Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are DeafBlind Program Assistance Listing Number 84.160D | ED GRANTS 072621 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 072621 001

The U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and its Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), announced a discretionary grant competition under Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.160D, commonly described as the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are DeafBlind program. The core aim is to expand and strengthen the national pipeline of qualified interpreters so that people who are deaf, hard of hearing, and/or DeafBlind can reliably access communication in education, employment, health care, civic life, and other settings where interpreting and transliteration services are essential.

This grant opportunity supports either the creation of new interpreter training programs or financial assistance for existing, ongoing programs. The program focus is practical and workforce-oriented: it is meant to produce a sufficient number of skilled interpreters across the country and to ensure that interpreters can meet real-world communication needs in a range of modes. That includes training interpreters to interpret and transliterate between spoken language and sign language, as well as to transliterate between spoken language and oral or tactile communication modes used by some individuals who are DeafBlind. Beyond initial preparation, the program also emphasizes professional development and quality assurance by supporting activities that help currently qualified interpreters maintain their skills, and by creating opportunities for interpreters to improve their competency toward the highest standards recognized by relevant certifying associations.

Eligibility is broad and spans many types of public and private entities that could plausibly operate or partner on interpreter preparation and training efforts. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education under those nonprofit categories). The listing also notes an “Others” category with additional clarification referenced in the official notice, so applicants that do not clearly fit a listed category would need to confirm their eligibility by checking the Federal Register application notice.

From a funding standpoint, the opportunity is structured as a grant, with an award ceiling of $420,000 per award and an expectation of about 8 awards. The competition was posted July 26, 2021, with applications made available that same day. The stated deadline for transmittal of applications was August 30, 2021 (with an “original closing date” shown as August 31, 2021 in the source data), so applicants had a relatively short window to prepare and submit materials. Because this synopsis points applicants to standard Department of Education discretionary grant submission rules, the official application process, addresses, and submission requirements are governed by the Department’s “Common Instructions for Applicants,” published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), which is the main reference for the mechanics of how to file.

To help applicants understand expectations before submitting, OSERS planned several pre-application supports. On the Federal Register publication date, OSERS indicated it would post PowerPoint presentations: one with general information about RSA discretionary grants and another specific to the 84.160D interpreter training program. These materials were to be hosted at https://ncrtm.ed.gov/RSAGrantInfo.aspx. OSERS also scheduled a pre-application meeting by conference call for July 30, 2021, and invited prospective applicants to email questions in advance to 160D@ed.gov. A written summary of questions and answers from that pre-application meeting was to be posted on the same RSA grant information webpage within six days, offering an additional resource for clarifying program intent and application details.

For direct program and competition questions, the notice provided a specific federal contact: Kristen Rhinehart-Fernandez at the U.S. Department of Education, with an office address at 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 5094, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800, phone (202) 245-6103, and the program email inbox 160D@ed.gov. The synopsis repeatedly stresses that the short description is not the authoritative source; the controlling requirements, priorities, performance measures, and full application instructions are those published in the Federal Register notice for the competition.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are DeafBlind Program Assistance Listing Number 84.160D" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.160.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 26, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 31, 2021 Applications Available July 26, 2021. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications August 30, 2021. Date of Pre-Application Meeting On the date of publication in the Federal Register, the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) will post a PowerPoint presentation that provides general information about the Rehabilitation Services Administrationaposs (RSA) discretionary grants and a PowerPoint presentation specifically about Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are DeafBlind at https://ncrtm.ed.gov/RSAGrantInfo.aspx. OSERS will conduct a pre-application meeting via conference call on July 30, 2021. Details about the pre-application meeting will be available at https://ncrtm.ed.gov/RSAGrantInfo.aspx. OSERS invites you to send questions to 160D@ed.gov in advance of the pre-application meeting. The 84.160D pre-application meeting summary of questions and answers will be available at https://ncrtm.ed.gov/RSAGrantInfo.aspx within six days after the pre-application meeting. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Kristen Rhinehart-Fernandez, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Room 5094, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone (202) 245-6103. Email 160D@ed.gov.. (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 $420,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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