VA Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for Disabled Veterans and Disabled Members of the Armed Forces

To provide grants to eligible adaptive sports entities to plan, develop, manage, and implement programs to provide adaptive sports activities for Veterans and members of the Armed Forces with disabilities.

The Adaptive Sports Grant Program provides grants to non-federal entities with significant experience managing a large-scale adaptive sports program. These grants support provision of adaptive sports activities, defined as one of more of the following activities: (1) instruction, participation, and competition in adaptive sports (2) training and technical assistance to program administrators, coaches (3) coordination, Paralympic classification of athletes, athlete assessment, sport-specific training techniques, program development (including programs at the local level), sports equipment, supplies, program evaluation, and other activities related to the implementation and operation of the program

Non-Federal Government entity with significant experience in managing a large-scale adaptive sports program for persons with disabilities if those disabilities are those that many disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces have. To demonstrate significant experience, all the key personnel identified in the adaptive sports grant application of the entity must have experience implementing the adaptive sports activities to be provided and have experience working with persons with disabilities that many disabled veterans and disabled members of the Armed Forces to be served through the adaptive sports grant have. The experience must be for two continuous years immediately prior to the date of submission to VA of the grant application. When more than one entity would be engaged in the provision of the adaptive sport activities, the entity applying for the adaptive sports grant must provide documentation that verifies that through the partnership, it has the experience necessary to implement all of the adaptive sports activities proposed in the adaptive sports grant application.

Funding can be utilized to plan, develop, manage, and implement programs to provide adaptive sports activities for Veterans and members of the Armed Forces with disabilities. For the purpose of this program, adaptive sports activities are defined in accordance with 38 CFR 77.2 as: (1) instruction, participation, and competition in adaptive sports (2) training and technical assistance to program administrators, coaches, recreation therapists, instructors, VA employees, and other appropriate individuals (3) coordination, Paralympic classification of athletes, athlete assessment, sport-specific training techniques, program development (including programs at the local level), sports equipment, supplies, program evaluation, and other activities related to the implementation and operation of the program.

The period of performance is typically one-year, as outlined in the notice of funding availability for the VA Adaptive Sports Grant Program. Funding may be utilized for grant approved activities that occur during the period of performance. Grantees will receive payments in response to payment request electronically through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Payment Management System (HHS PMS).

Currently, pre-applications are not required under this funding mechanism.

Selection criteria are established in the notice of funding availability through the funding priorities and the review criteria.

Formal approval of the award of assistance is made by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or his designees, to the eligible adaptive sport entity. The applicable adaptive sport entity manages the awards program to include partnering entities