Designation Renewal System (DRS) Round 6 Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) were posted throughout the day yesterday, February 8, 2018. As of today, February 9, there are 48 grants up for competition in 24 states. A complete list of grants open for competition is available here. Proposals for the competitive grants are due on April 9, 2018.
If you were expecting to be a part of DRS round 6, take a close look at the Administration for Children and Families website. This is where the FOAs are posted. There are a handful grants for service areas that were forecasted to post but did not. Similarly, there are some new service areas listed that were not part of the original forecast on grants.gov. If you have questions, we encourage you to reach out to your program specialist for more information.
With first look at the FOA it feels very similar to past rounds of DRS. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Demonstration of Need: Location, Population, and Service Delivery Options (20 points)
- Achieving Early Learning and Development Outcomes to Promote School Readiness for Children (30 points)
- Past Performance (20 points)
- Staffing and Supporting a Strong Early Learning Workforce (20 points)
- Planning and Implementation (15 points)
- Organizational Capacity and Governance (25 points)
- Budget and Budget Justification (20 points)
The main difference between past rounds of DRS and this round is that there is now a standalone section for Planning and Implementation. Fifteen points are allocated to this section. Less points are allocated to Achieving Early Learning and Development Outcomes to Promote School Readiness for Children – last round it was 40 points, this round it is 30. Additionally, there are no opportunities for bonus points in this round of DRS.
You will also notice a tighter page limit with this FOA. The limit is 150-pages between the first file (program narrative) and second file (appendices). There is no limit on the third file, which contains federal financial review attachments. The 150-page limit a significant difference from the 250-page limit of past rounds of DRS. It will be important to be clear and concise as you draft your proposal. We recommend keeping a constant eye on your page count to ensure you’re on track to meet that limit.
We’ll continue to provide analyses of the DRS Round 6 funding opportunities in coming days and will let you know if any additional FOAs are posted. If your program’s service area is listed as part of DRS, please feel free to be in touch to explore how Foundations for Families can be of assistance. Our team of expert consultants provides comprehensive grant writing and grant coaching services, tailored to your program’s needs. We have had exceptional success drafting winning proposals in all rounds of DRS and would be glad to assist your program.
Thank you.