Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Program Partner State Funding Opportunity | HHS 2019 ACL AOD TBSG 0348

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2019 ACL AOD TBSG 0348

The Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) State Partnership Program Partner State Funding Opportunity is a federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL), specifically within the Administration on Disabilities. It is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement (meaning the federal agency expects to stay actively involved with grantees during the project, not just provide funds and step back). In FY 2019, ACL planned to make about two Partner State awards under this program, with an award ceiling of $150,000 per grant. The funding supports state-level work to build or strengthen the core infrastructure needed to deliver coordinated services and supports for people with traumatic brain injury across the lifespan, while also considering the needs of families and caregivers.

At its core, the program aims to help states create and sustain systems that maximize independence, overall well-being, and health for individuals living with TBI. ACL describes a two-part national goal: first, to help states expand their capacity to operate a strong, coordinated network of TBI services and supports; and second, to learn from states that already have more mature and sophisticated TBI infrastructure so those lessons can be shared and used to raise the national standard. This is why the program is structured around two interconnected grantee groups. Partner States are the states building and enhancing foundational infrastructure. Mentor States are the more established states that continue improving their own systems while also providing hands-on guidance to Partner States and collaborating with ACL and other states to increase nationwide impact.

This particular announcement is only for Partner State Grants. A key expectation is that funded Partner States will not work in isolation; instead, they will join and collaborate with an existing cohort of both Partner State and Mentor State grantees. The idea is that Partner States can move faster and avoid common pitfalls by drawing on proven strategies, tools, and policy approaches already tested in Mentor States, while also contributing their own innovations back to the group.

Eligibility is limited primarily to state governments, with federally recognized Native American tribal governments also listed as eligible applicants. Applicants must meet several concrete program requirements tied to infrastructure development and long-term system planning. They must provide a required state match described in the notice as a 21% match (framed as 33% of total project cost in the source text), meaning states need to bring non-federal resources to the table rather than relying entirely on federal dollars. They must also support a state TBI advisory council, ensuring that planning and oversight includes stakeholder input and is not solely an internal government exercise.

In addition, applicants are required to commit staff capacity to the work by providing at least one dedicated staff person at a minimum of 50% full-time equivalent. The grant also requires development of an annual state TBI plan, which typically functions as the roadmap for priorities, activities, partnerships, and measurable progress over time. Data capacity is another emphasized component: Partner States are expected to work toward creating and/or expanding a state TBI registry, or a related data collection and information/referral effort, so the state can better understand needs, track service gaps, and improve outreach and coordination. Finally, Partner States must work with one or more Mentor States to increase their capacity to provide comprehensive and coordinated services for individuals with TBI and their families, reinforcing the program design that mentorship and cross-state collaboration are central rather than optional.

Administratively, the opportunity was posted March 26, 2019, under funding opportunity number HHS-2019-ACL-AOD-TBSG-0348 and CFDA 93.234, with an original application deadline of May 27, 2019. Applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. Overall, the grant is designed for states that want to formalize and strengthen the building blocks of a TBI service system (governance, staffing, planning, data, and inter-state technical assistance) so that individuals with TBI and those who support them can more reliably access coordinated services and supports statewide.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Program Partner State Funding Opportunity" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.234.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 26, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 27, 2019 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for HHS 2019 ACL AOD TBSG 0348

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