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Age & Dementia-Friendly Community Grants

Introduction

LifePath is currently seeking proposals for a limited number of projects that support our region’s vision of Age- and Dementia-Friendly communities, where older adults and residents of all ages can enjoy greater safety, connectivity, and belonging. With generous support from Point32 Health Foundation, we are ensuring that Franklin County and North Quabbin are a place where everyone can age well. To learn more about Age & Dementia-Friendly Franklin & North Quabbin, check out the Action Plan.

Objective

These awards are short-term, one-time grants that improve the capacity or enhance the built environment of specific local communities as welcoming places for people of all ages to live by identifying and mitigating systemic inequities. The Age & Dementia-Friendly framework divides areas of impact across 8 key domains:

Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
Transportation
Housing
Social Participation
Respect and Social Inclusion
Civic Participation and Employment
Communication and Information
Health Services and Community Supports

Successful proposals will demonstrate a positive impact on at least one of these domains, and applicants are encouraged to consider projects that advance the Action Steps associated with each domain and detailed in the Age & Dementia-Friendly Action Plan (see page 21 for a quick reference).

Eligibility Criteria

Franklin County and North Quabbin-based towns, libraries, Councils on Aging, Senior Centers, Village model organizations, businesses and other for-profit and non-profit organizations are encouraged to apply.

Expectations

We expect that awardees will:

Accomplish the project within the cost and timeframe specified by the proposal.

Produce a report on progress and accomplishments at the end of the grant period, and promptly report to the Age & Dementia-Friendly Program Director on progress as requested, or if unexpected barriers are encountered.

Successful proposals will:

Contain specific deliverables that can feasibly be accomplished within the constraints of budget and timeline.

Clearly state the above referenced key domain impacted, and Action Step if applicable.

Use clear language with specific and measurable outcomes.

Engage older adults directly, especially those with dementia and their caregivers, in designing and implementing proposals, including and especially for those with lived experience of discrimination, disability, poverty, and food insecurity.

Explain how this award will promote equity, inclusion and belonging.

Examples of fundable projects include (but are not limited to):

The purchase and installation of audio equipment and other technology to encourage accessibility in civic participation.

Hiring a facilitator to lead a workgroup, focus group, or listening session on a topic of significant local relevance to older adults and disseminating the findings to the public.

Improvements to accessibility and walkability of public spaces or other similar measures.

Marketing campaigns, newsletters, guidebooks, websites, or other methods to encourage awareness of existing resources, services, and engagement opportunities.

Innovative solutions to address barriers to safe, reliable transportation for older adults.

The development and implementation of intergenerational programming such as book clubs, photo voice projects, interviews between older adults and young people, dance lessons, etc…

See the Action Steps in the Age & Dementia-Friendly Regional Action Plan for ideas on how to make your community age and dementia friendly!

Award amount

Age & Dementia-Friendly Community Grants are available in amounts up to $3,000. Proposals with budgets higher than this amount will not be considered. Individual organizations may submit no more than two applications in total, either as an independent entity or as part of a partnership. For proposals structured as partnerships, please submit a single set of documents, including a single project description clearly denoting the scope of work to be accomplished by each partner and a single budget including a separate line item and brief description for any funds to be transferred to a partner organization.

Key dates

Applicant Information Session:
- Thursday, December 19th, 1pm – Registration Link
- Thursday, January 23rd, 4pm – Registration Link
Applications due February 1st, 2025
Decisions announced in late February/March
Funds must be spent within a one-year period as indicated on award notification

Required components

Format: PDF format is preferred for all documents.

Project Description: Provide a narrative of no longer than 2 pages describing your Age & Dementia-Friendly Community Grant Proposal. Please use concise, specific language, including diagrams or tables as appropriate. This document should clearly detail why the funds are needed, how funds will be used, who will be involved, and when funded activities will take place.

Budget: List the main things you’ll spend money on for your project—estimated costs are acceptable. Click here for a budget template.

Letter of Support (Optional): If your proposal requires specific approval (for example, installing a bench requires approval from an official), consider adding a letter of support from the approving entity. Please include no more than three letters of support.

Submission instructions:

Email jmolony@lifepathma.org with the subject line: “Age & Dementia-Friendly Community Grant Proposal.” Check your inbox for a notification that your proposal has been received.
Technical assistance in developing proposals is available; please email jmolony@lifepathma.org for more information.

Home Care Program Procurement

LifePath contracts with service providers who work directly with the people we serve. The Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) determines the types of services that LifePath can offer in our Home Care Program. The Home Care Program procurement process occurs every three years. Our next Request for Proposal (RFP) process will open in 2027 for contracts beginning on October 1, 2027 and effective until September 30, 2030.

EOEA is responsible for approving agencies interested in providing Homemaker/Personal Care/Supportive Home Care Aide Services. Visit 800AgeInfo for more information.

Older Americans Act Services

As the Area Agency on Aging for Franklin County and the North Quabbin, LifePath is responsible for procuring Older Americans Act services for this region. Our next Request for Proposal (RFP) process will open in April 2026 for contracts beginning on October 1, 2026 and effective until September 30, 2027 with a one-year renewal possible.

Title III B: Supportive services for people aged 60 and up
Title III D: Evidence-based programs for people aged 60 and up
Title III E: Caregiver services for people aged 55 and up

Church Street Home Fund Services

LifePath was selected by the Community Foundation of Western Mass to administer grants from the endowment of the former Church Street Home of Greenfield. Grant funding is available for senior centers and home repair programs. Our next Request for Proposal (RFP) process will open in April 2026 for contracts beginning on October 1, 2026 and effective until September 30, 2027, with a one-year renewal possible.