In honor of Brain Injury Awareness month, ACL is highlighting the TBI State Partnership Grant Program and resources for finding support after a traumatic brain injury.
What Is a Brain Injury?
A brain injury can happen when an external force or internal occurrence causes damage to the brain. An external cause of injury is referred to as a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Common causes of TBI include falls (learn more about ACL’s falls prevention efforts), automobile accidents, and sports injuries. Internal causes of brain injury are referred to as non-TBI such as anoxia or stroke. Data shows 1.56 million TBIs are sustained in the US annually.
About ACL’s TBI State Partnership Grant Program (TBI SPP)
Brain injury impacts all sectors of society and across all age groups. Many of ACL’s programs address the needs of individuals with brain injury, such as the TBI Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center funded by ACL's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).
ACL’s TBI Program mission is to help states increase access to services and support for individuals with TBI throughout their lifetime. This grant program is one component of the ACL TBI Program, along with protection and advocacy.
The purpose of the TBI State Partnership Grant Program (TBI SPP) is to create/strengthen person-centered, culturally competent systems of support that maximize the independence, overall health, and well-being of people with TBI across the lifespan. A study conducted in 2021 confirmed that individuals who are impacted by brain injury, and who live in states that receive TBI SPP funds, are more likely to experience better long-term outcomes . As a result of the TBI SPP, individuals with TBI will experience:
- Increased self-determination, independence, and quality of life;
- Highly streamlined, coordinated pathways to services, and supports;
- Increased availability of high quality, person-centered, culturally competent, evidence-based services and supports; and
- Person-centered, culturally competent services and supports with the capacity to serve and support diverse and underserved populations
Grants to States
Since 1997, 48 states have had an SPP grant. For the current funding cycle (FY 2021-2026), 29 states receive funding for State Partnership Program grants, including Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
In addition to the work in their individual states, the grantees are also responsible for participating in two of nine workgroups. The workgroups provide grantees the opportunity to network and learn from each other as well as develop resources to advance the field of brain injury. Please visit the following link for resources that these groups have developed: ACL Grantee Workgroup Resources Tools.
ACL also supports grantees by funding the Traumatic Brain Injury Technical Assistance and Resource Center (TBI TARC). In addition to providing direct technical assistance to the grantees, the TBI TARC also develops resources helpful to the field. See the website for more information and TBI resources.