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Grants for Inclusion of Individuals with Disabilities

Grants to USA minority-serving and tribal IHEs for activities that optimize the social inclusion and self-suffiency of individuals with disabilities. Interested applicants are advised that required registrations may take several weeks to complete. Funding is intended to support the development of methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that will benefit these disadvantaged residents, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities.

Field Initiated Projects Program: Minority-Serving Institution (MSI) – Development

The purpose of the Field Initiated (FI) Projects program is to develop methods, procedures, and rehabilitation technology that maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family support, and economic and social self-sufficiency of individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with the most severe disabilities.  Another purpose of the FI Projects program is to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

The purpose of this competition is to improve the capacity of minority entities to conduct high-quality disability and rehabilitation research and development activities. NIDILRR will accomplish this by limiting eligibility for this competition to minority entities and Indian tribes in a manner consistent with section 21(b)(2)(A) of the Act. NIDILRR is particularly interested in applications from individual minority entities that have historically been underrepresented in the Federally-sponsored research arena.

NIDILRR makes two types of awards under the FI Projects program: Research grants and development grants. In carrying out a development activity under a FI Projects development grant, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create materials, devices, systems, methods, measures, techniques, tools, prototypes, processes, or intervention protocols that are beneficial to the target population.

Eligibility applicants include Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, and Private institutions of higher education. Parties eligible to apply for MSI FI Projects grants are limited to minority entities and Indian tribes as authorized by section 21(b)(2)(A) of the Act. A minority entity is defined as a historically black college or university (a part B institution, as defined in section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended), a Hispanic-serving institution of higher education, an American Indian tribal college or university, or another IHE whose minority student enrollment is at least 50 percent. NIDILRR is especially interested in applications from individual minority entities that have historically been underrepresented in the federal research arena.