Contact: Jed Johnson (jjohnson@easterseals.com) for questions regarding application process.
Contact: Katie Arnold (kkeiling@uic.edu) for program-related questions.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: Monday, January 8, 2018 by 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

This is a Request For Applications for community-based organizations interested in implementing The Future is Now: A Future Planning Training Curriculum for Families and Their Adult Relatives with Developmental Disabilities, an evidence-based educational program aimed at helping individuals with disabilities and their families plan for the future. Three (3) seed grants in the amount of $5,000 each will be awarded to community-based organizations that provide services and supports to people with disabilities and their families. 
 
The Future is Now targets families of adults with developmental disabilities (DD) who have aging parents. The program has helped families take specific steps to plan for the future, has decreased family member’s feelings of caregiver burden, has increased self-efficacy as well as health and well-being of family caregivers, and has increased the self-determination of adults with DD in future planning. The goal of the training is to engage people with disabilities and their families in jointly making plans for the future including preparing a Letter of Intent which serves as a roadmap for the whole family.

The Future Is Now consists of six sessions. The first session is designed as a large group, one-day legal/financial session conducted by knowledgeable attorneys (or similar professional) which covers the topics of government benefits, guardianship and less restrictive alternatives, and special needs trusts. The five additional sessions involve smaller groups, each consisting of approximately 10-20 families. (Note: family is defined as two or more people related by birth, marriage, adoption, or choice.) Each session lasts approximately 2.5 hours, and sessions are spaced approximately 2 to 4 weeks apart:

• Session 1: Legal and Financial Planning (open, large-group session)
• Session 2: Barriers to Future Planning and Letter of Intent
• Session 3: Relationships and Supports
• Session 4: Residential and Community Living Supports
• Session 5: Employment Supports
• Session 6: Goal Planning

Training and technical support will be provided to the three grantee organizations by the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) Family Support Research and Training Center (FSRTC) through live video methods. This training will use a "train the trainer" approach in which the organizational staff will receive online training on how to conduct recruitment and training of peer mentors, implement the curriculum and maintain fidelity of the model.

Important note: While The Future is Now was originally designed to support aging families of adults with developmental disabilities, proposals for translating to other populations will be considered.
An informational webinar/call will be held on Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. Central. Email Jed Johnson, jjohnson@easterseals.com, to receive registration information for the upcoming call. The session will be recorded and transcribed for those who are unable to attend.  

To be considered for award funding, please complete the following questions in the online application on or before Monday, January 8, 2018. Applicants will receive award notification in mid-January. The online train-the-trainer sessions will be provided to organizational staff. We estimate 1 to 4 people per organization will participate in the online training in 2 to 4 hour segments over three days. We are targeting the following dates, so please mark your calendars, if possible: February 9, 16, and 23.

Goals, Expectations and Reporting:
  • Commit at least one (1) staff member/project coordinator for program training and coordination.
  • Schedule and attend online training by UIC, The Future is Now developers.
  • Recruit a minimum of 2 peer trainers (including a family member and a person with disabilities) to help implement the training.
  • Recruit a speaker and host the kick-off Financial Training forum.
  • Recruit a minimum of 6 families of people with disabilities (attendees must include the person with disabilities and at least one person considered to be family—a number of family members are welcome to attend together).
  • Implement The Future is Now curriculum with families.
  • Complete/submit quarterly reports (reporting forms will be provided) and provide evaluation information.
  • Attend regularly scheduled grantee teleconferences for support and technical assistance. 
Timeline:
For the three organizations that receive the grant funding, we anticipate the timeline looking something like this:

February (9th, 16th, & 23rd), 2018--1 to 4 people from each organization participate in the online train-the-trainer sessions conducted by UIC. Each session will be about 2 to 4 hours long and there will be some tasks to complete and think about between the three sessions.

After receiving the train-the-trainer instruction, your organization will plan to implement The Future is Now six-session training at your site with at least 6 families. You will likely take a couple months to recruit families and prepare for the training. Then, you will conduct the training possibly between April/May through September/October 2018.

Questions? Please contact Katie Arnold, kkeiling@uic.edu or Jed Johnson,

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* 1. Primary Contact Info

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* 2. Briefly describe your organization and who your organization serves (include numbers, especially of how many adults with DD and/or families you serve annually):

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* 3. What adult services and supports does your organization provide? Please select all that apply.

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* 4. Do you plan to target any underserved populations for implementation of The Future is Now. If yes, please identify them below. Select all that apply.

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* 5. Does your organization currently provide any of the following supports or informational resources for families of children with DD?  Please select all that apply.

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* 6. Please describe your plans for implementing The Future is Now. Please include a description of target population and recruitment strategies, number of families you plan to serve, number of peer trainers you will train, and anticipated timeline of when you will deliver the training to families. (Max. 2,000 characters)

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* 7. Additional implementation plan information for The Future is Now and other relevant organizational information (Max. 2000 characters)

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* 8. Please describe how you will utilize the $5000 seed grant funds. Also indicate if you have supplemental funds from other sources to support this program. The following are budget items to consider:
- FTE for staff member to provide overall coordination
- Compensation to peer trainers
- Possible costs may include food, transportation, space, and childcare
- Printing and copying of materials
- Accessibility accommodations

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* 9. What are your plans for sustaining The Future is Now program after the grant period (Max. 2000 characters).

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* 10. For our application to be considered for The Future is Now, our organization/affiliate commits to the following activities: (Please select all that apply).

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* 11. Please select each item you are in AGREEMENT with:

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* 12. Please include any other information that you would like considered in the selection process for FSRTC's The Future is Now implementation project. 

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