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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

Business Development for Community Living: A Learning Collaborative for Centers for Independent Living to Build Sustainable Programs and Diversify Revenue

Application period extended through October 14, 2020!

October 2020 – August 2021

Does your CIL like to “Think Big”? Would you like to get away from chasing grant after grant to develop a sustainable program that could provide continued funding for your CIL?

NCIL & ILRU, together with Lehigh Valley Center for Independent Living (LVCIL) and The Independence Center are offering a new National Learning Collaborative to assist Centers for Independent Living to improve their skills for business development to establish income-producing community based services that enable people with disabilities and chronic health issues to live successfully in the community.

Goal of the Collaborative

To increase the capacity of participating Centers for Independent Living to engage in new business practices in order to establish and operate self-sustaining service programs that advance community living. Programs could vary widely depending on community need and potential funders, but some examples could include:

  • A diversion program funded by hospital(s) or Managed Care Organizations to support individuals discharging from hospitals or rehab facilities to access and sustain community living and reduce the chance or readmission to the hospital or entering an institutional setting.
  • A fee-for-service employment program to provide job training, readiness, or other employment supports.
  • Supports and services for transition-age youth with disabilities funded by Vocational Rehabilitation or local school systems.
  • A fee-for-service ADA / local code accessibility survey program paid by local or regional businesses who need to ensure compliance with federal law and other state and local accessibility requirements.
  • A home modification program funded by a Managed Care Organization or other health payer concerned with improving the social determinants of health and access to community living for their plan participants.
  • And more! Bring us your biggest ideas and wildest dreams!

Target Audience

This collaborative is aimed at intermediate to advanced Centers for Independent Living that have the skills and resources to design, implement, and sustain new or expanded fee-for-service, contract, or entrepreneurial programs that fill an existing community need or barrier for people with disabilities. Successful candidates will have a sense of the resources needed to implement the program.

Read more about this learning collaborative, including application requirements, presenter biographies, and more information about learning collaboratives.