DRS Updates
About DRS Updates
Foundations for Families started this blog in 2011 to provide support for those agencies on the Designation Renewal Systems (DRS) list, and to give you up to date information and analysis about DRS.
DRS Updates provides timely information and context for those agencies in DRS, at risk of being in DRS, or those wishing to compete for the service areas.
What to Expect for DRS in 2023
DRS can feel unpredictable as programs learn about deficiencies or await a grant competition. From timelines to process, it can be hard to know what to expect. In this blog post, we recap what we know about the status of DRS in 2023, from open competitions to what may come.
DRS NOFOs Posted for Four States and Applications Due January 24, 2023
On November 10, 2022, five Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities posted on grants.gov. These grants were forecasted in October and were expected to post earlier this month. Applications for DRS grants are due January 24, 2023.
In addition to accessing NOFOs on grants.gov, they are downloadable from the Office of Head Start (OHS) Funding Opportunities website. Service areas with grants open for competition, estimated funding amounts, and estimated numbers of awards are summarized below.
DRS Grants Forecasted to Open for Competition in November 2022
On October 11, 2022, four of the eight Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for Designation Renewal System (DRS) grant opportunities expected this fall were forecasted on grants.gov. At the NHSA Fall Leadership Institute, the Office of Head Start (OHS) announced that DRS grant competitions will be for service areas in Puerto Rico and seven states including Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
New Section of HSPPS Allows Flexibility for DRS Determinations in Emergencies
The tenth round of DRS is coming to a close next week. If your program is competing in this round, you might be putting the final touches on your application. The application process is a lot of work. Congratulations to all who submit applications! In recent years, DRS grant competitions have taken place late fall/early winter. Given this, our best guess is that DRS Round 11 will be forecasted early fall 2020, with competitions opening later this year. This is not a guarantee, though. In fact,...
5 Tips for Successful Submission of DRS Round 10 Applications
The deadline for submission of DRS grant applications, February 2, 2022, is less than three weeks away. At this stage in the process, you are likely putting finishing touches on narrative, gathering appendix items, and planning for submission of your application. It’s the home stretch and carefully navigating the final steps of the application process will help to ensure timely and successful submission of your program’s application.
Grant writing exceeded our expectations.
We also developed internal capacity through the modeling and coaching provided by Foundations for Families. We have an excellent DRS application. Foundations for Families removed the anxiety from the process, using a strengths-based approach. This helped us focus on the positive components of our program.
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