How do I get a NIDILRR grant?

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research funds approximately 250 projects each year, ranging from individual Switzer Research Fellowships to multi-year Model Systems. With the exception of the Switzer Fellowships, grants are given to institutions and organizations such as universities, hospitals, nonprofit organizations, and small companies. Fellowships are given to PhD or PhD-candidate individuals for one year of focused study on a specific topic. All grants and contracts require an application including research goals, budgets, and dissemination plans.

How do I find out about grant opportunities?

Several tools are available to keep you up to date on NIDILRR grant opportunities:

• You can sign up for the NIDILRR Announcements list free of charge and we'll email you whenever new funding opportunities are announced.
• You can set up an alert on grants.gov.
• You can bookmark the NIDILRR Grants Forecast page.

Can I get a copy of a winning grant application from NARIC?

While NARIC serves as NIDILRR's library, we do not collect the applications that are submitted in response to notices inviting application. Those are retained by the Institute. In order to obtain a copy, you will need to submit a Freedom of Information Act request through the Department of Health and Human Services's FOIA office.

How does the application process work?

NIDILRR has a brief guide to the application process and an Applicant Information Center. The Administration for Community Living also has a more general guide to the grantmaking process. If you would like to participate in the other side of the grant process, NIDILRR is seeking peer reviewers for current and future competitions.

I submitted an application back in February. It's August now. When will I hear an answer?

Unfortunately, we have absolutely no role in NIDILRR's grant making process so we can't answer this question. We hear about the new grants right around the start of the fiscal year (October 1) when we enter them into the Program Database. You can search for awarded grants in USASpending.gov.

Can I get a grant for school?

NIDILRR grants are specifically for research in disability and rehabilitation. The best places to look for any state or Federal financial aid programs are the financial aid website from the Department of Education and benefits.gov. Your local library should also have information such as the Peterson's Guide to help in your search.