Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Employment for People with Physical Disabilities | HHS 2018 ACL NIDILRR RTEM 0261

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2018 ACL NIDILRR RTEM 0261

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Employment for People with Physical Disabilities is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL), specifically through the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). It sits within NIDILRR's Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, which supports research and related activities aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act. In practical terms, the RRTC model is meant to blend rigorous research with hands-on training, technical assistance, and wide dissemination so that findings do not just stay in academic journals but are translated into tools and approaches that practitioners, agencies, and communities can actually use.

This particular RRTC focuses on employment outcomes for people with physical disabilities. The center is expected to carry out well-designed research and complementary training and outreach activities that generate evidence about what improves employment participation, job retention, advancement, and overall workforce inclusion for this population. The intended beneficiaries are broad and include rehabilitation service providers, individuals with disabilities, family members, policymakers, and other research and practice stakeholders. The expectation is that the funded center will not only identify effective strategies and barriers but also help move the field toward better implementation by providing training, technical assistance, and clear, accessible dissemination products for the audiences who make employment-related decisions and deliver services.

The funding instrument is a grant, categorized under science and technology and other research and development, with CFDA number 93.433. The opportunity number is HHS-2018-ACL-NIDILRR-RTEM-0261. The agency anticipated making a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1), with an award ceiling of $875,000. This structure suggests a national center-style project, where one lead applicant (often with partners) is responsible for executing the core research agenda and delivering the associated training, technical assistance, and dissemination functions that define an RRTC.

Eligibility is intentionally broad and spans multiple sectors. Eligible applicants include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and other entities as allowed in the opportunity's eligibility clarification. This wide eligibility aligns with the applied nature of NIDILRR centers, which often require cross-sector collaboration among researchers, service systems, and community or workforce partners.

Key dates in the posted announcement indicate it was created on January 24, 2018, with an original closing date of March 26, 2018. Applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. Overall, the opportunity is designed to fund a center that can produce actionable research and actively support the uptake of that research in real-world employment and rehabilitation settings, with the explicit goal of improving employment outcomes for people with physical disabilities.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Employment for People with Physical Disabilities" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.433.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 24, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 26, 2018 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $875,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HHS 2018 ACL NIDILRR RTEM 0261

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