Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): Parent Information and Training Program ALN 84.235F | ED GRANTS 052725 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 052725 001

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), through the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA), is offering a discretionary grant opportunity under the Parent Information and Training (PTI) Program, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.235F. This competition is focused on funding Regional Parent Information and Training Centers that provide practical information, guidance, and training to people with disabilities and to their families and representatives. The overall goal is to strengthen participants ability to reach real-world outcomes, specifically employment and independent living, by helping families and individuals better understand and navigate the vocational rehabilitation and related service systems.

The Department of Education intends to make eight awards for Regional PTI Centers under ALN 84.235F. Each award has an expected maximum funding level (award ceiling) of $300,000. The opportunity was posted on May 27, 2025, and the application closing date is July 18, 2025. While this synopsis provides the main points, applicants are expected to rely on the official Federal Register application notice for the complete requirements, including any pre-application steps, how to submit, program priorities, performance measures, and the program officers contact details. Applicants also need to follow the Department of Educations Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (Federal Register, December 23, 2024, 89 FR 104528), which governs submission and related procedural rules.

Eligibility is limited to private nonprofit organizations that meet the requirements in section 303(c)(4) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended. Beyond being a qualifying nonprofit, an applicant must demonstrate that it has the capacity and expertise to run a regional PTI effectively. That includes showing it can coordinate training and information activities with Centers for Independent Living, since those centers are key partners in helping individuals with disabilities build independent living skills and connect to community resources. Applicants also must show they can coordinate and work closely with the network of IDEA-funded parent support entities, including Parent Training and Information Centers established under section 671 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Community Parent Resource Centers under section 672 of IDEA, and eligible entities funded under section 673 of IDEA. In practical terms, RSA is looking for applicants that will not operate in isolation, but instead will align efforts across disability, education-transition, and rehabilitation systems so families receive consistent, complementary information rather than fragmented guidance.

Governance requirements are a major part of eligibility and reflect the programs emphasis on being led by and accountable to the disability community. The organization must be governed in a way that ensures meaningful representation of individuals with disabilities and their families. One compliant structure is a board of directors that includes vocational rehabilitation (VR) professionals and has a majority comprised of individuals with disabilities or their parents, family members, guardians, advocates, or other authorized representatives. An alternative structure allows an organization with a broader membership base to create a special governing committee to operate the training and information program, provided that committee includes VR professionals and is majority-controlled by individuals with disabilities and their families. The notice also allows for inclusion of representatives from special education and other public or private agencies on the board as appropriate, which signals an interest in cross-system collaboration, especially around transition from school to adult life and work.

The regional PTIs funded through this competition are expected to serve individuals with a full range of disabilities and the parents, family members, guardians, advocates, or authorized representatives who support them. In other words, applicants need to demonstrate both commitment and practical ability to provide services that are inclusive of varied disability types and support needs, rather than focusing narrowly on a single category. Although the synopsis does not list specific required activities in detail, it points directly to the training and information activities authorized under section 303(c) of the Rehabilitation Act, which is the statutory foundation for what PTIs are expected to deliver through outreach, training, and technical guidance that helps people understand and access vocational rehabilitation and independent living supports.

Finally, while this specific listing (ALN 84.235F) covers the eight Regional PTI Centers, the synopsis notes that RSA also intends to fund one National PTI Technical Assistance (TA) Center under ALN 84.235G as part of the broader program. That national center is separate from this regional competition but signals that RSA expects consistency, shared tools, and coordinated support across the regional centers. For applicants, the key takeaway is that a strong proposal will not only describe local or regional services, but also show readiness to collaborate with established disability and family-support networks and to operate under governance that is led by the community the program is meant to serve.

• 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 (RSA): Parent Information and Training Program ALN 84.235F" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.235.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-05-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-07-18. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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