Guide  Grants and Funding Opportunities

The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council (MDDC) offers funding opportunities that empower people with intellectual/developmental disabilities to self-advocate. As funds become available, Notices of Funds Available (NOFAs) will be added to our webpage.

All grant applications and management can be completed through DD Suite.

The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Network created the Barbara Wilensky Gopen Memorial Fellowship in 2001. The fellowship honors disability advocate Barbara Wilensky Gopen. 

The Gopen Fellowship is a 1 year opportunity for individuals with developmental disabilities. If you are accepted into the fellowship, you will be called a Gopen Fellow. As a Gopen Fellow, you will come up with a project idea. Staff from the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) will help you with your project. We will help you learn leadership skills. Fellows will learn about disability policy, disability services, and disability advocacy.

The application period for the 2024-2025 Barbara Wilensky Gopen Memorial Fellowship is now open! Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 12. For more information on applying for the fellowship, please visit the page titled "Apply for the Gopen Fellowship" under Table of Contents.

The Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Network created the Allen C. Crocker Family Fellowship in 2012. The Fellowship celebrates the work of Dr. Allen C. Crocker and his devotion to families of children with disabilities.

The fellowship is a 1 year opportunity for family members of individuals with developmental disability. If you are accepted into the fellowship, you will be called a Crocker Fellow. As a Crocker Fellow, you will come up with a project idea. Staff from the Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) will help you with your project. Fellows will develop leadership skills and learn about disability policy, disability services, and disability supports.

The application period for the 2024-2025 Allen C. Crocker Family Fellowship is now open! Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 12. For more information on applying for the fellowship, please visit the page titled "Apply for the Crocker Fellowship" under Table of Contents.

Apply for a reimbursement of up to $250 of your expenses to attend relevant conferences or other events held in Massachusetts. This grant program empowers individuals with developmental disabilities and their families to learn and grow.

Please note: The Council Empowerment Funds (CEF), a program of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council since 1998, will be concluding on June 30, 2024.  More than 4,070 people, including people with developmental disabilities and family members, benefited from the program.

The Council’s evolving funding priorities aim to better serve a broader audience of individuals with developmental disabilities and their families throughout Massachusetts.

If you or someone you know has benefited from the CEF program, please consider sharing your thoughts here