Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): National Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center Rehabilitation Services Administration; ALN 84.264L | ED GRANTS 061725 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 061725 001

This funding opportunity comes from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), through the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). It is a discretionary grant competition for the National Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center under Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.264L. The program is grounded in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and is aimed at strengthening vocational rehabilitation (VR) services nationwide by supporting activities that improve the reach and quality of services provided to people with disabilities.

At its core, the grant is designed to expand and improve VR and other Rehabilitation Act-authorized services, and to advance the broader purposes and policies described in sections 2(b) and 2(c) of the Rehabilitation Act. In practical terms, the Department is looking to fund work that increases the provision, extent, availability, scope, and overall quality of rehabilitation services. The emphasis is on helping individuals with disabilities achieve competitive integrated employment, greater independence, and fuller integration into their communities and the labor market. Because this is framed as a national technical assistance center, the funded entity would typically be expected to serve as a centralized resource that helps state VR agencies and other partners adopt better practices, solve implementation problems, and improve outcomes consistently across different regions.

The opportunity also highlights a workforce development and capacity-building purpose. RSA has authority not only to fund service improvement projects, but also to support training and technical assistance that increases the number of qualified personnel and upgrades their skills. A specific workforce need is called out: rehabilitation counselors, and other professionals trained to deliver VR services and related Rehabilitation Act services. That means applicants should expect the competition to value projects that strengthen staff competencies, promote evidence-based or promising practices, and build durable systems for professional learning and technical support.

Eligibility is broad within the rehabilitation and public-service ecosystem. Eligible applicants include states as well as public or private nonprofit agencies and organizations. Institutions of higher education are explicitly included, and Indian Tribes are also eligible. This mix signals that the Department is open to a range of possible lead applicants, including universities and nonprofits with national reach, as long as they can credibly operate at the scale and complexity implied by a national technical assistance center and can effectively support state and other agencies responsible for VR service delivery.

Key competition details include an original application closing date of July 25, 2025. The anticipated maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $6,000,000, and the Department expects to make one award, meaning this is a single-recipient, nationally scoped project rather than a multi-award portfolio. The opportunity is listed as a grant as the funding instrument type and categorized under education-related funding activities, reflecting RSA's role within the Department of Education while still focusing heavily on employment and rehabilitation systems.

The published synopsis stresses that applicants should rely on the official Federal Register application notice as the controlling document for requirements and rules. That notice is where the Department will lay out the specific priorities, required project components, application formatting, submission process, performance measures, and any pre-application expectations. For submission logistics and standardized federal application instructions, applicants are directed to the Department of Education's "Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs" published December 23, 2024 (89 FR 104528), available at https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2024-30488. In other words, the summary explains what the program intends to fund, but the Federal Register notice determines exactly what must be proposed and how the application will be reviewed and scored.

In summary, this opportunity funds a single, nationally significant technical assistance center intended to strengthen vocational rehabilitation systems and services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act. It targets improvements in service quality and availability, better employment and independence outcomes for individuals with disabilities, and stronger training and technical assistance capacity, particularly for rehabilitation counselors and other qualified VR personnel.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): National Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center Rehabilitation Services Administration; ALN 84.264L" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.264.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-06-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-07-25. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 061725 001

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