PWDF Update

PWDF Awards Grants to Eight Programs that Serve People with Psychiatric, Intellectual, and/or Developmental Disabilities (P/IDD)

Pilot Grant Program December 2020 Awards

In February 2017, PWDF announced a pilot grant program to help other nonprofit agencies in their work to integrate people with 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 December 2020, PWDF renewed grants to four current grantees and awarded grants to four additional programs.  Please see our website for announcements and program requirements, including eligibility.

PWDF made the following grant awards in December 2020:

• The Arc of the United States, in Washington, DC, received $10,000 for their Access to Justice Programs, to support the creation and delivery of Know Your Rights webinar-based resources for self-advocates, with a planned focus on supporting crime victims with I/DD.
• Institute of Urban Living in Washington, DC, was awarded $10,000 for Hyacinth’s Place affordable housing with support services for homeless women with a mental health diagnosis. This grant will help provide support services for medication, education, vocational assessments, financial education, mental health counseling and meals to homeless women with psychiatric disabilities, so they can achieve independent living.
• Laurel House in Stamford, CT, was awarded $10,000 for their Supported Education Program, which supports economically disadvantaged students living with a mental health disability enroll and succeed in post-secondary education or vocational certification or complete a GED.
• Laurel House in Stamford, CT, was also awarded $5,000 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 under the Covid pandemic.
• Pomeroy Recreation & Rehabilitation Center, of San Francisco, CA, received $3,185.59 for technology devices to connect participants, who have developmental disabilities, to virtual programs and services during the pandemic.  (See related article.)
• The Arc of the Glades, in Belle Glade, FL, received $10,000 for Community Inclusion / Employment Simulation Program, which provides experiential education to lead to social, cultural, and employment skill sets, as well as employment simulation through volunteering.
• Farmsteads of New England, in Hillsborough, NH, received $8,500 to help launch Redberry Farm, replicating Rosewald Farm, which provides day, residential, and transition services for adults who have autism and other developmental disabilities.
• Pennsylvania Elks Major Projects, in Somerset, PA, received $10,000 to provide individualized support for persons with psychiatric, intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

See our website for more information about PWDF’s 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.