Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects (DRRP) Program: Community Living and Participation (Development)
🏛 Administration for Community Living (HHS-ACL)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 16, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for researchers and organizations seeking to develop and test innovative interventions that enhance community living and participation for people with disabilities. Eligible applicants typically include universities, medical research institutions, nonprofit organizations, and state agencies with research capacity and experience in disability services or rehabilitation research. The program supports projects conducted in the United States that address barriers to community integration, independent living, employment, or social participation. Activities funded include feasibility studies, pilot projects, intervention development, and research leading to evidence-based practices that improve quality of life and independence for individuals with disabilities.
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Key dates
- Jul 6, 2026 Applications open
- Aug 5, 2026 Application deadline in 19 days
- Sep 1, 2026 Award announced
- Sep 1, 2026 Project start
Program description
Under this particular DRRP priority, applicants must propose a development project that is aimed at improving community living and participation outcomes of individuals with disabilities. In carrying out a development project under this program, a grantee must use knowledge and understanding gained from research to create models, methods, tools, applications, and devices beneficial to the target population, including design and development of protypes and processes. NIDILRR’s field-initiated DRRP awards in the community living and participation domain will be (1) research projects, (2) development projects, or (3) a combination of research and development projects, depending on the ranking of applications provided by the peer review panel. The grants will have a 36-month project period, with three 12-month budget periods.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- County Government
- Nonprofits
- Private University
- Public University
- Small Business (SBA-defined)
- Special District
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
- Tribal Organization
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project narrative (research aims, methodology, disability community involvement, timeline)
- Budget and budget justification
- Organizational capacity statement (research infrastructure, prior relevant awards, team qualifications)
- Biographical sketches or CVs of key personnel
- Letters of commitment from partner organizations (if applicable)
- Evaluation plan
- Dissemination and sustainability strategy
- Evidence of IRB approval or exempt status (if human subjects research)
Program contact
- 👤 Maureen Linden
- 📧 maureen.linden@acl.hhs.gov
- 📞 202-207-9776
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 93.433 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$6,230,000
-
$6,230,000
-
$6,230,000
-
$6,230,000
-
$6,229,999
-
$5,560,825
-
$5,560,824
-
Transcen Inc MD$5,560,823
-
$5,557,344
-
$5,407,677
Top States by Funding
- IL 15 awards $63.1M
- PA 9 awards $35.6M
- NY 6 awards $30.8M
- MA 6 awards $21.3M
- CA 4 awards $20.8M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 93.433). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $112,987,188 | |
| 2025 | $112,711,817 | |
| 2026 est. | $110,762,762 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply for this grant?
Universities, research institutions, nonprofits, state/local government agencies, and other organizations with research capacity can apply. In some cases, individuals may apply through institutions. Check the specific NOFO for any restrictions.
What types of research projects are funded?
Development-stage projects including feasibility studies, pilot research, intervention development, and early-phase testing of promising practices aimed at improving community living and participation for people with disabilities.
What is the typical funding range?
Grant amounts and project periods vary by year and specific NOFO. Typical federal disability research grants range from $150,000 to $400,000 per year, but verify the current NOFO for exact figures.
How competitive is this program?
Very competitive. Strong applications include clearly defined research objectives, feasibility evidence, strong research teams, organizational commitment, and a clear pathway to scaling successful interventions.
What is the application deadline?
The application open date is April 22, 2026. Specific deadline dates appear in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) issued closer to the application period. Monitor grants.gov for the NOFO announcement.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start by reviewing the full NOFO (Notice of Funding Opportunity) once it's released to understand current priorities, allowable activities, and budget caps for this funding cycle.
- Center your application on disability community input and involvement: include people with lived experience in your research team, advisory board, or co-design process to strengthen competitiveness.
- Emphasize the pathway to scale: even development projects should articulate how successful findings will be tested, disseminated, and potentially scaled to serve broader populations.
- Use outcome-oriented language: clearly define measurable, disability-centered outcomes tied to community living, independence, employment, or social participation.
- Build a multidisciplinary team: federal disability research programs favor teams that include researchers, practitioners, disability organizations, and community representatives to ensure rigor and real-world relevance.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applicants often underestimate the importance of disability community engagement and co-design; projects that treat people with disabilities as subjects rather than partners tend to score lower. Additionally, many proposals focus narrowly on clinical outcomes while overlooking person-centered measures of community participation and independence, which are central to ACL's mission. Finally, weak sustainability and dissemination plans that fail to articulate how findings will reach practitioners and inform policy are frequent reasons for rejection.
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