Conference/Speaker Funding
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The Conference/Speaker Funding program of the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities (NCCDD) sponsors conferences that relate to the goals of NCCDD. When decided on whether to fund a conference or parts of a conference, NCCDD considers many factors including, but not limited to:

  • Target audience (e.g., national, multi-state or regional, statewide; self-advocates, parents, providers, direct support professionals, etc.);
  • Involvement of people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD) and family members in the planning of the event;
  • Alignment with the Council’s goals and objectives as determined in NCCDD’s Five-Year State Plan;
  • Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);
  • Accessibility of conference location, facilities, publications, materials and programs;
  • Information on how conference planning will determine the accessibility of the facility where the conference will be held;
  • Evaluations measuring participant satisfaction including questions about accessibility to the conference facility;
  • Outreach to and expected degree of participation of people with I/DD or their family members during the conference;
  • Focus on systems change, advocacy, and community capacity building for people with I/DD and families;
  • Collaboration with Council grants or inclusion of presentations from Council grantees;
  • Willingness of the applicant to agree, as a contingency for funding and at Council discretion, to waive registration fees, dependent on conference size and funding request, for up to five Council members/staff selected by the Council for attendance at the event;
  • Potential to build or enhance collaboration or partnership with the national DD Network, state DD network programs (i.e., P&A, UCEDD), or other key stakeholders; and
  • Endorsements from agencies, organizations, and individuals.

Deadlines and Details

  • Requests for conference/speaker funding should be received in the Council office a minimum of six weeks prior to the conference.
  • Conference Funding requests are reviewed by NCCDD's Executive Committee, which typically meets on the third Monday of each month.
  • If a request is received less than six weeks prior to the conference, the Council reserves the right to disqualify the request.
  • Council sponsorship must be acknowledged on conference flyers and agendas.

How to Apply

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