Real Choice Systems Change Grants

The summary for the Real Choice Systems Change Grants grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Real Choice Systems Change Grants: In fiscal year (FY) 2004, Congress appropriated approximately $40 million in funding for a new round of Real Choice Systems Change Grants. With this solicitation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) invites proposals for grants totaling approximately $31 million of these funds. States and others, in partnership with their disability and aging communities, may submit proposals aimed at building infrastructure that will result in effective and enduring improvements in community long-term support systems. These systemic changes are designed to enable children and adults of any age who have a disability or long-term illness to: ? Live in the most integrated community setting appropriate to their individual support requirements and preferences; ? Exercise meaningful choices about their living environment, the providers of services they receive, the types of supports they use, and the manner by which services are provided; and ? Obtain quality services in a manner as consistent as possible with their community living preferences and priorities. The nine grant opportunities that comprise this round of Real Choice Systems Change Grants are the subject of this solicitation are: 1. Quality Assurance & Quality Improvement in Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) 2. Integrating Long Term Supports with Affordable Housing 3. Portals from Early Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) to Adult Supports 4. Comprehensive Systems Reform Effort 5. Mental Health: Systems Transformation 6. Rebalancing Initiative 7. Living with Independence, Freedom, and Equality (LIFE) Account Feasibility and Demonstration 8. Family-to-Family Health Care Information and Education Centers 9. National State-to-State Technical Assistance Program for Community Living Grant applications are due on July 19, 2004. All grant awards will be made prior to September 30, 2004. Grantees will have up to 36 months to expend these funds. Grantees are required to make a non-financial contribution of five percent (5 percent) of the total grant award (including all direct and indirect costs). Non-financial contributions may include the value of goods and/or services contributed by the Grantee (i.e., salary and fringe benefits of staff devoting a percentage of their time to the grant not otherwise included in their budget or derived from Federal funds). For more details and news about events relevant to these grant opportunities, please periodically consult our Web site at http://www.cms.hhs.gov/newfreedom.