NOFO: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employment Policy (US)

Priorities

• The Administrator of the Administration for Community Living establishes a priority for an RRTC on Employment Policy. The purpose of the RRTC on Employment Policy (RRTC-EP) is to contribute to improved employment outcomes of people with disabilities by investigating the impact of Federal, State, or local public policies and programs on those outcomes. The desired outcome of this investment is new knowledge about the effect of new or existing policies on employment outcomes of people with disabilities. The RRTC must identify targeted research questions or hypotheses related to specific policies or policy types and propose rigorous research methodologies to address them. In addition to the policy research requirements, the RRTC must contribute to improvements in the employment outcomes of people with disabilities by:
  • Focusing its research and related activities on people with disabilities as a group or on people in specific disability or sociodemographic subpopulations of people with disabilities.
  • Conducting a comprehensive review of the literature focused on Federal, State, or local public policies or potential policies related to recent factors that may be associated with employment outcomes among people with disabilities. These may include but are not limited to recent or emerging policies focused on telework, provision and use of assistive technology, use of artificial intelligence in suitable employment settings, and flexible work schedules.
  • Developing a set of research-based recommendations for policymakers to further improve public sector employment for people with disabilities.
  • Focusing its research on a specific stage or stages of research. If the RRTC is to conduct research that can be categorized under more than one stage, including research that progresses from one stage to another, those stages must be clearly specified and justified.
  • Serving as a national resource center on policies and policy topics that impact employment outcomes of individuals with disabilities.
  • Increasing incorporation of research findings from the RRTC into practice or policy by:
    • Including people with disabilities in the planning and conduct of its research, training, dissemination, and technical assistance activities;
    • Collaborating with employers, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholder groups to develop, evaluate, or implement strategies to increase use of research findings;
    • Conducting training and dissemination activities to facilitate the utilization of research findings by people with disabilities, policymakers, and employers;
    • Providing technical assistance to people with disabilities, policymakers, employers, and other stakeholders to facilitate use of information produced by the RRTC’s research.
    • Collaborating and sharing information with other agencies across the Federal government. These agencies may include but are not limited to the Social Security Administration, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), and ACL’s Administration on Disabilities (ACL/AOD); and
    • Coordinating on research projects of mutual interest with relevant NIDILRR-funded projects as identified by the NIDILRR Project Officer. These may include but are not limited to knowledge translation grantees and other grantees conducting disability employment research.
    • Conducting a state-of-the-science conference on employment policy in the fourth year of the grant, and publishing a comprehensive report on the outcomes of the conference at the beginning of the fifth year of the grant.

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Funding: $925,000
• Award Ceiling: $925,000 Per Budget Period
• Award Floor: $920,000 Per Budget Period
• Expected Number of Awards: 1
• Length of Project Period: 60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods.

Eligibility Criteria

• Private institutions of higher education
• City or township governments
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• State governments
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• County governments
• Special district governments
• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Small businesses
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

Ineligibility Criteria

• Foreign entities are not eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.