BDS Innovative Pilot Projects

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration, the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services and the Bureau of Disabilities Services, a bureau within the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, created the Innovation Pilot Project Grants to provide opportunity for home and community-based services providers, non-provider community entities, self-advocates, and families to explore new means and methods to support and address outstanding needs among Hoosiers receiving services from BDS. These grant funds are made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act funds Indiana received from the federal government and are specifically targeted at improving services and supports for individuals with disabilities and their families.

Pilots offer an opportunity to:

• Demonstrate new service models that could be expanded and adopted more broadly;
• Build private/public partnerships to expand opportunity for employment and community engagement among those receiving BDS services;
• Investigate unique ways of meeting expressed needs of individuals seeking or receiving services from DDRS/BDS; and
• Generally, explore ways of improving the lives of Hoosiers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The focus and scope of the proposals received as part of the IPP grant opportunity is by necessity quite broad. The goal of this opportunity was to give maximum flexibility to explore and test new ideas, expand innovative approaches, and just do things differently with an aim of improving the supports and services we provide. The targeted areas of interest and focus are based largely on known areas of need, existing recommendations from the 1102 Taskforce and individual and family stakeholder feedback.

Projects were divided into three funding tiers to allow the maximum number of IPPs to be funded. These funding levels were determined by BDS based on the scope of the project and estimated funding necessary. See the key below which details the funding tier for each approved project.

* Tier 3: These projects have no specific dollar limit but are funded based on the specific scope and project plan submitted to DDRS.
* Tier 2: These projects are approved for a maximum of $250,000.
* Tier 1: These projects are approved for a maximum of $100,000.

Below you will find a one pager on each IPP project, which have been divided into focus areas.