Arc of Washington Trust Fund - Research Grants

The Arc of Washington Trust Fund was established in 1950 to provide funds for research into intellectual and other developmental disabilities.  Over the lifetime of the Trust, grants of more than $900,000 have been made.  The purpose of the Arc Trust is to promote research on the causes, prevention, and treatment of intellectual and other developmental disabilities and their personal, social, and legal consequences.

Applicants are encouraged to review National Goals & Research for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, edited by K Charlie Lakin and Ann Turnbull, and published jointly by The Arc of the United States and the American Association for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (formerly AAMR) in 2005. The cost of the underlying conference was partially underwritten by The Arc of Washington Research Trust Fund. The book describes many of the lines of research that national leaders in the field have suggested should have high priority.

Because the Arc Trust is small compared to public funding sources, preference is given to Junior Investigators and grants normally serve as seed money for future research.  Most successful applicants have been affiliated with research universities and have addressed educational, medical, or psychological issues, but the Arc Trust Fund welcomes innovative proposals from any applicant on any topic related to its purposes.  Grantees must live or work in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska or British Columbia.

The Application Process

The application process is in two stages:  a letter of intent and a grant proposal.

I. Letters of intent may be submitted at any time.  Letters should be submitted to:

The Arc of Washington Trust Fund
Attn: Diana Stadden, Administrative Assistant

or by email to diana@arcwa.org

Applicants are invited to send a brief letter to the Trust explaining the nature of the planned proposal and how it relates to the Trust’s purposes with an estimate of the amount of support required. If the research meets the Trust’s purposes, the Trust Board may request a formal grant proposal.

II. Grant proposal. If a researcher is invited to submit a full proposal, ten copies of that proposal must be received before the October board meeting. Proposals are considered at the board meeting on the second Tuesday of October, and must be received three weeks in advance. Successful grant applicants will be notifed by November 1st and funds dispersed by January 30th.

The ten copies of the proposals should be mailed to:

The Arc of Washington Trust Fund
Attn: Diana Stadden, Administrative Assistant
2638 State Ave. NE
Olympia, WA 98506


The grant proposal should include the following:

Review and Grant Procedures

Applicants will be asked to appear at a meeting of the Trust to make a presentation and discuss their proposal. Applicants will be quickly advised of the Trust’s decision.

The Trust ordinarily pays the total grant at the beginning of the project. The principal investigator and the award recipient are personally responsible for any expenditure above the approved budget. Any unexpended or unencumbered funds at the end of the grant period must be returned to the Trust. Acceptance of the grant constitutes agreement with these terms, for which the individual or institution will be held responsible.

Reporting Requirements

In addition to supplying ten copies of any resulting publication, grantees must submit ten copies of a final report within 90 days of the end of project. Publications and the final report should be mailed to:

The Arc of Washington Trust Fund
Attn: Diana Stadden, Administrative Assistant
2638 State Ave. NE
Olympia, WA 98506

  1. Applicant information: name, profession, degree, title, and institutional affiliation of applicant or of persons responsible for the grant if it is funded.
  2. An abstract (500 words maximum) of the proposal written in non-technical language.
  3. The proposal, including these sections:
       
    1. Introduction: a statement of the need for the research.
      2.  
    2. Purpose: a statement of the planned research, including hypotheses to be tested, if any, and how the results will contribute to the welfare of individuals with intellectual or other developmental disabilities.
      3.  
    3. Research design: the details of goals and objectives, methods, materials, population, number of subjects, and procedures for evaluating the findings. Subsequent research options and opportunities for continued funding should be set forth.
      4.  
    4. Available resources and facilities: identification of major items of equipment, collaborating personnel, study population, and other pertinent resources.
      5.  
    5. Capabilities: description of the applicant’s ability to undertake the project.
      6.  
  4. Curriculum vitae and bibliographies of all professional persons involved in the project.
  5. Budget, listing proposed expenditures for personnel, equipment, supplies, and other specified costs, and a detailed budget justification. Contract services, fringe benefits, and overhead should be identified separately. Other funding sources that support the research should be noted. Indirect costs of institutional overhead should be calculated at no more than 10% of salaries. The budget period must be specified. The Arc will expect cost-sharing with institutions charging overhead or indirect costs against grants. Indirect costs are limited to 10% of personnel costs (salary plus fringe benefits). The Arc grants are for a single year. The current maximum grant to investigators is $10,000.
  6. Timeline for significant phases of the project.

  7. Required written assurances:

       
    1. agreement that any written publication of the results will credit the Arc for its financial support and that copies of all such publications will be submitted to the Arc;
      2.  
    2. indicating institutional commitment to the proposal, where relevant, including agreement with the budget and allowable overhead; and
      3.  
    3. ensuring compliance with the laws relating to the protection of human subjects (for proposals involving the study of humans) and stating how this proposal was reviewed in terms of protecting human subjects and how informed consent will be obtained from research subjects or their guardians;
      4.