Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2026 ACL AOD DFLA 0025
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is offering a Projects of National Significance (PNS) cooperative agreement under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act to expand financial literacy and empowerment for Americans with disabilities by increasing awareness, access, and real-world use of ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts. The core idea is to help people with disabilities build savings and financial stability without jeopardizing critical supports, ultimately improving health, economic well-being, and long-term economic security and mobility. The opportunity reflects ACLs view that ABLE accounts are not just a niche financial tool, but a practical support that can help people afford disability-related needs while working toward education, employment, and greater independence.
ABLE accounts, authorized beginning in 2015, are state and territory-run, tax-advantaged savings and investment programs for eligible individuals with disabilities. Funds in these accounts can be spent on a wide range of qualified disability expenses that directly affect day-to-day stability and opportunity, including education, food, housing, transportation, employment training, assistive technology, and health care. This grant opportunity is positioned around a major policy shift that starts in January 2026: the age-of-disability-onset eligibility threshold rises to 46 (up from 26). ACL estimates this change will expand eligibility to about 14 million people, including roughly 1.2 million veterans. Because of that expansion, ACL is emphasizing that outreach cannot be limited to current disability benefit recipients; it also needs to reach people who may have qualifying disabilities but are not enrolled in programs like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and who may not realize ABLE accounts are an option.
The funded project is meant to drive broader, coordinated strategies that operate at multiple levels. The notice highlights several preferred directions: coordinated marketing at the national, state, and community levels; population-specific approaches delivered through partnerships with ACL grantees and community stakeholders; and a stronger, systems-level approach at the state level that makes ABLE information and enrollment easier to find and use. In practical terms, this points to work like aligning messaging across partners, tailoring outreach for distinct communities (for example veterans, working-age adults newly eligible under the age expansion, families, or people transitioning from school to work), and improving how state systems connect people to ABLE information during common touchpoints such as benefits counseling, workforce programs, disability service networks, or health and human services settings.
This is a discretionary funding opportunity (CFDA 93.631) using a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial federal involvement and ongoing collaboration during the project period compared to a standard grant. ACL expects to make a single award, with a maximum award amount (ceiling) of $1,200,000. The opportunity number is HHS 2026 ACL AOD DFLA 0025, and the application deadline listed is August 3, 2026 (original closing date). The activity category is Income Security and Social Services, reflecting the focus on financial capability and economic mobility outcomes for people with disabilities.
Eligibility is broad and includes many types of domestic public and nonprofit entities: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in the nonprofit category where that limitation is specified). Foreign entities are explicitly not eligible to apply for or receive an award under this announcement, consistent with the statutory authority cited in Section 162 of the DD Act regarding awards to public or private nonprofit entities for projects of national significance related to individuals with developmental disabilities.
Overall, the grant is designed to capitalize on the 2026 eligibility expansion by scaling up ABLE-related outreach and support infrastructure so that newly eligible individuals and families actually learn about ABLE accounts, understand how they work, feel confident using them, and can access them in a way that supports stable housing, better health, education and training, and movement into or advancement in employment.Apply for HHS 2026 ACL AOD DFLA 0025
- The Administration for Community Living in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Expanding Financial Literacy and Empowerment: Increasing Awareness and Use of ABLE Accounts for Americans with Disabilities" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.631.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-06-22.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-08-03. (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 $1,200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this funding opportunity?
This is a Projects of National Significance (PNS) cooperative agreement offered by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) under the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act. The project focus is expanding financial literacy and empowerment for Americans with disabilities by increasing awareness, access, and real-world use of ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts.
What is the overall purpose of the project?
The project is designed to help people with disabilities build savings and financial stability without jeopardizing critical supports, with the broader goal of improving health, economic well-being, and long-term economic security and mobility. ACL frames ABLE accounts as a practical support for affording disability-related needs while pursuing education, employment, and greater independence.
What are ABLE accounts?
ABLE accounts are state- and territory-run, tax-advantaged savings and investment programs for eligible individuals with disabilities. They were authorized beginning in 2015 and allow funds to be saved and used for qualified disability expenses.
What can ABLE account funds be used for under this opportunity description?
The notice describes a wide range of qualified disability expenses that support day-to-day stability and opportunity, including education, food, housing, transportation, employment training, assistive technology, and health care.
What policy change is driving this opportunity?
A major eligibility change begins in January 2026: the age-of-disability-onset threshold for ABLE eligibility rises to 46 (up from 26). This expansion is a central reason ACL is emphasizing broader outreach and coordinated strategies now.
How many people does ACL estimate could become newly eligible due to the 2026 change?
ACL estimates the age expansion will increase eligibility to about 14 million people, including roughly 1.2 million veterans.
Why is ACL emphasizing outreach beyond current disability benefit recipients?
Because the 2026 expansion is expected to bring in many people who may have qualifying disabilities but are not enrolled in programs like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and who may not realize ABLE accounts are an option. The notice indicates outreach should not be limited to existing benefit recipients.
What kinds of strategies does ACL prefer the funded project to pursue?
The notice highlights several preferred directions: coordinated marketing at national, state, and community levels; population-specific approaches delivered through partnerships with ACL grantees and community stakeholders; and a stronger systems-level approach at the state level to make ABLE information and enrollment easier to find and use.
What does "coordinated marketing" mean in the context of this announcement?
Based on the notice, coordinated marketing points to aligning messaging across partners and operating at multiple levels (national, state, and community) so that ABLE information is consistent, easy to find, and broadly distributed to newly eligible groups.
What are examples of population-specific outreach mentioned or implied in the notice?
The notice points to tailoring outreach for distinct communities such as veterans, working-age adults newly eligible under the age expansion, families, and people transitioning from school to work, typically through partnerships with ACL grantees and community stakeholders.
What is meant by a "systems-level approach" at the state level?
The notice describes strengthening how state-level systems make ABLE information and enrollment easier to find and use. It also suggests improving connections to ABLE during common touchpoints such as benefits counseling, workforce programs, disability service networks, and health and human services settings.
What is the activity category for this opportunity?
The activity category is Income Security and Social Services, reflecting the focus on financial capability and economic mobility outcomes for people with disabilities.
What type of award is this (grant vs. cooperative agreement)?
This is a cooperative agreement. The notice indicates that, compared to a standard grant, a cooperative agreement typically involves substantial federal involvement and ongoing collaboration during the project period.
Is this a discretionary funding opportunity?
Yes. The opportunity is described as a discretionary funding opportunity (CFDA 93.631).
How many awards does ACL expect to make?
ACL expects to make a single award.
What is the maximum award amount (ceiling)?
The maximum award amount (ceiling) is $1,200,000.
What is the opportunity number?
The opportunity number is HHS 2026 ACL AOD DFLA 0025.
What is the application deadline listed in the notice?
The application deadline listed is August 3, 2026 (original closing date).
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes domestic public and nonprofit entities, including: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; and nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (subject to the limitation noted in the announcement for the nonprofit category where institutions of higher education are addressed).
Are foreign entities eligible to apply?
No. Foreign entities are explicitly not eligible to apply for or receive an award under this announcement.
What statutory authority is referenced for limiting awards to eligible entities?
The notice references Section 162 of the DD Act regarding awards to public or private nonprofit entities for projects of national significance related to individuals with developmental disabilities, and notes that foreign entities are not eligible under this announcement.
What is the intended impact for people with disabilities and families?
The project is intended to scale ABLE-related outreach and support infrastructure so newly eligible individuals and families learn about ABLE accounts, understand how they work, feel confident using them, and can access them in ways that support stable housing, better health, education and training, and movement into or advancement in employment.
Why does ACL describe ABLE accounts as more than a niche tool?
The notice reflects ACL's view that ABLE accounts are a practical support that can help people afford disability-related needs while working toward education, employment, and greater independence, especially as eligibility expands in 2026.
What does the project aim to change at real-world access points?
The notice points to improving how state systems connect people to ABLE information during common touchpoints, including benefits counseling, workforce programs, disability service networks, and health and human services settings.
What kinds of outcomes does the opportunity emphasize?
It emphasizes financial literacy and empowerment, increased awareness and access to ABLE accounts, and increased real-world use of ABLE accounts, with downstream outcomes tied to stability and opportunity (such as housing stability, health, education/training, and employment mobility).
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