Competitors square-off on the basketball court during the National Veterans Wheelchair Games.
shadow
AboutApplyGrant Recipients

VA Announces Awardees of Grants that
Support Disabled Veterans in Adaptive Sports

Approximately 10,000 Veterans and service members expected to benefit

 

The Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for Veterans with disabilities and Members of the Armed Forces (ASG Program) provides grant funding to organizations to increase and expand the quantity and quality of adaptive sport activities that Veterans and Servicemembers with disabilities have to participate in physical activity including those for mental health issues within their home communities, as well as more advanced Paralympic and adaptive sport programs at the regional and national levels. Originally authorized as the U.S. Paralympics Integrated Adaptive Sports Program, in December 2013 Public Law 113-59 amended 38 U.S.C. 521A and designated the VA’s Office of National Veterans Sports Programs and Special Events (NVSP&SE) to directly manage the ASG Program. P.L. 113-59 also enacted other changes such as establishing provision to facilitate ASG Program activities in American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands and authorized grant components such as eligible entities and administrative costs. The ASG Program emphasizes partnerships with the Department of Defense and adaptive sports communities. The ASG Program rules are published in 38 CFR Part 77, Grants for Adaptive Sports Programs for Veterans with disabilities and Members of the Armed Forces.

Download the 38 CFR Part 77

As defined in 38 U.S.C. § 521A(a)(2), “an eligible entity is an entity with significant experience in managing a large-scale adaptive sports program.” Entities eligible for the ASG Program include National Paralympic Committees, National Governing Bodies, Parks and Recreation Divisions, colleges and universities, Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs), Paralympic Sport Clubs and other Paralympic and adaptive sport organizations, hospitals and healthcare systems, and nonprofit organizations. Federal governmental entities are not eligible to apply for the ASG Program, but may be a partner. Further definitions, application criteria, and other ASG Program details are available in 38 CFR Part 77. In 2017, P.L. 115-62 extended the ASG Program through FY2019. Most recently, P.L. 115-141 increased the authorized funding level beginning in FY2018 up to $9 million annually including up to $1 million in grants for equine therapy for mental health issues.

    As mandated in 38 U.S.C. 521A(d)(3), the following adaptive sport activities are authorized under the ASG Program:
  • Instruction, participation, and competition in adaptive sports;
  • Training and technical assistance to program administrators, coaches, recreation therapists, instructors, VA employees, and other appropriate individuals; and
  • Coordination, Paralympic classification of athletes, athlete assessment, sport-specific training techniques, program development (including program at the local level), sports equipment, supplies, program evaluation, and other activities related to the implementation and operation of the program.

Two activities that are not among the list of authorized activities are research and construction.

As specified in the legislation that established the ASG Program, federal agencies are not eligible to receive grant funding from the program. However, federal agencies are encouraged to partner with Non-Federal entities to jointly create national, regional and community-based programs that provide adaptive sports activities for disabled Veterans and members of the Armed Forces.

Amount

The VA is authorized to award up to $9 million annual in ASG Program with up to $8 million for adaptive sport activities and an additional up to $1 million for equine therapy for mental health issues. The amount of grant funding awarded to each eligible organization varies per calendar year and organizations may apply for more than one ASG Program grant.

Veteran doing the back stroke

 

How to apply

To apply for an ASG Program grant, each organization applying must submit a proposal based on the instructions provided in the Notice of Funding Availability to the ASG Program Grant. For details, please contact Michael Welch, Paralympic Program Specialist, 202-632-7136, Michael.Welch5@va.gov.

The ASG Program Grant application period is subject to change each fiscal year. To receive information about future ASP Grants, send an email to vacoadaptiveSP@va.gov.

The FY2018 ASG application period is open from 2 March through 2 May 2018. The ASG application package is posted and submitted through the Grants.gov Web site (https://www.grants.gov/). The Opportunity Number is VA-ASG-2019-01. Although the application is submitted through Grants.gov, the FY2018 ASG Program Grant Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), the FY2018 ASG Program Grant Instructions for Application, VA Form 10096, VA Form 10091, the Questions Related to ASG Program Opportunity VA-ASP-2019-01, and the Admin and Financial Review Questionnaire for ASG Program Grant Applicants are posted for download below. These documents will be updated during the grant application period, as applicable. The Admin and Financial Review Questionnaire for ASG Program Grant Applicants is provided as a tool to aid developing ASG Program grant applications, and is required to be submitted as part of the ASG Program grant application.

 

 

 

NOTES:

    1. To be eligible for federal contracts and grants, organizations should be registered for a D&B DUNS Number and a System for Award Management (SAM) account.For DUNS registration, see: http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/For SAM registration, see: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/
    2. The ASP Grant announcement and applications processes use Grants.Gov. To utilize these processes, organizations should be registered in Grants.Gov.For Grants.Gov registration, see: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants.html
    3. To see 38 U.S.C. 521A with updates from Public Law 113-59,
      Download the Current 38 U.S.C. 521A
    4. The ASG Program transfers ASG funds through the Department of Health and Human Services’ Payment Management System. For information on PMS, see:https://www.dpm.psc.gov/
Veteran competing in weightlifting at the Valor Games

 

Grant Recipients

Want to learn more about programs and services related to healthcare, employment, education and other topics? Visit the National Resource Directory (www.NRD.gov).