United Cerebral Palsy announced three research grants of $20,000 each on September 30, 2026, while the United States still has no coordinated federal research program for cerebral palsy. More than 1 million Americans and their families live with the condition. The awards will support research on inclusive healthcare education, a possible therapy for newborns, and delays that keep some children from early intervention.
Who Gets the Funding
UCP’s Research Council reviewed applications and selected three recipients. The awards aim to advance independence, inclusion and opportunity for people with disabilities, the organization said. World Cerebral Palsy Day approaches on October 6.
One grant will support “Changing Perspectives: Preparing Healthcare Professionals to Provide Inclusive Care for Individuals with Disabilities.” Elizabeth Stewart, Ph.D., ATP, of United Ability in Birmingham, Alabama, will study a training program that brings future healthcare professionals into direct contact with people with disabilities and caregivers. Participants also get hands-on exposure to assistive technology. The research will test whether the approach improves providers’ confidence, communication skills and understanding of disability-inclusive healthcare.
A second project will study whether stimulating the brain-body axis through the vagus nerve can reduce inflammation and brain injury in newborns with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, or HIE. Insufficient oxygen and blood flow around birth cause HIE, a leading cause of cerebral palsy. Principal Investigator Rafael Galindo, MD, PhD, of Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, will use a neonatal mouse model to assess whether the approach could inform therapies for infants at risk.
When Identification Doesn’t Bring Treatment
The third award focuses on the gap between identifying a child as being at high risk for cerebral palsy and getting that child early intervention services. Many infants identified as high risk don’t receive services promptly after leaving the NICU, according to the announcement. Researchers will link hospital records with early intervention data to find delays and examine ways to improve the transition to treatment.
Jessica Trenkle, PT, DPT, PCS, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, will lead the project. Early identification can give children a chance to receive intervention during a critical period of brain development. Researchers plan to develop scalable and equitable strategies so children can receive therapy as early as possible. Families facing delays live with the consequences while systems try to connect identification with care.
The announcement calls cerebral palsy the most common lifelong motor disability in childhood, affecting about 1 in 345 children in the United States. The projects address biological mechanisms behind neurological injury, obstacles to early treatment and healthcare professionals’ preparation. The announcement describes no direct-action or mutual-aid response; UCP and its institutional partners are organizing research.
A Small Program in a Federal Void
UCP said important questions about cerebral palsy remain underfunded and underexplored despite the number of affected people and families. Valerie Pieraccini, co-chair of UCP’s Research Council and vice president of education and innovation at the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, said the grant program supports research that might otherwise struggle to move forward. She said it can help translate new knowledge into approaches to diagnosis, treatment, care and quality of life.
Since the program launched in 2022, UCP has funded 16 research projects and committed $284,000 to research and innovation in cerebral palsy and related neurodevelopmental disabilities. Five grants have gone to UCP Affiliates. The announcement doesn’t identify a funding source for the program or a legislative or electoral remedy for the lack of a coordinated federal research program.
UCP’s Research Council includes medical professionals, clinician-researchers, parents of individuals with disabilities, individuals with disabilities, UCP Affiliate leaders and community-based advocates. Its affiliate network provides services to thousands of children and adults, including advocacy, early intervention, therapies, job coaching, home- and community-based services, recreational opportunities and housing assistance. The grants put specific research questions on the table. The condition still has no coordinated federal research program.