PWDF Update

Pilot Grant Program Update – People With Disabilities Foundation Announces 2018 Awards

In February 2017, PWDF announced a pilot grant program to help other nonprofit agencies in their work to integrate people with psychiatric, intellectual, and/or developmental disabilities (P/IDD) into the whole of society. Grants may be used for a specific program, project, or general operating expenses if related to a specific project or program in furtherance of providing advocacy, education, vocational, or other services to people with psychiatric and/or developmental disabilities.

In June 2017, PWDF awarded the first grants in our pilot program. Organizations that received grants included the following:

• The Arc of the United States, in Washington, DC, received $7,500 in support of their Pathways to Justice Program. This program aims to increase the knowledge of effective responses to people with I/DD in a criminal justice context by providing trainings to professionals, thus improving the system’s awareness of people with I/DD, and teaching effective communication methods to better serve people with these disabilities living in the community.

• Casa Allegra Community Services, in San Anselmo, CA, received $7,500 to support a job developer trained to help clients with developmental disabilities to pursue meaningful activities to earn income in the community.

• Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center, of San Francisco, CA, received $5,000 for their Farm to Market Program. This program aims to provide healthy food options to people with developmental disabilities, as well as job training opportunities in both food handing and horticulture/agriculture, offering a pathway to full integration working in food service or a landscaping crew and beyond.

PWDF is pleased to announce that we have awarded nine grants in 2018:

• Abilities of Northwest Jersey, Inc., from Washington, NJ, was awarded $6,000 to help fund equipment for their Phillipsburg Center Sensory Room to provide therapies to improve the quality of life, communication and behavior of individuals with I/DD requiring therapeutic interventions.

• The Arc of Central Alabama, from Birmingham, AL, was awarded $10,000 in support of their Ability Baking Company on Wheels, which will be the first mobile food truck in the state that provides skill training and supported employment opportunities to those with P/IDD leading to an increase in satisfaction, independence and inclusion.

• Goodwill Northern Illinois, from Rockford, IL, was awarded $10,000 for their Supported Employment Program to help support adults with P/IDD in employment and on-the-job training to expand and enhance work skills while making a fair wage.

• Institute of Urban Living from Washington, DC, was awarded $12,500 for Hyacinth’s Place affordable housing with support services for homeless women with a mental health diagnosis. This grant will help provide support services such as medication, education, vocational assessments, financial education, mental health counseling and meals to homeless women with psychiatric disabilities, so they can achieve the quality of life to which they aspire.

• Kadima Jewish Support Services, from Southfield, MI, was awarded $5,000 for their Client Volunteer Program. It is a comprehensive program focused on providing an opportunity for individuals with chronic mental illness to give back to their community, integrate with others, enjoy a sense of community, and volunteer with community organizations.

• Laurel House from Stamford, CT, was awarded $10,000 for their Supported Employment Program, which provides vocational and clinical supports enabling people with serious mental illness, who have been traditionally unable to work, to engage in competitive employment and sustain that employment with ongoing support and workshops as needed. This grant would go toward the salary of a part-time supported employment specialist (counselor) to reduce the waitlist for program participants and increase the number served.

• Urban Autism Solutions, from Chicago, IL, provides a series of wrap-around services to help young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) transition to adulthood. They were awarded $10,000 for their Growing Solutions Farm Vocational Training Program to train young adults with ASD to be increasingly independent, acquire soft skills for potential employment, and help develop basic life skills.

• The Arc of the United States, in Washington, DC, received $7,500, again in support of their Pathways to Justice Program, described above.

• Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center, of San Francisco, CA, received $5,000 for community integration and engagement activities that are intended both to integrate people with developmental disabilities into the larger community and to increase social inclusion, thereby changing perceptions of the larger community.

See our website for more information about the Grant Program.

PWDF Profile

Who We Are

People With Disabilities Foundation is an operating 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California, which focuses on the rights of the mentally and developmentally disabled.

Services

Advocacy: PWDF advocates for Social Security claimant’s disability benefits in eight Bay Area counties. We also provide services in disability rights, on issues regarding returning to work, and in ADA consultations, including areas of employment, health care, and education, among others. There is representation before all levels of federal court and Administrative Law Judges. No one is declined due to their inability to pay, and we offer a sliding scale for attorney’s fees.

Education/Public Awareness: To help eliminate the stigma against people with mental disabilities in society, PWDF’s educational program organizes workshops and public seminars, provides guest speakers with backgrounds in mental health, and produces educational materials such as videos.

Continuing Education Provider: State Bar of California MCLE and Commission of Rehabilitation Counselor Certification.