Reference Guide for Individuals with Disabilities
If you are an individual with a physical or other disability, and you are looking for information on grants specifically for those with disabilities, this reference guide will help you in your search. We have selected a few of the most important print and electronic resources for you to begin your search.
Because most private foundations make grants only to incorporated nonprofit organizations, individual grantseekers must follow a different funding path than organizations with tax-exempt status. Some private foundations currently offer support for individuals and individual projects; it is up to you to determine which foundations might be interested in your particular subject area or project.
The Foundation Center has identified a range of materials that will help you to identify those foundations that have previously given grants to individuals with disabilities. Feel free to refer to them, read introductions, scan indexes, and think of all the subjects and terms by which you can identify your project. A knowledge of support available from local disability-related organizations will also be to your benefit. You need to be both creative and flexible in your approach to seeking funding.
If you are unfamiliar with the process of grantseeking, you may want to start with the Individual Grantseekers area of the Foundation Center's web site. Information on proposal writing for individual grantseekers can be found in our FAQ "Where can I find information on proposal writing for individual grantseekers?".
Electronic Resources
Foundation Grants to Individuals Online (http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/fundingsources/gtio.html)
The Foundation Center's online database of more than 6,500 grantmaking programs that provide support to individuals (updated quarterly). Available as a monthly subscription.
ABLEDATA (http://www.abledata.com)
A federally funded project whose primary mission is to provide information on assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment available from domestic and international sources to consumers, organizations, professionals, and caregivers within the United States.
Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) (http://www.ataccess.org)
The organization makes available an online publication, "Guide to Low-Cost / No-Cost Online Tools for People with Disabilities", which presents information on Funding for Assistive Technology.
Disability Funders Network (http://www.disabilityfunders.org/)
The web site of a national membership organization that focuses on inclusion of disability in grantmaking programs and that seeks equality and rights for disabled individuals and communities. The Resources and Links section of the web site includes an extensive listing of resources on employment, accessibility, civil rights, and philanthropy.
DisabilityInfo.gov (http://www.disabilityinfo.gov)
The government web portal presents links to the home pages of federal agencies and programs that provide assistance to people with disabilities, including sections on Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security Benefits. See also GovBenefits.gov.
The Disability Resources Monthly (DRM) Guide to Disability Resources on the Internet (http://www.disabilityresources.org)
A nonprofit network staffed by volunteers, Disability Resources provides an extensive online guide to resources, including disability-related funding opportunities, browsable by funder type.
HEATH Resource Center: Online Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals With Disabilities (http://www.heath.gwu.edu/)
Sponsored by George Washington University, this online clearinghouse provides information about disability support services, policies, procedures, and adaptations, as well as information about accessing college or university campuses, career-technical schools, and other postsecondary training entities. In addition, it offers guides on financial assistance, scholarships, and materials that help students with disabilities attend college, university, career-technical schools, or other postsecondary programs.
Michigan State University Libraries - Grants for Individuals: The Disabled (http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/grants/3disable.htm)
A comprehensive listing of funding opportunities including web sites, databases, books, and announcements.
National Eye Institute - Financial Aid for Eye Care (http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/financialaid.asp)
The National Eye Institute, which supports eye research, does not help individuals pay for eye care. However, they do provide a listing of programs and resources that can help you obtain funding for eye care purposes.
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) (http://www.rarediseases.org)
While NORD does not offer funding itself, it does have a listing of support organizations for rare diseases. Networking with these organizations may point to you financial resources for disease sufferers and their families.
National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.) - Housing Access (http://www.nod.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.viewPage&pageId=18)
N.O.D. offers accessible housing information and news for people with disabilities, housing officials, builders, and designers.
Print Resources
Edelson, Phyllis, ed. Foundation Grants to Individuals . 16th ed. New York, NY: The Foundation Center. 2007. Profiles more than 6,500 foundation programs that make grants to individuals for education, arts and culture, general welfare, and more.
The Complete Directory for People With Disabilities: A Comprehensive Source Book for Individuals And Professionals. 15th ed. Millerton, NY: Grey House Publishing, Inc. 2006. Includes national and state agencies and associations, camps and exchange programs, manufacturers of assistive devices, print and electronic media, living centers and facilities, libraries and research centers, and conferences and trade shows.
Schlachter, Gail Ann and R. David Weber. Financial Aid for the Disabled and Their Families. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press. 2006. The authors provide information about more than 1,200 scholarship, fellowship, loan, grant, and award programs designed primarily or exclusively for the disabled or members of their families.
Schlachter, Gail Ann. Funding for Persons With Visual Impairments. Large print ed. El Dorado Hills, CA: Reference Service Press. 2006. Describes scholarships, fellowships, loans, grants-in-aid, awards, and internships.
For other articles or books on related topics, check under the subject headings "People with disabilities" or "Individual grants and grantseekers" in the Catalog of Nonprofit Literature, the Center's bibliographic database.
Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities to Our Libraries and Learning Centers
Foundation Center libraries are wheelchair accessible. With advance notice, signers for the hearing impaired are provided at our educational programs, and audiotapes and scripts of our staff-led training programs can be made available. We can also arrange for reader services and provide for searches of funding databases. Those unable to visit our libraries and Cooperating Collections because of a disability may borrow reference books published by the Center by mail at no charge; contact the Center's New York office by phone (212-620-4230) or e-mail (library@foundationcenter.org). Many public libraries, including Foundation Center Cooperating Collections, may provide additional information as well as assistive technology and training on site or make referrals to other libraries that do.
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