Living Well-Model Approaches for Enhancing the Quality, Effectiveness and Monitoring of Home and Community Based Services for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities | HHS 2018 ACL AOD DNIQ 0301

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2018 ACL AOD DNIQ 0301

The Living Well grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number HHS 2018 ACL AOD DNIQ 0301) is a discretionary federal funding program offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Administration for Community Living (ACL), specifically the Administration on Disabilities and the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD). It is designed to strengthen how home and community based services (HCBS) for people with developmental disabilities are monitored and improved, with a strong emphasis on real-world quality and safety in community settings rather than institutional environments. The overall intent is to move beyond compliance-based oversight and instead build practical, replicable approaches that can continuously measure quality, prevent harm, and reinforce the rights and autonomy of people receiving supports.

At the center of the program is a cooperative agreement, meaning awardees should expect an active partnership with the federal funder rather than a hands-off grant. Under this structure, AIDD funds a consortium to develop, pilot, and test a model for monitoring quality in community settings. The model is expected to explicitly reduce and mitigate abuse and neglect while also supporting empowerment, self-determination, and self-advocacy. In plain terms, the funded work should help systems detect risks earlier, respond more effectively when problems arise, and build service environments where people with developmental disabilities have more voice, more control over decisions, and stronger supports to speak up for themselves.

A key feature of the opportunity is that applicants cannot operate as a single standalone entity; they must apply as a consortium and submit a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as part of the application package. The MOU is not a formality. It must spell out how the partners were involved in developing the application itself and, more importantly, how they will collaborate during the project to ensure the stated goals and objectives are actually achieved. This requirement signals that AIDD is looking for coordinated, cross-entity action with clearly defined roles, shared accountability, and a plan for sustained joint work, rather than loosely affiliated partners.

The grant also places importance on documenting change over time. The consortium is expected to document systems change and policy change efforts throughout the project period. That means the work is not limited to designing a monitoring tool or conducting a demonstration; it should capture how practices, oversight structures, interagency coordination, rules, guidance, or policies are influenced or improved as the model is developed and tested. This focus suggests AIDD wants outcomes that can outlast the grant and can be translated into broader improvements across HCBS systems.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity falls under the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 93.631. Eligible applicants include state governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, tribal organizations, and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The expected scale of funding includes up to 5 awards, with an award ceiling of $435,000. The original posting was created May 30, 2018, with an original closing date of July 30, 2018, and electronic applications were required to be submitted by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.

Overall, this funding opportunity is aimed at building and validating a practical, collaborative model for HCBS quality monitoring that meaningfully reduces abuse and neglect and strengthens person-centered outcomes like autonomy and self-advocacy. It prioritizes partnership-based implementation through a formal consortium structure, expects active engagement and coordination among partners as documented in an MOU, and requires ongoing documentation of systems and policy changes to support lasting improvements in community-based disability services.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Living Well-Model Approaches for Enhancing the Quality, Effectiveness and Monitoring of Home and Community Based Services for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.631.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 30, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 2018 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $435,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for HHS 2018 ACL AOD DNIQ 0301

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