Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities | HHS 2023 ACL NIDILRR RTST 0026

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2023 ACL NIDILRR RTST 0026

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL), through the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). It sits within the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program (CFDA 93.433) and is focused on science and technology and other research and development activities intended to strengthen disability and rehabilitation outcomes.

At its core, this RRTC is designed to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act by supporting a coordinated set of activities that typically define an RRTC: rigorous research, training, technical assistance, and strong dissemination so findings reach the people who can use them. The intended beneficiaries include people with disabilities, their family members and caregivers, rehabilitation practitioners and service systems, policymakers, and other stakeholders who influence disability and rehabilitation research and practice.

This specific center has two closely linked purposes. First, it aims to generate new knowledge about the lived experiences and real-world outcomes of people with disabilities who are also from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds. The emphasis is not just descriptive; the expectation is that research findings will form a practical foundation for designing or improving interventions that can address gaps and inequities in outcomes. Second, the opportunity explicitly targets capacity building by funding research on the feasibility and effectiveness of methods and models that strengthen disability and rehabilitation research infrastructure at minority-serving institutions. In practice, this means the center is expected to study and validate approaches that help these institutions build sustained research capability, such as developing research pipelines, mentorship and training models, partnerships, data resources, and organizational supports that make high-quality disability research more durable over time.

NIDILRR planned to fund one award under this announcement in FY 2023. The project period is 60 months, structured as five separate 12-month budget periods, which typically implies annual progress expectations and budgeting over a five-year lifespan. The maximum award amount listed is $875,000 (award ceiling), and only one award was expected, making it a competitive, single-center national investment.

Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments, with additional eligible entity types referenced in the full announcement. The funding opportunity number is HHS-2023-ACL-NIDILRR-RTST-0026. The opportunity was posted March 21, 2023, and the original closing date was May 22, 2023, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline.

• 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 Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities" 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 Mar 21, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 22, 2023 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: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HHS 2023 ACL NIDILRR RTST 0026

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