AARP Foundation Invites Proposals for Evidence-Based Direct-Service Projects – Aug 31

Posted by AARP Foundation on August 18, 2020

The AARP Foundation serves vulnerable people age 50 and older by creating and advancing effective solutions that help them secure the essentials they need for a decent quality of life.

To that end, the foundation welcomes proposals from direct service evidence-based projects that show evidence of helping low-income older adults increase their income/earnings and/or secure benefits. Examples include workforce programs that provide short term, affordable, and/or work-based upskilling or reskilling opportunities that help low-wage older workers gain the skills and competencies needed for employment in fast-growing technology-driven sectors of the economy; programs supporting family caregivers; workplace financial education; and retirement reforms (e.g., establishing an automatic IRA contribution). Three different types of proposals will be supported:

Ready to Pilot — Grants of up to $150,000 per year over three years will be awarded in support of small-scale projects that test the feasibility of a project’s approach, methods, and procedures for use in a larger-scale project. Program models must be developed and tested thoroughly in multiple locations and/or among a low-income older adult population.

Ready for Outcomes — Grants of up to $250,000 per year over three years will be awarded in support of programs developed, pilot-tested, and implemented among low-income older adults.  Program/project evaluations that demonstrate program participants achieved the program’s outcomes must be part of the proposals.

Ready to Scale — Grants of up to $250,000 per year over three years will be awarded in support of programs that have been independently evaluated and demonstrate moderate to strong evidence of effectiveness and the potential to be expanded or scaled.

This funding opportunity is primarily intended for national or regional organizations with built-in distribution channels (e.g., affiliates, members, chapters or collaborative partnerships). Local organizations will only be considered if they have the ability to serve thousands of low-income older adults on their own or in conjunction with other organizations.

Link to complete RFP: https://www.aarp.org/content/dam/aarp/aarp_foundation/pdf/2020/AARP_Foundation_Fall_2020_Direct_Service_RFA.pdf