Douglas County opens 2026 disability grant applications June 15

Douglas County is reopening its disability grant program as residents’ one-mill tax continues to fund services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Applications for the 2026 Developmental Disability Mill Levy grant round open June 15, and county officials are again urging nonprofits and service providers to apply for money that will go toward 2027 projects.

The county says the Developmental Disabilities Mill Levy, created by voters in 2001, is a dedicated property tax for residents with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Under the current split, 93% of the revenue supports Developmental Pathways, the county’s Community-Centered Board and Case Management Agency, 5.5% is reserved for the competitive grant program, and 1.5% covers treasurer fees.

That funding stream has grown into a long-running local safety net. County materials say the grant program has invested more than $6.8 million since 2001, while county reporting said cumulative DDML support had passed $7.3 million by December 2025. In December 2025, county commissioners approved 2026 grant awards totaling $500,710, money that will support services this year.

Demand has stayed strong. During the 2024 grant cycle, Douglas County received 38 applications from 28 organizations and planned to award about $543,814 for intellectual and developmental disability services. That level of competition suggests the county’s small grant pool continues to attract groups trying to fill gaps for families who rely on transportation, day services, respite, housing help and other supports that do not always come from larger systems.

Housing has become a bigger piece of the county’s disability-services strategy. Douglas County said it would retain $2.5 million from DDML revenues for the 2026 to 2028 period to launch an IDD Supportive Housing Grant Opportunity, and Wellspring was identified as the top-ranked applicant for a proposed 24-unit project. The county’s focus on supportive housing signals that stable homes remain one of the most urgent needs in the local disability network.

For organizations that serve Douglas County residents with developmental disabilities, the June 15 opening marks the start of a narrow window to compete for a limited pot of money that has become central to the county’s care infrastructure.