Grants / Department of Health and Human Services / Administration for Community Living

HHS-2026-ACL-NIDILRR-IFST-0206: Field Initiated Projects Program: Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) - Development

Closed Closed April 13, 2026 Opportunity HHS-2026-ACL-NIDILRR-IFST-0206 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is forecast: Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC): National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities (HHS-2027-ACL-NIDILRR-RTCP-0315). Status: Expected deadline March 26, 2027. It is in our archive of Administration for Community Living notices from 2026.

• Award ceiling$250,000
• Award floor$245,000
• Total funding$250,000
• Expected awards1
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to colleges and universities and tribes.

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Private institutions of higher education
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Parties eligible to apply for FIP - MSI grants are limited to minority entities and Indian Tribes as authorized by Section 21 (b)(2)(A) of the Rehabilitation Act. A minority entity is defined as a Historically Black College or University (HCBU) (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. Foreign entities are not eligible to compete for, or receive, awards made under this announcement.

More grants for colleges and universities, tribes.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past ACL National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research awards averaged $983,065; this notice allows up to $250,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (64% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The purpose of the Field Initiated Projects (FIP) program is to generate new knowledge through research or to develop methods, products, procedures, or rehabilitation technologies -- to maximize the full inclusion and integration into society, employment, independent living, family/caregiver support, and economic and self-sufficiency of people with disabilities, especially people with disabilities who have the greatest support needs. Another purpose of this grant opportunity is to improve the capacity of minority serving institutions (MSI) to conduct high-quality disability and rehabilitation research and development. In carrying out a development project under a FIP 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 of people with disabilities. Please note that this will be the funding opportunity for FIP-MSI Development proposals. We will invite FIP-MSI Research proposals under a separate announcement. NIDILRR plans to make three FIP-MSI awards. NIDILRR's FIP-MSI grants will include a combination of research applications and development applications, depending on the combined ranking of individual research and development applications by the peer review panel. Grants will have a 36- month project period, with three 12-month budget periods.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, HHS-2027-ACL-NIDILRR-RTCP-0315, which is forecast.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.