Deadline: 24-May-24
The Administrator of the Administration for Community Living (ACL) is accepting applications for the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) Transition to Employment among Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions to conduct research toward evidence-based services, supports, and interventions that promote positive employment outcomes among transition-age youth with serious mental health conditions.
The purpose of the RRTCs is to achieve the goals of, and improve the effectiveness of, services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act through well-designed research, training, technical assistance, and dissemination activities in important topical areas as specified by NIDILRR. These activities are designed to benefit people with disabilities, family members, rehabilitation service providers, policymakers, and other research stakeholders.
Program Priority
- The Administrator of the Administration on Community Living (ACL) establishes a priority for a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) on Transition to Employment among Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Conditions (SMHC). The RRTC must contribute to evidence-based transition services and positive employment outcomes among transition age youth (TAY) with SMHC by:
- Conducting research activities in one or more of the following priority areas, focusing on TAY with SMHC as a group or on a specific clinical or demographic subpopulation(s) of TAY with a SMHC. Research priorities include:
- Interventions that contribute to improved employment outcomes. Interventions include any strategy, practice, program, policy, or tool that, when implemented as intended contributes to improvements in employment outcomes for TAY with SMHC. Such interventions may include but are not limited to those that are provided as part of secondary- or post-secondary education services, vocational rehabilitation, or other career-development services and training.
- Individual and environmental factors associated with improved employment outcomes.
- Effects of education, vocational rehabilitation, or other government practices, policies, and programs on employment outcomes.
- Employer practices associated with improved employment outcomes.
- Technology to improve employment outcomes.
- Focus its research on a specific stage(s) 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. These stages: exploration and discovery, intervention development, intervention efficacy, and scale-up evaluation, are defined in this funding opportunity announcement. Applicants must justify the need and rationale for research at the proposed stage or stages and describe fully an appropriate methodology or methodologies for the proposed research.
- The RRTC must conduct at least one study at the intervention efficacy or scale up evaluation stage.
- Demonstrating, in its original application, that TAY with SMHC from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds will be included in study samples in sufficient numbers to generate knowledge and products that are relevant to the racial and ethnic diversity of the population of TAY with SMHC. The RRTC must describe and justify, in its original application, the planned racial and ethnic distribution of TAY with SMHC who will participate in the proposed research activities.
- Serving as a national resource center on transition to employment among TAY with SMHC by conducting knowledge translation activities that include but are not limited to:
- Providing research-based information and technical assistance on the topic of transition to employment to TAY with SMHC and their representatives, educators, child and adult mental health providers, vocational rehabilitation providers, policy makers, State agencies, and other key stakeholders.
- Provide training (including graduate, pre-service, and in-service training) to facilitate more effective delivery of education/training, career development, and employment-related services for TAY with SMHC. This training may be provided through conferences, workshops, public education programs, in-service training programs, and similar activities.
- Disseminating research-based information and materials related to transition services that facilitate employment of TAY with SMHC.
- Demonstrating in its original application that TAY with SMHC will be involved in planning and implementing the RRTC’s activities, and in evaluating the RRTC’s work.
- Conducting research activities in one or more of the following priority areas, focusing on TAY with SMHC as a group or on a specific clinical or demographic subpopulation(s) of TAY with a SMHC. Research priorities include:
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Funding: $875,000
- Expected Number of Awards: 1
- Award Ceiling: $875,000 Per Budget
- Award Floor: $850,000 Per Budget
- Length of Project: 60-month project period with five 12-month budget periods
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Applicants
- For FY 2024 the below guidance is provided to advance the Administration’s policy, as stated in E.O. 13985, to “pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.” This guidance is intended to begin to address inequities in HHS programs, processes, and policies that may serve as barriers to equal opportunity. By advancing equity in the NOFOs, they can “create opportunities for the improvement of communities that have been historically underserved, which benefits everyone.
- ” States; public or private agencies, including for-profit agencies; public or private organizations, including for-profit organizations; IHEs; and Indian tribes and tribal organizations.
- For FY 2024 the below guidance is provided to advance the Administration’s policy, as stated in E.O. 13985, to “pursue a comprehensive approach to advancing equity for all, including people of color and others who have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by persistent poverty and inequality.” This guidance is intended to begin to address inequities in HHS programs, processes, and policies that may serve as barriers to equal opportunity. By advancing equity in the NOFOs, they can “create opportunities for the improvement of communities that have been historically underserved, which benefits everyone.
- Responsiveness and Screening Criteria Application Responsiveness Criteria
- To be considered for review under this grant opportunity, applicants must propose to run a RRTC that is responsive to each of the requirements in the priority section of this notice of funding opportunity. Application Screening Criteria they will screen all applications, and will reject any applications that:
- Are submitted after the established deadline;
- Propose a budget that exceeds $875,000 in any single budget year;
- Propose a project period that exceeds 60 months.
- To be considered for review under this grant opportunity, applicants must propose to run a RRTC that is responsive to each of the requirements in the priority section of this notice of funding opportunity. Application Screening Criteria they will screen all applications, and will reject any applications that:
For more information, visit Grants.gov.