1.     Mobility equipment considered for this grant program must be essential mobility transportation equipment.  This includes conversions for accessible vans, wheelchair lifts, scooter or truck lifts, car-top carriers, etc.  Wheelchairs, scooters and home modifications are not eligible for this program.  We are unable to provide assistance toward repair of existing equipment. Only the purchase of equipment that is deemed necessary to meet the needs of the applicant will be considered for grant assistance.

2.     Mobility equipment must be purchased from a retail dealer certified by the National Mobility Equipment Dealers Association. The manufacturer of the mobility product must also be certified by NMEDA. All NMEDA principles and guidelines are applicable.  These dealers can be located at www.nmeda.com/locate-a-dealer/.  If the driver is disabled, the equipment must be essential mobility transportation equipment identified as a result of an evaluation by a driver rehabilitation specialist, and appropriate to a significant and lasting disability. If the driver is not disabled but the passenger is, the equipment must still be essential mobility equipment identified as a result of an evaluation and  appropriate to a significant and lasting disability.

3.     The application and supplementary information must be submitted in conjunction with a mobility dealer and must include a significant amount of personal information as well as a “proposal” or prospectus that outlines the project, including equipment details and pricing. In order to be qualified to be considered for a grant, applicants must include the following: a) proof of already having secured 75 percent of the price of their mobility product since NOVA’s purpose is to provide the final 25 percent, up to $5000; b) proof of income; c) an offical NMEDA dealer quote (Photos from the dealer website will not be considered.), d) proof of a driver rehabilitation specialist evaluation, if the driver is disabled. If the above items are not included in the application, the applicant will not be considered for a grant. Please fill out the application as completely as possible. Your background is very important, and the statement must include a clear need for the equipment requested.

4.     Information must be provided in the application that demonstrates clearly (letters of rejection) that all other government funding sources and entitlements have been exhausted prior to application to The National Organization for Vehicle Accessibility.  If documentation from these funding sources is not available, please provide a narrative of this information.

5.     Applications must be completely filled out and additional information attached as needed to fully answer all questions.  Applications will only be accepted according to the funding cycles listed on this website. Determination announcements will be sent via e-mail according to the dates listed on this website for each funding cycle.

6.     Approved and funded applications MUST result in an equipment purchase immediately.  All grants awarded expire if not used within 60 days.  Projects that are selected for funding must demonstrate that all other funding to complete the sale has been secured.  When the bill of sale is submitted to The National Organization for Vehicle Accessibility, a check will be made directly to the selling dealer on behalf of the applying client.

7.   The grant may fund up to 25 percent of the transportation mobility equipment with a cap of $5,000.  The grant may not be used to fund any equipment already funded by Vocational Rehabilitation or another government source.  In the case of a van, ONLY the conversion or wheelchair lift may be considered for funding.  For a used accessible van the blue-book value of the vehicle is subtracted from the total cost and 25 percent of the remaining balance is eligible for National Organization for Vehicle Accessibility funding.

8.   Grants not funded within 60 days of award will be considered ineligible for funding and applicants who still need time to get their other funding in order must reapply at the next funding cycle.

9.   Please do not send material not requested.  Photographs and letters of recommendation from others are not part of the process and should not be included as attachments.  There is a limit to the attachment size that may be included.  If you are having difficulty with the electronic submission try dividing your attachments and submitting two applications.

10.  Only completed applications with all supporting materials will be considered for funding.  All applications will be accepted electronically ONLY.

11.  You must include a valid email address and all requested materials in order for your application to be considered qualified to apply.

12.  Currently only applications from the United States and Canada are being considered. NOVA has more applicants than it has funding, so not all applicants will be funded. NOVA has the right to refuse any applicants funding.

13.  If the applicant has already taken delivery of the mobility product and the sale has been completed, the application will not be eligible for consideration.

14. Any person who applies for a grant automatically gives permission to NOVA and its Alliance for Adaptive Mobility & Accessibility (A2MA) to call, mail and/or email additional information, such as publications, newsletters, educational material, grant and funding advisements, membership and program opportunities, legislative updates, etc., that NOVA/A2MA believes will be of interest, relevant or applicable to the applicant. The latter is in compliance with NOVA/A2MA’s privacy policy listed on the website.