The Innovative Rehabilitation Training Program is administered by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services within the U.S. Department of Education. This discretionary grant program is aimed at enhancing the knowledge and competencies of rehabilitation professionals by fostering innovative training approaches. The funding supports the development and demonstration of new types of training programs for vocational rehabilitation (VR) personnel, with an emphasis on equipping professionals to better meet the employment needs of individuals with disabilities. The overall goal is to ensure that the evolving demands of the labor market are aligned with rehabilitation practices, thereby facilitating high-quality employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities.
For fiscal year 2025, the Department expects to allocate approximately $3.2 million in total program funding, with individual awards ranging from $500,000 to $640,000. No single award will exceed $640,000 for a 12-month budget period. The project period may extend up to 60 months. The Department plans to fund between five and seven projects, with at least one award in each of five topical areas: VR Counselor Participant Engagement Practices; Career Assessment Addressing Emerging Career and Employment Trends; Preparing VR Participants for High-Quality Employment in STEM and Advanced Technology Careers (including AI); Dual Customer Employer Engagement and Service Delivery Strategies; and Field Initiated topics that either combine multiple areas or address distinct innovations.
Eligible applicants include states, public and private nonprofit agencies and organizations, Indian tribes, and institutions of higher education. Applicants must identify the topic area or areas under which they are applying on the application cover sheet. All projects must align with the absolute priority of providing innovative training that improves VR counseling, engagement, and service delivery strategies to enhance employment outcomes. The proposed training must be based on empirical evidence, include a detailed plan for curriculum development and implementation, involve stakeholder engagement, and feature continuous evaluation and improvement mechanisms.
Applications for FY 2025 will be accepted starting June 30, 2025, and must be submitted by July 28, 2025. An intergovernmental review period will conclude by September 24, 2025. The Department encourages applicants to consult pre-application resources available on the National Clearinghouse of Rehabilitation Training Materials (NCRTM) website. Any questions may be directed to 84.263G@ed.gov or to Felipe Lulli at the Department of Education via phone at (202) 987–0128.
Applicants are required to match at least 10 percent of the total project cost through non-Federal contributions. The application must also include a dissemination plan for openly licensed grant deliverables and a strategy for sustaining the curriculum beyond the grant period. Indirect cost reimbursement is capped at the lesser of 8 percent of modified total direct costs or the institution’s negotiated indirect cost rate.
The program uses a rigorous evaluation framework that includes program-level measures such as training quality, relevance, and usefulness—assessed by panels of VR agencies—and project-level impact indicators defined by the applicant. The Department will assess applicants on factors including project design quality, adequacy of resources, management plan, and evaluation methods. Selection criteria are explicitly outlined and include requirements for community engagement, innovative approaches, and integration of theory and practice to enhance VR training and service delivery.
Align with priority areas, include stakeholders, plan for sustainability
