Volunteer Non-Medical Assistance to Older Americans – Jul 9

Posted by National Community Care Corps on June 22, 2021

National Community Care Corps Issues RFP for Local Models That Provide Volunteer Non-Medical Assistance to Older Americans, Disabled Adults, and Family Caregivers

National Community Care Corps has issued a Request for Proposals for innovative local models in which volunteers assist family caregivers or directly assist older adults or adults with disabilities with non-medical care to maintain their independence.

Grants ranging from $30,000 and $150,000 will be used to bolster innovative local models to provide volunteer non-medical assistance to older adults, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers and evaluate the effectiveness of those models in different communities nationally. Through the RFP, National Community Care Corps will fund local models representing a diverse cross-section of the nation reflective of geography, urban/rural/frontier, and Tribal communities, underserved and limited English-speaking populations, communities with limited support programs, etc.

Local model volunteer programs must serve at least one of three eligible populations: persons age 60 and older who have difficulty living independently and who require assistance with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) such as cooking or doing laundry; persons over age 18 with a disability (as defined in Section 3 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990) who have difficulty living independently and who require assistance with IADLs; and family caregivers (defined as an unpaid family member, foster parent, friend, neighbor or another unpaid adult who provides in-home monitoring, management, supervision, or treatment of a child or adult with a need, such as a disease, disability, or the frailties of old age). Volunteer services provided to family caregivers are intended to support their role as caregivers.

Local model volunteer programs must address an unmet need in the community; be delivered in-home or community-based (non-institutional) settings; provide non-medical services; provide services in coordination with a family caregiver, if applicable; recruit and train volunteers who are age 18 and older; conduct a criminal background check on their volunteers; and ensure that any personally identifying information from volunteers or from those receiving volunteer services is kept secure. While local models may offer a wide range of volunteer services, they must be non-medical services and not include any form of healthcare service, including personal care services. Applicants are encouraged to be innovative in their approaches in determining what volunteer services would be beneficial to address the unmet needs of the eligible populations they intend to serve. Applicants are encouraged to consider health equity and social determinants of health.

All grantees are required to contribute a minimum match equal to 21 percent of the total program budget. The match may include cash, in-kind contributions, or a combination of both.

Organizations that are eligible to apply include domestic public or private nonprofit entities; local communities; state, county, and local governments; Indian tribal governments and organizations (American Indian/Alaskan Native/Native American); faith-based organizations; community-based organizations; hospitals and healthcare systems; institutions of higher education; local aging services organizations as defined in 102(5) of the Older Americans Act of 1965; centers for independent living as defined in section 702 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973; AmeriCorps; time-banking or volunteer agencies with expertise in the delivery of home and community-based services to older adults and adults with disabilities; and other entities with expertise in the delivery of services and supports to older adults, adults with disabilities, and family caregivers.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the National Community Care Corps website.

Deadline: July 9, 2021