In the world of Designation Renewal System (DRS) there are a lot of moving pieces. We appreciate that there are many questions about the timing of awards, forecasts, and Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOA). Here are our thoughts about the status of all things DRS.
DRS Round 7 (Applications submitted fall 2018)
If your program applied for a grant through DRS last fall, Round 7, then you are likely awaiting notice of award. We’ve heard from some of you, and at conferences last month, that Round 7 applications were making the way through the paneling process. With Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start – Child Care Partnership (EHS-CCP) applications being reviewed earlier this year, it would make sense if DRS Round 7 was up next. Our best guess is that programs might start hearing from their Regional Office in the next month or two.
DRS Round 8 (Programs expecting to be in the next round of DRS)
If your program is in the final year of its grant cycle and will have to compete for continued funding then it may be in Round 8. If your program had a deficiency, even if that deficiency was resolved, your program will still be in DRS. Based on DRS trends in the past, it seems most likely that programs with grants ending from July to December 2019 could be in Round 8. Although, don’t be surprised if this isn’t the case. There always seem to be surprises when forecasts and Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) are posted!
There is a lot you can do to prepare for DRS. Check out our advice for how to enhance proposal competitiveness through community assessment. Get everything in order so that you’re ready to draft a proposal and successfully submit your application.
Live FOAs
There has been recent Head Start/Early Head Start activity on grants.gov. On February 20th three FOAs posted for Head Start/Early Head Start service areas –
- The Cities of Williamsburg and Poquoson; York and James City Counties, Virginia;
- Head Start and/or Early Head Start Grantee – Wayne County, with the exception of the City of Detroit, Michigan; and
- Early Head Start Grantee – Municipality of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico.
It looks like a couple of these competitions might be replacement grants as opposed to DRS. Either way, it’s helpful to see activity around Head Start/Early Head Start grants. We know things are moving, and hopefully this means we’ll see a forecast for DRS Round 8 competitions soon.
We are here to help with whatever stage of the DSR process your program is in. Foundations for Families team members provide an array of services ranging from community assessment and grant writing to start up and implementation support. Please be in touch to learn more.
Thank you.