Peer Supports for Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- HHS-2026-ACL-AOD-DNSA-0023
- Agency
-
Administration for Community Living
Department of Health and Human Services
- Applications due
- Award size
- $750,000 to $775,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Income Security and Social Services
- Eligible applicants
-
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Katherine Cargill-Willis katherine.cargill-willis@acl.hhs.gov (202) 795-7322
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is soliciting applications for a single 3-year cooperative agreement to develop sustainable peer support models for individuals who use or can benefit from Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), with applications due July 22, 2026. One award of $775,000 per annual budget period ($2,325,000 total) will be made. No cost share is required.
Eligible applicants include domestic public or private nonprofits, state and local governments, Indian tribal governments and organizations, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, hospitals, and institutions of higher education. Applicants must demonstrate nonprofit status and provide evidence of complete and feasible project design with measurable objectives and an evaluation component.
The funded project must include, but is not limited to, individuals who use AAC, nonprofit community-based service-provider organizations, self-advocacy organizations, youth and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), families, and others in their support system. The project addresses the estimated five million people in the U.S. with speech disabilities who use or could benefit from AAC. Key required activities include establishing an AAC Peer Support Leadership Coalition led primarily by AAC users, building a national directory of peer support groups and mentors, developing a centralized AAC Peer Support Hub platform and toolkit, conducting outreach to underserved populations including those in rural areas, institutional settings, and the justice system, and hosting biannual national conferences.
The project period runs September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2029. Applications are limited to 25 pages for the project narrative and must include detailed budgets, work plans, evaluation plans, and organizational capability descriptions via Grants.gov. Merit review allocates 100 points: approach (50 points), goals and objectives (10 points), problem statement (10 points), project impact (10 points), capability and expertise (10 points), and budget narrative (10 points). This opportunity is assigned to CFDA 93.631 (Developmental Disabilities Projects of National Significance).
Synopsis
AoD plans to fund one (1) 3-year cooperative agreement to developsustainable peer support models for individuals who use or can benefit from the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) across the lifespan. The funded project must include, but not be limited to, individuals that use AAC, nonprofit community-based service-provider organization(s), self-advocacy organizations, youth and adults with I/DD, families, and others in their support system. The project will address the needs of and provide support for the estimated five million people in the US that experience speech disabilities including individuals intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) who use AAC or could benefit from AAC to ensure access to needed community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance that promote self-determination, independence, productivity, and integration and inclusion in all facets of community life. The goal will be to provide a community where people who need or use AAC can come together in a safe space to share their positive and negative experiences and to increase knowledge, usage, and awareness of AAC for people with speech disabilities to live independent, self-determined lives using AAC that meets their interests and communicaion preferences.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| hhs-2026-acl-aod-dnsa-0023_v3.pdf | ||
| hhs-2026-acl-aod-dnsa-0023_v2.pdf |
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