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Ability Central Announces 2023 Funding Cycle

More than a million dollars in funding available to California nonprofits serving people with disabilities

Oakland, California – May 31, 2022 – Ability Central today announced their 2023 funding year will focus on empowering nonprofits to implement innovative communication access projects aimed at creating equity for people who are Deaf, disabled, and neurodiverse and their communities of support. Now in its 11th year of grantmaking, Ability Central is the only foundation exclusively funding communication access projects for disability communities.

To meet the current needs of constituents, Ability Central is announcing two funding priorities for its 2023 annual grants: innovation projects and communications training for professionals. Grant awards range from $10,000 to $100,000.

The innovation focus encourages the implementation of emerging technologies, services, and solutions benefitting people with disabilities. Successful projects will implement or scale a new solution that expands communications access for people with disabilities.

The training focus supports the education of professionals. In-person or virtual training will equip them to offer equitable communications and information access, creating inclusive environments for their clients with disabilities. Projects could include efforts to train more Deaf interpreters, DeafBlind Co-Navigators, mental health service providers, administrative staff, and more. Ability Central encourages a collaborative, train-the-trainer approach and prioritizes projects that include people with disabilities in their design and implementation.

The foundation is also offering rapid response Access Improvement Grants. These grants provide organizations with short-term funding ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 with a turnaround of  one month from application receipt. Rapid response grants from Ability Central aim to expand the capacity of nonprofits to increase the participation of people with disabilities in their events and programs. Ability Central is especially looking to fund nonprofits with budgets less than $1 million.

Ability Central is accepting grant inquiries until July 15, 2022. To learn more about the grants and eligibility requirements, including details on a webinar for applicants, visit https://philanthropy.abilitycentral.org/what-we-support/grant-opportunities/.


Headquartered in Oakland, California, Ability Central is the philanthropic division of the California Communication Access Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003. Ability Central is committed to serving as an educator, convener, and resource working to expand communications and information access for individuals who are Deaf or disabled and their families and caregivers. Ability Central also offers technical support to other nonprofits working to help people who are Deaf or disabled, and provides online information and resources for people with questions about disabilities and communication access. Since 2010, Ability Central has granted more than $11.5 million to 185 projects, serving more than half a million people with disabilities.

Contact: Grant Barringer, Communications Manager

gbarringer@abilitycentral.org | (510) 302-1183

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