ARLINGTON, VA – June 3, 2026 – From AI-powered tools helping older adults age in place to smart glasses opening up everyday tasks for people who are blind or have low vision, the CTA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Consumer Technology Association® (CTA), today is announcing $700,000 in grants to 32 nonprofit organizations using technology to improve lives across North America. This year’s recipients, which include 18 returning grantees and 14 first-time recipients, support programs with a focus on aging, caregiving, cognitive and neurological differences, hearing, mobility, vision and other areas.

"Technology should reach the people who need it most," said Stephen Ewell, Executive Director of the CTA Foundation. "The organizations in our 2026 class are doing exactly that: putting tools in the hands of older adults and people with disabilities so they can live more independent, connected lives. From first-time grantees to longtime partners, this class is using innovation to break down barriers. We are proud to back these organizations."

The 2026 CTA Foundation Grantees include:

• A Little Help: expanding a custom mobile app that connects older Coloradans with community volunteers, helping them age well in place through more reliable access to supportive services.

• Adler Aphasia Center: acquiring video and communication technology that helps stroke and brain trauma survivors with aphasia tell their own stories, raise awareness and stay socially engaged.

• ALS Northwest: expanding the assistive technology loan program that gives people with ALS access to communication devices, switches and adaptive tools as their abilities change.

• American Council of the Blind: making the Audio Description Project database voice-accessible through Alexa and AI, enabling blind and low-vision users to easily discover described content.

• Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago: launching a Communication Access Pilot Program that deploys augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology across pediatric rehabilitation sites, improving care for children with disabilities.

• Blythedale Children's Hospital: upgrading the rehabilitation engineering lab with a new 3D printer used to design and produce custom assistive devices for medically fragile children.

• Cleveland Society for the Blind (Cleveland Sight Center): launching a group-based training program using AI-enabled Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to help adults who are blind or visually impaired build independence and confidence in everyday life.

• Connecticut Institute for the Blind (Oak Hill): providing assistive technology assessments and adaptive devices that support the independence and safety of individuals living with dementia and their caregivers.

• DigitalC: deploying 700 voice-activated smart home assistants to older adults in Cleveland, supporting telehealth, medication management and aging in place without screens or keyboards.

• Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area: purchasing simultaneous interpretation equipment and AI translation earbuds that better serve bilingual and hearing-impaired members with Down syndrome and their families.

• Easterseals Arkansas: expanding a smart-home technology program that gives adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities the support they need to live independently.

• Encore Employment Enterprise: piloting a consumer-friendly eligibility screening tool that helps older adults make informed employment decisions without putting their public benefits at risk.

• Front Porch: developing a portable, technology-enabled sensory cart that brings calming lights, sound, scent and touch experiences directly to older adults with dementia, limited mobility or in hospice care.

• Independent Living Services: launching an assistive-technology music program that gives adults with developmental disabilities new ways to create music, manage stress and express themselves.

• ITNAmerica: enhancing the ITNRides Mobile Driver App that supports volunteer transportation programs serving older adults and people with mobility challenges nationwide.

• Jubilee Jobs: expanding job preparation and digital skills training for older adults in the Washington, DC area, including an intergenerational Digital Navigator program that pairs trained young adults with seniors.

• LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired: providing 50 Meta smart glasses and training for blind and low-vision adults and seniors in San Francisco and Northern California, supporting independent access at home, work and in the community.

• Lorenzo's House: supporting the LIGHT Platform, an online hub of connection, resources and advocacy for families navigating younger-onset dementia.

• MAB Community Services, Inc.: expanding access technology and AI-informed training that helps older adults with visual disabilities across Massachusetts live more connected, healthy and independent lives.

• Mercy Foundation: equipping the John A. Schafer, MD Multiple Sclerosis Achievement Center with new tablets and adaptive technology that support cognitive engagement and independence for people living with MS.

• NewView Oklahoma, Inc.: launching the state's first Tech360 Assistive Technology Center, a hub where seniors who are blind or have low vision can explore and train on consumer and assistive technologies.

• Older Adults Technology Services (OATS): enhancing Senior Planet's ExploreTech programming, giving older adults hands-on access to emerging consumer technology like AI smart glasses, wellness wearables and smart home tools.

• Opportunity Village Foundation: purchasing iPads, laptops, and adaptive technology that support communication, digital literacy, employment readiness and social connection for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

• Perkins School for the Blind: expanding the Assistive Device Center, a workshop where senior volunteers build adaptive furniture and learning tools that help children with disabilities learn through exploration and play.

• Presbyterian Senior Services (PSS): supporting the PSS Life University Learning Center in the South Bronx, which provides bilingual digital skills, financial literacy and workforce-readiness training for low-income seniors.

• ReSpawn Foundation: piloting a clinical gaming integration program that brings adaptive gaming technology into rehabilitation settings, driving functional recovery for older adults and people with complex disabilities.

• Sunshine Home Share Colorado: developing Colorado's first hybrid social work and self-directed online home-sharing platform, helping older adults safely share their homes and age in place.

• Tatum Robotics Foundation: providing DeafBlind adults with the Tatum1, a first-of-its-kind robotic device that translates text into tactile American Sign Language, giving them independent access to digital content and communication services.

• The Arc of Northern Virginia: expanding the Tech for Independent Living program, which uses app-based training and consumer technology to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities build skills for independent living, employment, travel and community participation.

• The Carroll Center for the Blind: funding the Empowerment Through Technology initiative, providing laptops to graduates of Carroll's programs who need technology to thrive in education, employment and daily life.

• The QL Plus Program (Project S.E.R.V.E.): expanding student-led engineering projects that co-create custom adaptive technologies with veterans and emergency responders living with injuries or disabling conditions.

• Vinfen: supporting the Tech Connect Project, which pairs people with disabilities and mental health conditions with the devices and personalized training they need to live, work, and participate in their communities.

The CTA Foundation’s work to advance accessibility for older adults and people with disabilities is also gaining global recognition. On May 19, Forbes named the Foundation to the Forbes Accessibility 200, annual list recognizing the world's leading innovators driving accessibility progress across communication, mobility, education, the workplace and beyond. The Foundation joins honorees from 23 countries spanning six continents in the list's second year.

The 2026 grants were selected from 99 proposals through a multi-stage review by the CTA Foundation team, Foundation Board of Trustees, and CTA staff volunteers. Reviewers evaluated each proposal against six criteria: technology innovation, demonstrated impact, program efficiency, organizational capacity, storytelling, and strategic partnerships.

The CTA Foundation is grateful to those who contributed their time and expertise to this year's review. With this class, the Foundation's grantmaking continues to expand. The Foundation is excited to meet a growing field of innovators where they are and, together, build towards a future in which technology works for everyone.

To learn more about the CTA Foundation and its grant program, visit cta.tech/cta-foundation/foundation-grants

About the CTA Foundation

The CTA Foundation is a public, national 501(c)(3) foundation affiliated with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®. Its mission is to link older adults and people with disabilities with technologies that enhance their lives. Since awarding its first grants in 2012, the Foundation has supported programs that bring greater independence, purpose, and connection to those who need them most. Learn more at CTAFoundation.tech.