Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.250Q | ED GRANTS 120723 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 120723 001

This discretionary grant opportunity comes from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), through the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). It funds the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) program, listed as Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.250Q, under Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 120723 001. The program is designed to support vocational rehabilitation (VR) services for American Indians with disabilities who live on or near Federal or State reservations, with a clear emphasis on services that are culturally appropriate and tailored to each individual. The overall goal is practical and employment-focused: helping eligible individuals prepare for, obtain, and keep high-quality employment that improves long-term economic self-sufficiency.

At the center of the program is the idea that VR services should align with the person, not force the person to fit a preset model. The notice highlights that services should be delivered in a way that reflects each individual’s strengths, resources, priorities, concerns, abilities, capabilities, interests, and informed choice. In other words, applicants are expected to build service strategies that meet people where they are, respect community and cultural context, and lead to real job outcomes rather than only short-term activities.

Eligibility is limited and very specific. Applications may be submitted only by Indian Tribes (including consortia of Indian Tribes) located on Federal and State reservations. The Rehabilitation Act definition of an "Indian Tribe" is broad and includes any Federal or State Indian tribe, band, rancheria, pueblo, colony, or community. It also includes Alaskan Native village or regional village corporations established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and tribal organizations as defined in the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. The program also relies on a detailed regulatory definition of "reservation" (34 CFR 371.6), which includes not only traditional Federal or State reservations, but also public domain Indian allotments, former reservations in Oklahoma, land held by incorporated Native groups, and Alaska Native regional and village corporation lands, as well as other defined areas recognized by a State or the Federal Government where tribal members are concentrated and where the tribal government provides structured activities and services.

Who can actually apply, structurally, is clarified under 34 CFR 371.2. An applicant must be either the governing body of an Indian Tribe (applying for itself or for a consortium) or a tribal organization that is legally separate from an Indian Tribe. If the applicant is a tribal organization rather than the tribal governing body, it must meet two key conditions: vocational rehabilitation of American Indians with disabilities must be one of the organization’s functions, and the organization must have the approval of the Tribe it proposes to serve. If the project will benefit more than one Tribe, then approval from each Tribe benefiting from the services is required before an award can be made. That approval requirement is a major gatekeeping step and signals that the Department expects documented tribal consent and buy-in for multi-tribal service delivery.

The opportunity anticipates making about 44 awards. The original closing date listed for applications was March 26, 2024. While the synopsis provides the high-level purpose and eligibility rules, it also stresses that the authoritative requirements live in the official Federal Register application notice. That notice is where applicants need to look for the full set of instructions and standards, including pre-application and application requirements, how to submit, what priorities (if any) apply for that competition, the performance measures that grantees will be held to, and official program contact information. The synopsis also points applicants to the Department of Education’s Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published December 7, 2022) for the required addresses and general submission procedures.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.250Q" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.250.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-07.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 44 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 120723 001

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