Eligibility and Application Process
How and when should institutions apply for SWDPS grant funding?
SWDPS is an open/non-competitive grant. The fiscal period for this grant is September 1 鈥 August 31.听
Each spring, after the NYS budget is enacted, NYSED will invite institutions to submit a mandatory Notice of Intent to Apply, followed by the official Application for Funding and Proposed Budget (FS-10). See example dates below.
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How much can colleges expect to receive in SWDPS grant funding each year?
Since the inception of the SWDPS grant program, the average per-pupil allotment to participating colleges has ranged from $27 -- $47. The award formula is straightforward, because the SWDPS grant program is non-competitive. All eligible institutions who meet the NOI and application deadline will be included in the award list each year.
The formula that NYSED follows for award calculations is: the total SWDPS grant appropriation in the enacted NYS budget (e.g., $4,000,000) is divided by the number of enrolled students with disabilities at participating colleges across the state (e.g., 101,500). The per-pupil allotment is then multiplied by the number of enrolled SWDs reported to SED by each participating institution to arrive at their grant award amount.
The list of听tentative grant awards听to the institutions that submitted a听mandatory听Notice of Intent to Apply will be posted on this web site. Institutions must use their tentative award amount from that list when completing their Application for Funding and Proposed Budget documents.听
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When will the annual SWDPS Application for Funding be released?鈥
In May or June each year, the updated SWDPS Application for Funding will be emailed to points of contact at SUNY, CUNY, and private/independent, degree-granting institutions that submitted the mandatory NOI and that reported enrolled students with disabilities to NYSED for the prior-prior academic year.听See below for example dates and deadlines.
Information about this data collection process can be found here:
Higher 秘密研究所 Data Collection Forms and Instructions听听
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Dates and Deadlines for the 2025-26 SWDPS grant application cycle:听
- A kick-off email was sent to eligible institutions on May 15, 2025.
If your institution is eligible to disburse TAP funding, and if it reported having enrolled students with disabilities to NYSED in the 2023-24 academic year, your institution was invited to submit the mandatory NOI.听
- Summary of Important Dates for SWDPS 2025-26 Applications:鈥
Questions?
Email the SWDPS Program Officer, Sara Duprey, at swdps@nysed.gov(link sends email)
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How can SWDPS grant funding be used?听听
SWDPS funds must be used for one or more of these four purposes:听听
- To supplement existing supports and accommodations of Students with Disabilities (SWDs) in order to expand such supports and services provided at SUNY, CUNY and other degree-granting Private and Independent IHEs;听
- To support college prep programs to assist incoming SWDs in transitioning to college and prepare them to navigate the campus facilities and systems;听
- To provide full- and part-time faculty and staff at SUNY, CUNY and other Private and Independent degree granting IHEs with disability training; and/or听
- To improve the identification process of SWDs and enhance data collection capabilities at SUNY, CUNY and other Private and Independent degree granting IHEs.听
