Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Employer Practices Leading to Successful Employment Outcomes Among People With Disabilities | HHS 2021 ACL NIDILRR RTEM 0027

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACL NIDILRR RTEM 0027

This funding opportunity, titled "Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Employer Practices Leading to Successful Employment Outcomes Among People With Disabilities" (Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2021-ACL-NIDILRR-RTEM-0027), is a discretionary federal grant offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through the Administration for Community Living (ACL), under the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). It sits within the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program and is categorized as science and technology and other research and development (CFDA 93.433). The central goal is to fund a single Rehabilitation Research and Training Center that will build practical, evidence-based knowledge about which employer practices most effectively lead to successful employment outcomes for people with disabilities.

At its core, the RRTC program is designed to strengthen the real-world effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act by supporting a coordinated set of research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities. Rather than focusing only on academic research, an RRTC is expected to operate as a hub that produces usable findings and then actively helps stakeholders apply them. The intended beneficiaries are broad and include people with disabilities and their families, vocational rehabilitation and other rehabilitation service providers, employers and workforce partners, policymakers, and researchers. For this specific center, the emphasis is on employer-side practices, meaning the work should clarify what employers can do, and what works best, to recruit, hire, onboard, retain, and advance employees with disabilities in ways that translate into better employment outcomes.

The opportunity anticipates making one award, with an award ceiling of $875,000. The announcement was created on January 19, 2021, with an original closing date of March 22, 2021. As a discretionary grant, funding is competitive and typically requires applicants to propose a strong project design with clear methods, measurable outputs, and a plan for translating research into practice through training and dissemination. While the summary language does not spell out specific required research questions or deliverables, the program framing strongly signals that the funded center is expected to produce "new knowledge" (not just synthesize existing literature) and to pair that knowledge with intentional outreach so that employers, service systems, and policymakers can actually use the results.

Eligibility is intentionally broad, reflecting the interdisciplinary and applied nature of rehabilitation employment research. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and other tribal organizations; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and other entities as allowed under the additional eligibility guidance referenced in the announcement. This range allows applications from universities, research institutes, nonprofits focused on disability employment, policy organizations, and certain private-sector entities, including those positioned to study employer practices directly and to disseminate findings into workplaces.

Overall, the grant is aimed at moving the field beyond general recommendations by identifying, testing, and communicating concrete employer practices that are associated with successful employment outcomes for people with disabilities. In practical terms, a well-aligned RRTC proposal under this opportunity would be expected to combine rigorous research (to determine which practices are effective and under what conditions) with training and technical assistance (to help employers and service systems implement those practices) and dissemination (to ensure findings reach and influence decision-makers, practitioners, and the disability community).

• 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 Employer Practices Leading to Successful Employment Outcomes Among People With 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 19, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 22, 2021. (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 2021 ACL NIDILRR RTEM 0027

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