Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Family Support | HHS 2019 ACL NIDILRR RTGE 0342

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2019 ACL NIDILRR RTGE 0342

The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Family Support is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), administered through the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and its National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). It sits within the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program and is funded as a grant under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA 93.433). The overall intent behind the RRTC program is to strengthen the goals of the Rehabilitation Act by improving how disability and rehabilitation-related services work in practice, using a structured mix of research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination in priority topical areas that NIDILRR identifies. In other words, the program is not just about producing studies, but about building a center that generates usable evidence and then actively helps practitioners, systems, and stakeholders apply it.

This specific RRTC focuses on family support, with an emphasis on family caregivers of people with disabilities. The central purpose is to carry out coordinated research and related activities that lead to more effective support for these family caregivers, with the downstream goal of improving outcomes for people with disabilities who rely on family members for assistance. The opportunity highlights the outcomes NIDILRR wants to see influenced by the center's work: stronger community living (supporting people to live and participate in their communities), improved health and function, and better employment outcomes. The framing makes it clear that family members are viewed as key partners in disability supports, and that strengthening caregiver supports is expected to translate into tangible improvements for individuals with disabilities across daily life and long-term independence.

The structure implied by the RRTC model is comprehensive. Applicants are expected to operate a center that produces well-designed research (so, rigorous studies that can inform policy and practice), while also delivering training and technical assistance (helping service providers, programs, and systems implement evidence-based approaches) and dissemination (making findings and tools accessible to the wider field). The listed beneficiaries extend beyond people with disabilities and their family members to include rehabilitation service providers, policymakers, and other research stakeholders, signaling that the center is expected to engage multiple audiences and support real-world uptake of its work. Practically, that means the project is meant to be both a knowledge producer and a capacity builder, helping to shape services and supports rather than remaining purely academic.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of entities that could credibly host a national center. Eligible applicants include state, county, and city or township 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 with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and other applicants as clarified in the opportunity's eligibility notes. This wide eligibility suggests the funder is prioritizing the capacity to run a high-impact research and training center, regardless of whether that capacity sits in a university, nonprofit research institute, government entity, or another qualified organization.

In terms of scale and competitiveness, the opportunity anticipates a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1), with an award ceiling of $875,000. With only one expected award, the competition is designed to select one lead center to carry out the national agenda described in the notice. The opportunity was created on April 9, 2019, with an original closing date of June 10, 2019, and electronically submitted applications were due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. The funding opportunity number is HHS-2019-ACL-NIDILRR-RTGE-0342, and the formal title is "Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Family Support."

Overall, this grant opportunity is aimed at establishing a dedicated, well-resourced center that can advance the evidence base and practical implementation of supports for family caregivers of people with disabilities. The expectation is a full pipeline approach: identify and study what works, build training and technical assistance around those findings, and disseminate tools and knowledge so that service systems, families, and policymakers can improve community living, health and functional outcomes, and employment-related outcomes for people with disabilities supported by family members.

• 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 Family Support" 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 Apr 09, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 10, 2019 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).

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