2020 Round 2 Request for Proposals Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                      

Contact: Faith Lemon, Program Director

Email: flemon@disabilityrightsfund.org

BOSTON, MA – Today, the Disability Rights Fund (DRF) and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF) open our Round 2 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Disabled Persons’ Organizations (DPOs[1]) in Rwanda and 14 Pacific Island Countries (Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu), as well as for current grantees and selected LOI applicants in Haiti and Uganda.

PLEASE NOTE: Because the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having an outsized impact on persons with disabilities and also presents emerging advocacy opportunities, we especially welcome DPOs proposing efforts to promote a more inclusive COVID-19 response.

Interested organizations are urged to review the full eligibility criteria and details posted on DRF’s For Grantseekers page. Any questions should be directed to info@disabilityrightsfund.org.   

The deadline for submission is August 24, 2020.

Applicant organizations may apply as:

  1. Single organizations or partnerships for one-year Small Grants, ranging from USD 5,000 – 20,000;
  2. Sub-national DPO-led coalitions for two-year Mid-Level Coalition grants ranging from USD 30,000 – 40,000 per year (USD 60,000 – 80,000 over two years); and/or
  3. National DPO-led coalitions for two-year National Coalition grants, ranging from USD 30,000 to 50,000 per year (USD 60,000 – 100,000 over two years).

With its sister fund, Disability Rights Advocacy Fund (DRAF) – which supports advocacy for treaty ratification and legislative change in target countries – DRF has granted more than $35.7 million to 347 different organizations in 37 countries since 2008. Through participatory grantmaking, technical assistance and advocacy, the Funds support persons with disabilities around the world to build diverse movements, ensure inclusive development agendas, and use global rights and development frameworks – such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to achieve equal rights and opportunity for all.

DRF donors include: The Ansara Family Fund of the Boston Foundation; the Ford Foundation; The Estelle Friedman Gervis Family Foundation; the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Foundation; U.K. aid from the U.K. government (DFID); the Foundation to Promote Open Society, part of the Open Society Foundations; WE Trust; and individual donors. DRAF is supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The views expressed in this communication do not necessarily reflect the official policies of any of our donors, or the governments they represent. 

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[1] In DRF’s understanding of the term, “DPO,” DPOs are representative organizations or groups of persons with disabilities, where persons with disabilities constitute a majority of the overall staff, board and volunteers, and are well represented in all levels of the organization.  It includes organizations of relatives of persons with disabilities (only those representing children with disabilities, people with intellectual disabilities, or the DeafBlind) where a primary aim of these organizations is empowerment and the growth of self-advocacy of persons with disabilities. In addition, DPOs have an understanding of disability in accordance with the social model.