Grant Opportunity: Improving Cross-System Collaborations to Serve Individuals with Developmental Disabilities and their Families
(October 27,2026) The NYS Council on Developmental Disabilities (CDD) is seeking grant proposals for 1-year innovative pilot projects focused on improving cross-system collaborations for systems serving people with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families. Eligible organizations can apply for a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $100,000. The CDD will award multiple grantees up to $300,000 total, subject to availability of funding.
Project Background:
People with developmental disabilities (DD) often depend on a range of public and community systems, including developmental disability services, health care, mental health services, education, employment, housing, transportation, and aging services, among others. Although these systems are intended to support people across their lives, advocates have shared that there is not always effective coordination between systems or a clear understanding of the roles and responsibilities of various systems. Gaps in communication, unclear responsibilities, and limited information-sharing can leave people with DD and families navigating complex supports and interruptions in needed services.
These challenges can be particularly challenging when a person’s needs involve more than one system. Poor coordination may delay access to supports, create duplication or gaps in care, place additional burdens on family caregivers, and, in the most serious cases, contribute to preventable crises. Improving collaboration across systems is therefore an important opportunity to strengthen the responsiveness and quality of services available to New Yorkers with DD and their families.
The CDD identified cross-system collaboration as a high-priority based on public input, research and feedback from Council members, during development of the CDD’s 2027–2031 State Plan. This small-grant initiative creates a new mechanism for CDD to identify and support innovative ideas originating directly from eligible organizations working alongside people with DD and their families.
Approach:
CDD is releasing this grant opportunity to solicit and award proposals for innovative, actionable projects addressing a priority issue area. Proposed projects should develop, test, or expand practical approaches that improve communication, coordination, and shared problem-solving among service systems focused on improving cross-system collaboration. Projects may focus on strengthening relationships among DD service providers, health care providers, schools, mental health providers, employers, housing agencies, transportation systems, aging-service providers, and other relevant partners.
Strong proposals should be grounded in the lived experiences of people with DD and family members, identify a specific coordination challenge, engage relevant cross-system partners, and describe how the proposed work will lead to more seamless, person-centered support. Projects should emphasize innovative strategies that can generate lessons, tools, models, or practices useful beyond the immediate grant period.
This grant opportunity is designed to support innovative, field-informed projects that address persistent challenges affecting people with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families across New York State.
|
Important Dates |
|
|---|---|
|
RFP Release Date |
10/22/2026 |
|
Closing Date for Questions |
11/12/2026 |
|
Questions Posted By |
11/20/2026 |
|
Changes to RFP Posted By |
11/20/2026 |
|
Proposal Due Date (Online Submission Required) |
11/30/2026 |
|
Anticipated Award Announcement |
12/15/2026 |
|
Anticipated Contract Start Date |
01/01/2027 |
Term of Contract(s):
The contract(s) awarded in response to this RFP will be for 1 year with an anticipated start date of January 1, 2027, and an anticipated end date of December 31, 2027.
Interested parties may learn more about the opportunity here.
Contract: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org