Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center | HHS 2021 ACL AOA PPSC 0080

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACL AOA PPSC 0080

The Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center grant opportunity (HHS 2021 ACL AOA PPSC 0080) is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL), specifically through the Administration on Aging (AoA). It is designed to strengthen and update how senior centers operate across the country by creating a single, national-level Resource Center that helps local senior centers evolve to meet the needs of todays older adults. The underlying rationale is that senior centers remain a major part of the Aging Network and a key community hub for helping older adults stay active, socially connected, informed, and healthier while supporting community living and independence.

The opportunity is grounded in the scale and importance of senior centers nationwide. Older Americans Act State Performance Reports indicate there are more than 11,000 senior centers in the United States, many of which function as focal points for delivering a range of services and programs. These services can be especially important for addressing social isolation and loneliness, which are major quality-of-life and public health concerns among older adults. AoA is emphasizing that demographic shifts and changing expectations among the "new" older adult mean that traditional senior center models may not be enough going forward. In other words, senior centers are being asked to modernize the experience they offer, including the types of programs they provide and the ways they engage participants.

A central driver for this initiative is the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, many senior centers were forced to close or reduce in-person operations and quickly develop alternative ways to maintain services and engagement, such as remote programming, wellness check-ins, and other nontraditional delivery methods. AoA is using that experience as further evidence that senior centers need better tools, guidance, and shared knowledge to adapt quickly and effectively, not only during emergencies but also as a standard approach to meeting evolving community needs.

Under this funding, AoA planned to make one award, structured as a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement typically means the federal agency expects to be substantially involved with the awardee in implementing the project, not just providing funds and stepping back. The single selected applicant would be responsible for establishing and operating the Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center as a national support entity. The Resource Center would provide technical assistance and training to senior centers and related stakeholders, and it would also function as a centralized repository of innovative programs, practices, and strategies that have demonstrated promise or success and can be replicated by senior centers in different communities.

The overall intent is practical and replication-focused: identify and package effective approaches, help senior centers implement them, and raise the baseline capacity of senior centers to deliver relevant, modern services. This can include disseminating tools, curricula, training materials, implementation guides, and examples of programming models that help centers remain attractive, accessible, and impactful for todays older adults, including those whose expectations may differ from prior generations.

Key administrative details include an award ceiling of $250,000, with one expected award. The funding instrument type is a cooperative agreement, and the funding activity category is Income Security and Social Services under CFDA 93.048. The opportunity was created May 27, 2021, with an original closing date of July 26, 2021. Eligibility is listed as "Others" with additional eligibility clarification referenced in the full announcement, indicating that applicants may extend beyond typical government entities depending on the specifics provided in the detailed eligibility section.

In summary, this grant is about building national infrastructure to help senior centers modernize: providing hands-on training and technical assistance, collecting and sharing replicable innovations, and helping senior centers respond to demographic change and lessons learned from COVID-era disruptions so they can better support engagement, health, and connectedness for older adults in communities across the country.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.048.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 27, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 26, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HHS 2021 ACL AOA PPSC 0080

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: