Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): Rehabilitation Services Administration: Rehabilitation Training: Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center: Quality Management CFDA Number 84.264J | ED GRANTS 080320 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 080320 001

This grant opportunity comes from the U.S. Department of Education, specifically the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) through the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). It is a discretionary funding competition under CFDA 84.264J and is titled "Rehabilitation Training: Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center: Quality Management" (often abbreviated as VRTAC-QM). The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the federal agency expects to be substantially involved in the project’s direction and oversight rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back.

The core purpose of the program is to strengthen the capacity of State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies by improving the training and technical assistance available to VR personnel. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), RSA uses these grants to help increase the number of qualified VR professionals and to upgrade the skills of existing staff, with special emphasis on rehabilitation counselors. The broader aim is to ensure VR staff are well-prepared to deliver vocational, medical, social, and psychological rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities, including services for people with communication and related disorders, and other services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act.

This particular competition focuses on quality management in the VR context, reflected in the "Quality Management" portion of the title. While the synopsis does not list the detailed required activities, the intent is that the funded technical assistance center will support State VR agencies in strengthening systems, processes, and staff capabilities tied to quality and effective service delivery. As with RSA training and technical assistance programs generally, the expectation is that the work will translate into better-prepared personnel and stronger agency performance in serving individuals with disabilities.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple types of public and nonprofit entities. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in those categories); and other entities as described in the official notice. This wide eligibility reflects the reality that technical assistance centers are often housed at universities, nonprofits, or public agencies with national or multi-state reach and specialized expertise.

The opportunity was posted with applications available on August 3, 2020, and a deadline for transmittal of applications of September 2, 2020. RSA also planned applicant support through a pre-application process: OSERS indicated it would post PowerPoint materials with general RSA discretionary grant competition information and specific presentations related to VRTAC-QM and a related competition (VRTAC-QE) on the NCRTM website. In addition, OSERS scheduled a pre-application conference call to answer questions specific to these competitions, invited prospective applicants to email questions in advance, and stated it would post a written Q and A summary roughly six business days after the call.

Funding details indicate an award ceiling of $3,344,560 and an expectation of one award, meaning a single national or lead organization would likely operate the technical assistance center under this cooperative agreement. Because only one award was expected, the competition would typically be looking for an applicant with strong national capacity, demonstrated expertise in VR quality management, and the infrastructure to deliver training and technical assistance at scale.

The synopsis repeatedly stresses that the authoritative requirements are in the Federal Register application notice, and it points applicants to the Department of Education's "Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs" (published February 13, 2019) for submission procedures, addresses, and standard requirements. It also highlights that funded projects must be operated in compliance with nondiscrimination requirements under the U.S. Constitution and federal civil rights laws, reinforcing that the project’s design and delivery must be accessible and equitable.

For applicants needing direct assistance, the notice lists a program contact for VRTAC-QM: Douglas Zhu at the U.S. Department of Education, with phone and email contact information (84.264J@ed.gov). Overall, this opportunity is best understood as federal support for a high-capacity technical assistance center aimed at helping State VR agencies improve quality management practices and, through that, strengthen the competence of VR personnel and the effectiveness of services provided to individuals with disabilities.

• 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: Rehabilitation Training: Vocational Rehabilitation Technical Assistance Center: Quality Management CFDA Number 84.264J" 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 Aug 03, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 02, 2020 Applications Available August 3, 2020. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications September 2, 2020. Date of Pre-Application Meeting The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) will post a PowerPoint presentation that provides general information related to the Rehabilitation Services Administration#8217s (RSA#8217s) discretionary grant competitions and PowerPoint presentations specifically related to the VRTAC-QM and VRTAC-QE competitions at https://ncrtm.ed.gov/RSAGrantInfo.aspx. OSERS will conduct a pre application meeting via conference call to respond to questions specific to the VRTAC-QM and the VRTAC-QE. Information about the pre-application meeting will be available at https://ncrtm.ed.gov/RSAGrantInfo.aspx prior to the date of the call. OSERS invites you to send questions about the VRTAC-QM to 84.264J@ed.gov and the VRTAC-QE to 84.264K@ed.gov in advance of the pre-application meetings. The VRTAC-QM and VRTAC-QE pre-application meeting summaries of questions and answers, will be available at https://ncrtm.ed.gov/RSAGrantInfo.aspx approximately six business days after the pre-application meeting. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT For VRTAC-QM Douglas Zhu, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 5095, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-2800. Telephone (202) 245-6037. Email 84.264J@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 $3,344,560.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, 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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