CPRC: COMMUNITY PARENT RESOURCE CENTERS (84.328C) Understanding the Application and Process ► March 17, 2016 at 3:00 p.m. (E.D.T)

Pre-Application Webinar: Agenda Overview of the CPRC Application Application Review Process Submitting an Application Resources and Assistance Questions CPRCs: Community Parent Resource Centers C2

Overview of CPRC Competition: Timelines Applications available February 29, 2016 Pre-Application Webinar March 17, 2016 Deadline for Transmittal of Applications April 11, :30:00 PM ET (Washington, D.C. time ) CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 3

Eligible Applicants Local parent organizations are the only eligible applicants Section 671(a)(2) of IDEA defines a “parent organization” as a private nonprofit organization (other than an institution of higher education) that— (a) Has a board of directors— (1) The majority of whom are parents of children with disabilities ages birth through 26; (2) That includes— (i) Individuals working in the fields of special education, related services, and early intervention; and (ii) Individuals with disabilities; and (3) The parent and professional members of which are broadly representative of the population to be served, including low-income parents and parents of limited English proficient children; and (b) Has as its mission serving families of children with disabilities who are ages birth through 26, and have the full range of disabilities described in section 602(3) of IDEA. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 4 See pages A-18 in the Application Package.

Award Information 30 Awards estimated Budgets not to exceed $100,000 per year 5-year grants Project period October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2021 CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 5 See page A-18 in the Application Package.

Purpose of CPRC Grants Competitive, multi-year grants, for up to 5 years, funding nonprofit local parent organizations to Provide training and information to families of children with disabilities in geographically defined communities, as required by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Help youth with disabilities understand their rights and responsibilities under IDEA CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 6

Project Outcomes At a minimum, the CPRCs must: (a) increase parents’ capacity to help their children with disabilities improve their early learning, school-aged, and postsecondary outcomes; and (b)increase youth with disabilities’ capacity to be effective self-advocates. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 7 See page A-9 in the Application Package.

Significance of Project (a) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Significance of the Project,” how the proposed project will— (1) Address the needs of parents of children with disabilities who experience significant isolation from available sources of information and support for services that increase the parents’ capacity to help their children improve their early learning, school-aged, and postsecondary outcomes. To meet this requirement, the applicant must-- CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 8 See page A-10 in the Application Package.

Significance of Project (i) Present appropriate information on the characteristics and needs of parents in the identified community who experience significant challenges identifying reliable sources of information and support, including, for example, low-income parents, parents with limited English proficiency, parents of incarcerated youth with disabilities, and parents with disabilities; (ii) Present appropriate information about the identified community, including a description of its geographic area, population demographics, and the resources available in the community to support all families; CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 9 See page A-10 in the Application Package.

Project Services and Activities Paragraph (b) of priority lists the requirement for project services, which includes services that Reach underserved populations Increase parents’ knowledge and capacity Increase youth knowledge and capacity Use best practices in their delivery Leverage partnerships with others Logic model guides development of services and activities and CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 10 See pages A-11 – A-14in the Application Package.

Project Services and Activities Focus of knowledge and capacity building activities Parental rights and responsibilities Access to the general education curriculum and inclusive opportunities Evidence-based education practices that improve early learning, school-aged, and postsecondary outcomes College- and career-ready standards and assessments School reform efforts to improve student achievement and increase graduation rates Use of data to inform instruction and in school reform efforts Youth self-awareness, rights and responsibilities, and self-advocacy skills Building skills to work collaboratively and effectively CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 11 See pages A-11 – A-14 in the Application Package.

Project Administration - Evaluation Paragraph (c) of the priority lists the requirements for a an evaluation plan (page A-14) The applicant will evaluate how well it meets the goals in its logic model, including Appropriate evaluation methodologies and Appropriate criteria for determining if the project has reached and served families and youth in the identified community The proposed project will use the evaluation results to examine its implementation and its progress toward achieving intended outcomes. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 12

Project Administration – Resources Paragraph (d) of the priority lists how the applicant will demonstrate the organization has adequate resources to carry out the project (page A-14) Proposed personnel have the qualifications and experience to carry out the proposed project The applicant will encourage applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have historically been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, linguistic diversity, gender, age, or disability, as appropriate; and The applicant and key partners have adequate resources to carry out the proposed activities. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 13

Project Administration - Management Paragraph (e) of the priority lists the requirements to demonstrate that the applicant has an adequate management plan (page A-15) Ensure that intended outcomes in logic model will be achieved on time and within budget The time of key personnel is sufficient Ensure that the services provided are of high quality Board of directors will provide appropriate oversight to the project Project benefits from a diversity of perspectives Ensure that the Annual Performance Reports meet requirements Use available technical assistance CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 14

Project Administration – Requirements Paragraph (f) lists application requirements (page A-16) A logic model in Appendix A Person-loading charts and timelines in Appendix A, as applicable, to illustrate the management plan described in the narrative Budget for attendance by the project director at one OSEP meeting in Washington DC annually CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 15

Application Review Process: Evaluation Criteria Applications will be evaluated based on the following selection criteria established for CPRC : 1. Significance (20 points); 2. Quality of project services (40 points); 3. Quality of project evaluation (10 points); 4. Adequacy of resources (15 points); and 5. Quality of the management plan (15 points). CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 16 See pages B-14 – B-16 in the Application Package.

Submitting an Application: Application Requirements Applicants are required to submit a project narrative in which the applicant adequately describes how the proposed project will meet the required outcomes. The outcomes to be addressed in the narrative and suggested organization of the narrative, which mirrors the Selection Criteria, are listed on pages A-9 – A-16. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 17

Submitting an Application: Content & Form of Application The application narrative (Part III of the application package) addresses the selection criteria used to evaluate the application. The application narrative must be limited to the equivalent of no more than 50 pages, using the following standards: A “page” is 8.5” x 11”, on one side only, with 1” margins at top, bottom, and both sides. Double space all text in application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs. Use a font either 12 point or larger or no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch). Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Ariel. Page limit only applies to Part III, not Parts I, II, or IV. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 18 See page A-22 in the Application Package.

Submitting an Application: Application Submission Applications must be submitted electronically using the Grants.gov Apply site ( Applications may not be submitted via . Applications must be submitted no later than 4:30:00 p.m., ET (Washington, DC time), on April 11, Application narrative sections and all other attachments to the application must be uploaded as files in a PDF read-only, non- modifiable format. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 19 See pages D-2 in the Application Package.

Submitting an Application: Tips for Applicants 1. Register early. Grants.gov may take five or more business days to complete. Be sure that your registration with is current. 2. Submit early. Don’t wait until the last day to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it after it is fully uploaded. 3. Verify submission is ok. Verify that Grants.gov received your submission on time and that it was validated successfully. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 20 See pages A-32– A-41 in the Application Package.

Submitting an Application: Criteria for Ineligibility Applications received after deadline (4/11/2016 at 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time). Applications not addressing the published priority. Applications submitted by ineligible entities (i.e., organizations other than nonprofit parent organizations). Applications exceeding maximum award size of $100,000 per year. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 21

Submitting an Application: Criteria for Ineligibility Applications exceeding the page limit in the narrative. Applications submitted in paper format (unless applicant qualifies for exception to electronic submission requirement) Narrative sections and all other attachments to the application submitted as file types other than a read-only, non-modifiable PDF (e.g., interactive or fillable PDF, password-protected file) will not be reviewed. CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 22

After Submission – What to Expect Applicants may be contacted if organizational eligibility or other eligibility criteria are unclear Applicants submitting ineligible applications will receive a letter stating that the application is ineligible and the reasons for the ineligibility Eligibility decisions cannot be appealed Eligible applications move forward to review Applicants submitting an eligible application will not be notified CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 23

After Submission – What to Expect Funding decisions based on review by an external panel of experts, an internal risk review, and multiple levels of approval Congress has the right to first notify successful applicants Successful applicants will be contacted by phone ALL applicants submitting eligible applications will receive a letter and reviewers’ scores and comments CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 24

After Submission - Tips Long and unpredictable timeline from submission to notification Staff cannot provide information about status prior to the end of Congressional notification No one other than OSEP staff knows application status Eligible applicants unlikely to receive any information prior to late June. No news is no news Patience Breathe CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 25

Resources and Assistance Applicants are encouraged to contact: Carmen Sanchez ( or To obtain the application in an accessible format, contact ED’s Grants and Contracts Services Team ( , TDD/TTY ). For problems submitting an application through Grants.gov, contact the Grants.gov Support Desk ( ; obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and keep record of it). CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 26

Thank You! CPRC: Community Parent Resource Centers C 27