, housing, financing and support models, state systems on inclusion, self-determination, satisfaction, and outcomes • Conduct state policy and program surveys on key topics in residential and other community services • Maintain a clearinghouse of information and resources on consumer-controlled housing, the direct support workforce, and community living outcomes The project will disseminate research using annual reports, the IMPACT, and theQualityMall.org website. The Build-a-Report tool and website allow reports to be customized. The grantee will collaborate with other AoD data collection projects to show targeted current year and longitudinal data on the project website.  

State of the States in Developmental Disabilities-On-going Data Collection and Information Dissemination "The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities" is a comparative nationwide longitudinal study of public financial commitments and programmatic trends in developmental disabilities services and supports. The project’s activities include: • Analyzing developmental disabilities financial and programmatic trends in each state and the District of Columbia • Identifying trends and innovations in the financing of family support supported living, and supported employment in the states • Completing special studies, such as Medicaid spending for special education • Collaborating with other ACL data collection projects to show targeted current year and longitudinal data on the project website • Providing a create-a-chart option allowing reports to be customized

NIJ has a longstanding history of collaborating with, and supporting the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) on research, evaluation, and programmatic projects. Over the years, the shared priorities of OVC and NIJ have resulted in a number of collective projects, workshops, and research. In 2013, OVC identified a need for the development of research to build a body of evidence-based knowledge on victims and victimization across several areas of victim services.

NIJ is seeking applications for rigorous program evaluation of specific services for victims of crime including housing, legal assistance, and technology-based services. This solicitation is for a planning phase not to exceed a 24 month period of performance.

The Course Hero-Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for Excellence in Teaching will support rising stars in the academy who love teaching, demonstrate excellence as educators, and are making their mark as exceptional researchers, poised to shape their fields. Designed for young scholars working towards tenure, the Course Hero-WW Fellowship is a "genius grant" that will emphasize the balance between scholarly excellence and commitment to teaching practice that draws on new approaches to pedagogy, creating a new level of engagement for students in and beyond the classroom. In short, Fellows will be emerging heroes in their fields, on a clear trajectory to become great college educators. In its inaugural year, the Course Hero-WW Fellowship will identify five outstanding junior faculty members. Fellows will receive a one-year grant of $40,000-approximately $30,000 to support the engagement of a student assistant and the balance to be used for research and travel support. Exceptional candidates teach in ways that build student confidence and mastery of a subject; encourage critical thinking; explore foundational concepts through the lens of broader themes and global events; promote the power of learning communities beyond the classroom; leverage technology to complement the classroom experience; consider and serve different learning styles; prepare students for lifelong learning; and can serve as replicable teaching models for other educators. Selection takes place in June 2018. The five Fellows will be invited to attend the Course Hero Education Summit in July 2018, where their Fellowships will be announced.

The Ohio Department of Education has administered the 21st Century Community Learning Center's program since 2002. The passage of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 amended ESEA and altered the focus of the 21st CCLC grant. The program now focuses on funding expanded learning time (ELT) and out-of-school time (OST), both of which align academic services to the identified needs of students and state academic standards. ESSA broadened the allowable activities to include such things as student apprenticeships. The purpose of the 21st CCLC program is threefold. All funded programs must: 1. Provide opportunities for academic enrichment to assist students in meeting the state academic standards; 2. Offer students access to a broad array of additional services, such as those that focus on youth development, social emotional learning, civic engagement, and nutritional and physical health; and 3. Offer adult family members of program participants opportunities for educational development and engagement in their children's education. Eligible applicants may be local education agencies and community-based organizations. These may include faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, city or county government agencies, for-profit corporations and other public or private entities.

The AgrAbility program increases the likelihood that farmers, ranchers, farm workers and farm family members with disabilities will experience success in agricultural production. The program supports projects between State Cooperative Extension System and private, non-profit disability organizations who work in partnership to provide agricultural education and assistance directed at accommodating disability in farm operations for individuals with disabilities, and their families, who engage in farming and farm-related occupations.

Burma: Supporting Inclusive Civic Awareness and Engagement across Diverse Communities

The purpose of NIDILRR's Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to plan and conduct research, demonstration projects, training, and related activities, including international activities, to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities, and to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (Rehabilitation Act). Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a development project that is aimed at improving the employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a development project under this program, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, or methods beneficial to the target population, including design and development of protypes and processes. Please note that this is the Funding Opportunity for field-initiated DRRP development projects in the employment domain. NIDILRR plans to make one field-initiated DRRP award in the employment domain. NIDILRR's field-initiated DRRP award in the employment domain may be a research project or a development project, depending on the ranking of applications provided by the peer review panel.

The Transitional Living Program and Maternity Group Homes initiative supports strategies for successful transition to sustainable living for runaway and homeless youth, or pregnant and parenting youth and their dependent children. The application deadline is April 5, 2018.

The Employment and Training Administration (ETA), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL, the Department, or we), announces the availability of approximately $82.5 million in grant funds authorized by Section 169 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which authorizes research and evaluations to improve the management and effectiveness of workforce programs and activities. Through this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), ETA seeks to enhance both adult and young adult reentry strategies through collaboration with the field to identify and respond to emerging or chronic reentry challenges. This FOA provides the opportunity for organizations to build customized projects. Applicants must propose evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions, new interventions that theory or research suggests are promising, or a combination of both that lead to increased employment outcomes for their target populations. The Department is especially interested in program models that offer apprenticeship opportunities.

OCRFA's Woman to Woman is a peer-to-peer support program for women with gynecologic cancers. The programs pairs gynecologic cancer patients with trained survivor volunteers who provide one-on-one emotional support and mentoring to women when they need it most. From the moment of diagnosis through the end of treatment, Woman to Woman survivor volunteers have helped hundreds of women and their families cope with gynecologic cancer.

The Brookdale Foundation Group works to advance the fields of geriatrics and gerontology and to improve the lives of senior citizens. The Brookdale National Group Respite Program awards seed grants to service providers that plan to offer new, dementia-specific Group Respite or specialized Early Memory Loss (EML) programming to participants, along with support to caregivers, in order to help individuals remain in their communities. All funded programs must provide a day program for people affected by Alzheimer's disease or other dementia, which is limited to those who are cognitively impaired. Grants of $10,000 will be provided in year one, renewable for $5,000 for the second year, based on evaluation of first year's activities and potential for future continuity of the program. The application deadline is June 27, 2018. Visit the Brookdale Foundation Group's website to download the guidelines and application form.

The research grants program of the William T. Grant Foundation supports high-quality field-initiated studies that are relevant to policies and practices that affect the lives of young people in the United States. To that end, the foundation is accepting applications in support of research projects designed to advance understanding of inequality in youth outcomes and/or improving the use of research evidence in decisions that affect young people. The foundation will award grants of up to $600,000 over two or three years in support of research designed to build, test, and increase understanding of approaches to reducing inequality in youth outcomes on the basis of race, ethnicity, economic standing, or immigrant origin status. The foundation is particularly interested in research on programs, policies, and practices with the potential to reduce inequality in academic, social, behavioral, and economic outcomes.