NIDILRR Has Released 7 of 80 Grants as $34 Million in Funding Remains Unissued

The National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research has released seven grants out of 80 potential awards as of June 19, 2026, leaving more than $34 million of its $37 million allocation unissued. Over 90 percent of the institute’s forecasted grants remain unreleased, according to @statnews.

The Great Lakes ADA Center’s funding expires August 31, and researchers say further delays past September 30 could eliminate scores of jobs and end programs that support people with disabilities.

Robert Gould, professor in the Department of Disability and Human Development at University of Illinois Chicago and director of research for the Great Lakes ADA Center, said the Chicago-based center fields daily calls from small business owners and employers seeking guidance on the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“It’s sickening,” Gould said. ” Kelsey Goddard, assistant research professor at the Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the University of Kansas, said her National Survey on Health and Disability has been used by more than 100 researchers and produced 37 papers since 2018.

“If I don’t have NIDILRR funding, I am effectively out of a job,” Goddard said. Allen Heinemann, director of the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, warned that funding gaps would disrupt continuous data collection for the Spinal Cord Injury Database, which holds more than 50 years of records.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab operates a 262-bed hospital in Chicago and more than 30 Midwest locations.

Anjali Forber-Pratt, who served as NIDILRR director during the Biden administration, said the process from posting a grant notice to awarding funds normally takes two to three months. A small-business product research grant estimated for release on January 7, 2026, with an application deadline of March 9, remains unopened.