Well Told Grants

Federal grant programs / Department of Veterans Affairs

VA Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for Disabled Veterans and Disabled Members of the Armed Forces (64.034)

VA Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for Disabled Veterans and Disabled Members of the Armed Forces (Assistance Listing 64.034) is run by the Under Secretary for Health/Veterans Health Administration, part of the Department of Veterans Affairs. It awarded $65.5 million in 473 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $138,512 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.

The typical award was $97,052. Half of the 473 awards fell between $52,000 and $190,788, and they ranged from $0 to $750,000.

Key findings

What the program funds

To provide grants to eligible adaptive sports entities to plan, develop, manage, and implement programs to provide adaptive sports activities for Veterans and members of the Armed Forces with disabilities.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Non-Federal Government entity with significant experience in managing a large-scale adaptive sports program for persons with disabilities if those disabilities are those that many disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces have. To demonstrate significant experience, all the key personnel identified in the adaptive sports grant application of the entity must have experience implementing the adaptive sports activities to be provided and have experience working with persons with disabilities that many disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces to be served through the adaptive sports grant have. The experience must be for two continuous years immediately prior to the date of submission to VA of the grant application. When more than one entity would be engaged in the provision of the adaptive sport activities, the entity applying for the adaptive sports grant must provide documentation that verifies that through the partnership, it has the experience necessary to implement all of the adaptive sports activities proposed in the adaptive sports grant application.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Funding can be utilized to plan, develop, manage, and implement programs to provide adaptive sports activities for Veterans and members of the Armed Forces with disabilities. For the purpose of this program, adaptive sports activities are defined in accordance with 38 CFR 77.2 as: (1) instruction, participation, and competition in adaptive sports (2) training and technical assistance to program administrators, coaches, recreation therapists, instructors, VA employees, and other appropriate individuals (3) coordination, Paralympic classification of athletes, athlete assessment, sport-specific training techniques, program development (including programs at the local level), sports equipment, supplies, program evaluation, and other activities related to the implementation and operation of the program. • A grant may not exceed $750,000 • A maximum of five percent of grant funds may be allocated for all administrative expenses (including “Personnel (Administrative)” and “Administrative (Non-Personnel)”), which includes any costs associated with an employee when not directly providing coaching or training for participants. • Funding cannot be utilized to support research activities . • Funding cannot be utilized to reimburse for any medical services (those traditionally funded by insurance). • Funding cannot be utilized to reimburse expenses incurred prior to the period of performance.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

The maximum award range is set each year in the Notice of Funding Availability. The range of the grants awarded and the average award level are provided as examples from the past (FY 24, period of performance 9/30/2024 - 9/30/2025) and current (FY 25, period of performance 9/30/2025 - 9/30/2026) grant cycles: FY 23: $7,400 - $750,000; average award = $175,824 FY 24: $5,900 - $750,000; average award = $175,824

Examples of funded projects

Fiscal Year2015: Funded Projects take diverse forms, such as training and technical assistance to train therapist and Veterans in Paralympic and adaptive sports, introductory and competitive events such as the Valor Games and Warrior Games, equipping initiatives to enable community-based entities to provide adaptive sports programs for disabled Veterans, clinics and training camps for disabled Veterans to participate and hone skills in adaptive sports, ongoing community-based adaptive sports programs for disabled Veterans, and activities to develop pipelines for disabled Veterans training in Paralympic sports. Funded Projects take diverse forms, such as training and technical assistance to train therapists and Veterans in Paralympic and adaptive sports, introductory and competitive events such as the Valor Games, equipping initiatives to enable community-based entities to provide adaptive sports programs for disabled Veterans, clinics and training camps for disabled Veterans to participate and hone skills in adaptive sports, ongoing community-based adaptive sports programs for disabled Veterans, and activities to develop pipelines for disabled Veterans training in Paralympic sports.Fiscal Year2016: Funded Projects take diverse forms, such as training and technical assistance to train therapists and Veterans in Paralympic and adaptive sports, introductory and competitive events such as the Valor Games, equipping initiatives to enable community-based entities to provide...

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Funding history and past recipients

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, VA Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for Disabled Veterans and Disabled Members of the Armed Forces (64.034) awarded $65.5 million across 473 grant awards, an average of $138,512 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Move UnitedMaryland11$5.6 million
Adaptive AdventuresColorado6$4.0 million
Higher Ground USA, Inc.Idaho6$3.4 million
Bridge II SportsNorth Carolina8$2.1 million
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.Maryland5$2.0 million
Challenged Athletes, Inc.California5$1.7 million
Paralyzed Veterans of AmericaDistrict of Columbia4$1.6 million
Equine Assisted Growth and Learning AssociationIllinois5$1.5 million
Team River Runner IncorporatedMaryland5$1.5 million
Prisma Health - UpstateSouth Carolina4$1.5 million
United States Rowing AssociationNew Jersey3$1.3 million
Life WatersMissouri4$1.3 million
Adaptive Training Academy LLCNew Mexico4$1.1 million
WarhawgsAlabama5$1.1 million
Chicago Park DistrictIllinois5$1.1 million
National Ability CenterUtah4$1.1 million
Us Military Racquetball FederationNevada4$896,304
The Usmma Sailing Foundation, Inc.Florida5$833,664
Adaptive Sports Center of Crested Butte, Inc.Colorado5$831,778
U.S. Patriot Sailing, Inc.Maryland4$817,332

Top states: Maryland ($11.4 million), Colorado ($7.3 million), California ($5.8 million), Illinois ($4.3 million), Idaho ($3.4 million), New York ($3.3 million), Utah ($2.9 million), Texas ($2.6 million), North Carolina ($2.4 million), Florida ($2.3 million).

Who usually wins

Nonprofits received 93% of the money, state and local governments 2.9% and colleges and universities 2.4%.

Recipient typeAwardsAmountShare
Nonprofits415$60.9 million93%
State and local governments25$1.9 million2.9%
Colleges and universities24$1.6 million2.4%
Businesses6$783,1791.2%
Other1$370,9200.6%
Small businesses2$35,835less than 0.1%

By state

20 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Grants by recipient's state, fiscal 2021 to 2025
StateAwardsAmount
Maryland36$11.4 million
Colorado47$7.3 million
California52$5.8 million
Illinois28$4.3 million
Idaho7$3.4 million
New York40$3.3 million
Utah20$2.9 million
Texas18$2.6 million
North Carolina14$2.4 million
Florida23$2.3 million
Pennsylvania18$2.3 million
District of Columbia6$1.7 million
South Carolina8$1.5 million
New Jersey4$1.5 million
Alabama8$1.5 million
Missouri7$1.4 million
New Mexico8$1.1 million
Nevada11$917,919
Massachusetts17$821,397
Wisconsin7$758,302
Georgia7$749,768
Montana9$728,091
Ohio9$646,716
New Hampshire5$611,686
Virginia13$598,959
Puerto Rico8$522,312
Alaska4$451,696
Maine5$439,731
Hawaii1$389,843
Wyoming5$252,774
Arkansas2$245,568
Tennessee5$205,699
Oklahoma4$163,641
Oregon3$143,747
Vermont2$114,421
Arizona2$91,108
Washington1$64,852
Connecticut4$63,084
Michigan2$50,687
Louisiana1$17,395

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.