The purpose of the SBIR Program is to stimulate technological innovation in the private sector, strengthen the role of small business in meeting federal research or research and development needs, and improve the return on investment from federally-funded research for economic and social benefits to the nation.

ACL awarded a total of $985,000 for the first year of six new two-year cooperative agreements addressing elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in tribal communities. The awardees will focus on identifying community needs; facilitating multidisciplinary activities advancing elder justice; and preventing and responding to abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is announcing several new funding opportunities for Advanced Rehabilitation Research Training (ARRT) and Field-Initiated Projects (FIP) programs.

ACL is pleased to announce $3 million in new funding over four years to further advance our support of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers (the Strategy). ACL will award one cooperative agreement for a project of national scope intended to foster advancements in two programs authorized by the Older Americans Act (OAA) — the National Family Caregiver Support Program and the Native American Caregiver Support Program. 

ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is announcing several 2023 Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) grantees. Each grantee will receive an estimated amount of up to $875,000 annually for five years from September 1, 2023–August 31, 2028. 

ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is announcing 10 Switzer Research Fellowship awards for 2023. These projects are for one year from September 1, 2023-August 31, 2024, with the estimated funding amount of either $70,000 (Merit Fellowship) or $80,000 (Distinguished Fellowship).

In this policy round up: 

ACL is announcing four new Assistive Technology (AT) Alternative Financing Program (AFP) discretionary grant awards. Nearly $2 million over one year will fund four projects. The new grants will establish or expand AFPs that provide individuals with additional options to access AT devices through programs such as a low-interest loan fund, an interest buy-down program, a revolving loan fund, a loan guarantee, an insurance program, or others.

Every October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) offers us an opportunity to celebrate the many contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy. Led by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP), NDEAM also showcases supportive and inclusive policies and practices benefiting workers and employers.

Older adults and people with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by all types of disasters. Disabled people and older adults may not be able to evacuate, access shelters, and receive information in accessible formats. They may lose critical home and community-based services and be unnecessarily forced into institutional settings (such as nursing homes), or even experience higher fatality rates. Those who are living with dementia-related health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, may also experience extra risk.