Nominations are now open for the 2026 NCRF Court to CART Grant, an annual grant and training program presented by the National Court Reporters Foundation (NCRF) to support the Court to CART grantee with formal training to provide Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) services.
The Court to CART Grant provides $1,500 along with mentorship, training, and educational resources to a qualified candidate currently providing realtime services in the judicial setting who would like to broaden his or her career path to include CART captioning for people with hearing loss or for nonnative English speakers.
Grant recipients receive an assessment of their realtime skills, instruction on current CART technology, hands-on training, and access to applicable NCRA educational videos. The program is designed to help participants build a solid foundation in CART technology, ethics, and strategy while learning from experienced captioning professionals.
The Court to CART Grant was established in 2023 in memory of Eligio Antonio Rosario Sr., the late stepfather and lifelong role model of Rich Germosen, FAPR, RDR, CRR. The grant reflects Germosen’s dedication to speed, accuracy, and professional development, as well as the shared commitment of Patricia Graves, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC, to expanding access to CART services for those who rely on them.
The 2025 Court to CART Grant recipient was Erica McQuillen, RDR, CRR, an official court reporter from Tucson, Ariz. McQuillen has spent 17 of her 22-year career with the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona. A multi-qualifier in both the NCRA Speed and Realtime contests, McQuillen applied for the grant to prepare for a future transition into providing CART services following her federal court career. Her interest in CART was shaped in part by programs she observed in her children’s school, which offers an immersion program for students who are deaf and hard-of-hearing. It was there that she witnessed firsthand the impact of communication access services.
Applicants for the 2026 Court to CART Grant must be current NCRA members in good standing, hold a minimum Registered Professional Reporter (RPR) certification (realtime certification preferred), and be actively providing realtime services in the judicial setting, among other eligibility requirements. Interested members must apply using the online form, provide a letter of recommendation, and write an essay using this prompt: Explain why you wish to change or expand your career path to include CART. What impact will your contributions make on the CART audiences you will serve, as well as on the court reporting and captioning professions?
Full eligibility criteria, application requirements, and deadlines for the 2026 Court to CART Grant are available on the NCRF website.
For more information about this and other Foundation scholarships and grants, please contact Jill Parker Landsman, Foundation Director, at jlandsman@ncra.org.
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