Community Champions for Disability Health Challenge

The Community Champions for Disability Health Challenge is a prize competition jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Administration for Community Living. It aims to engage community organizations in developing and implementing innovative approaches that improve health equity for people with disabilities. The initiative recognizes that community groups are often best positioned to understand local barriers to healthcare access and to design inclusive, sustainable solutions that reflect the lived experiences of disabled individuals. By mobilizing community leadership, the program complements NIH’s broader research portfolio that addresses ableism and health disparities in clinical and healthcare systems. The Challenge is administered by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development through its National Center for Medical Rehabilitation Research. Partner institutes include the National Eye Institute, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, the Division of Program Coordination, Planning and Strategic Initiatives within the Office of the Director, and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. The competition’s total prize purse is four hundred eighty-five thousand dollars distributed across multiple phases. Participants also benefit from technical assistance, mentoring, and webinars that strengthen their capacity to write competitive research proposals and expand community impact. In Phase 1, community-based organizations proposed innovative interventions to reduce health disparities among people with disabilities by improving or expanding existing services. Up to eight organizations each received twenty-five thousand dollars and advanced to Phase 2. The current Phase 2 period is open and allows finalists fifty-two weeks to implement their proposed plans. Interim progress reports may qualify for additional seventy-five hundred-dollar awards, and up to three grand prize winners will each receive seventy-five thousand dollars at the conclusion of the phase. Phase 2 submissions close on January 21 2026. Eligible participants must be tax-exempt organizations incorporated and operating in the United States under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Institutions of higher education, federal entities, and current NIH primary awardees are not eligible. Organizations must register to participate under the official NIH Challenge rules and meet all compliance and ethics requirements. Federal employees may participate only under conditions consistent with agency ethics policies. Each participating organization must have staff aged eighteen years or older and cannot include any Challenge judges or their immediate family members. Participant organizations may not use federal grant, contract, or cooperative agreement funds to prepare or support their Challenge submissions. They assume responsibility for any associated risks and agree to waive claims against the federal government except in cases of willful misconduct. No liability insurance or indemnification is required for participation, and equitable access to federal facilities is permitted if made available to all participants. Entrants retain ownership of their intellectual property but must grant the NIH a nonexclusive, royalty-free license to reproduce, publish, and display their submissions for program purposes. Winners must complete verification and payment documentation within fifteen business days of notification to receive cash awards. The submission process is conducted through the Challenge.gov platform. Organizations register online, prepare proposals describing how people with disabilities will contribute to the design and execution of their solutions, and submit documentation by the published deadline. Evaluations are based on innovation, feasibility, community engagement, and potential to reduce health disparities. Technical assistance webinars and matchmaking sessions are offered throughout the challenge period to support participants. Awards are expected following completion of implementation and review after January 2026.

Demonstrate leadership by people with disabilities and measurable improvements in health equity; clearly outline sustainability and community engagement.