The Administration for Community Living (ACL) invites applications for a new award for fiscal year (FY) 2023 for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities.
Donor Name: Administration for Community Living
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/25/2023
Size of the Grant: $875,000
Grant Duration: 60 months
Details:
Purpose of the Program
The purpose of the RRTCs, which are funded through the Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects and Centers Program, is to achieve the goals of, and improve the effectiveness of, services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act through well-designed research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities in important topical areas as specified by NIDILRR.
These activities are designed to benefit people with disabilities, family members or caregivers, rehabilitation service providers, policymakers and other research stakeholders. The purpose of this particular RRTC is to generate new knowledge about the experiences and outcomes of individuals with disabilities from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds that can be used as a foundation for developing interventions to improve those outcomes. Another purpose of the RRTC is to conduct research on the feasibility and effectiveness of methods and models to enhance disability and rehabilitation research capacity and infrastructure at minority-serving institutions. NIDILRR plans to make one grant under this opportunity in FY 2023. The grant will have a 60-month project period, with five 12-month budget periods.
Priority
The Administrator of the Administration for Community Living establishes a priority for a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Research and Capacity Building for Minority Entities. One intended outcome of the RRTC is enhanced disability and rehabilitation research capacity at minority entities. A minority entity, as defined in Section 21 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 718), is an entity that is a historically Black college or university, a Hispanic-serving institution of higher education, an American Indian tribal college or university, or another institution of higher education whose minority student population is at least 50 percent. Another intended outcome of the RRTC is new research-based knowledge about the experiences and outcomes of people with disabilities from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds, which can be used as a foundation for developing services, supports, or interventions to improve those outcomes. The RRTC must contribute to these intended outcomes by:
- Identifying or developing models for enhancing the research capacity and engagement in federal research by minority entities and researchers based at these institutions;
- Generating new knowledge of the effectiveness of the models identified or developed under (a), by implementing and testing them in the field of disability and rehabilitation research. At least one research project under this requirement must be conducted at the intervention efficacy or scale-up evaluation stage of research, or both. NIDILRR’s stages of research are defined in this section of the notice of funding opportunity;
- Conducting research that examines experiences and outcomes of people with disabilities from traditionally underserved racial and ethnic populations. Applicants must focus their research activities on topics that fall under at least one of the following major life domains identified in NIDILRR’s Long-Range Plan (1) Employment, (2) Community Living and Participation, or (3) Health and Function. At least one research project under this requirement must be conducted at the intervention development or intervention efficacy stage of research, or both; and
- Serving as a national resource center for minority entities that are seeking to develop their research infrastructure and to enhance their capacity to engage in disability and rehabilitation research, by conducting knowledge translation activities that include, but are not limited to:
- Providing information and technical assistance to minority entities to develop their institutional research infrastructure and enhance their capacity to conduct disability and rehabilitation research;
- Providing training, including graduate, pre-service, and in-service training, to individuals with disabilities and their representatives, service providers, and other key stakeholders to facilitate improved disability and rehabilitation research capacity at minority entities. This training may be provided through conferences, workshops, public education programs, in-service training programs, and similar activities;
- Providing outreach and training that enhances awareness of NIDILRR and its research programs among minority entities;
- Developing and implementing a strategy for disseminating research, training, and technical assistance products developed by the RRTC;
- Developing and maintaining a website that houses training and technical assistance materials of the RRTC and serves as a resource for minority serving institutions. The RRTC must ensure that all materials and information technology tools and products they develop or maintain are accessible, and that electronic materials are produced in full compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act (29 U.S.C. 794d). For websites this compliance requires meeting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0/2.1 AA success criteria. Applications for the RRTC must demonstrate an ability to meet these requirements;
- Conducting a state-of-the-science conference on disability research capacity building among minority entities in the fourth year of the project period and publishing a comprehensive report on the final outcomes of the conference at the beginning of the fifth year of the project period;
- Coordinating with the appropriate NIDILRR-funded Knowledge Translation
- Centers and professional and disability organizations to provide scientific results and information to people with disabilities, minority entities, policymakers, service providers, researchers, employers, vocational rehabilitation providers, and independent living centers;
- Involving people with disabilities and members of other key stakeholder groups in conducting its research and related activities in order to maximize the relevance and usability of the new knowledge, models, and products generated by the RRTC; and
- Establishing and maintaining an up-to-date email list-serv or other means of electronic communication among currently-funded NIDILRR Section 21 grantees;
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding Amount: $875,000
- Maximum Funding Amount: $875,000
- Minimum Funding Amount: $870,000
- Length of Project Period: 60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods
Eligible Applicants
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- Private institutions of higher education
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
