Carly Roman, Gerson Galdamez, and Jasmine Lacsamana contributed to this post.
We are excited to announce our latest Capacity Building Request for Proposals (RFP) funding opportunity. We welcome all applications from non-profits serving older adults and caregivers in California and working to integrate health and social services. Letters of inquiry may be submitted now through Aug. 14.
This is our eighth round of funding for capacity building, with 26 awards to date. Some of our most impactful grants so far have equipped organizations to expand their billing capability, conduct a needs assessment for LGBTQ older adults of color, and provide culturally competent digital literacy training to older adults.
Consistent with our mission and commitment to advancing justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, we are particularly interested in applications from organizations that aim to serve diverse populations of older adults and improve racial equity, as defined by the D5 Coalition.
Applicants are encouraged to make clear how their proposed capacity building plan would improve services, reduce health disparities or advance racial equity for a racially, ethnically, or otherwise diverse population of older people with histories of disadvantage and marginalization.
New and Returning Features
Based on applicant feedback, we’ve made these changes to streamline the application:
- After completing background questions, organizations can upload a Word document of their application to the grant portal.
- Before the portal opens, organizations can review the questions so they can begin preparing their answers.
We will continue to ask organizations to consider how their work seeks to integrate health and social services for their clients.
And, to recognize the time and effort it takes to complete an application, we will also continue to make a small award to those organizations invited to submit a full proposal but not ultimately awarded a grant.
Mapping Capacity Building Grants to Coordinated, Equitable Care
Last year we began asking applicants how their work aligns with our strategic goal of expanding equitable and coordinated care by building teams, improving training, or enhancing technology. These are a few capacity building projects we have recently funded to further our strategy:
- Teams Via Care Community Health Center is completing a strategic planning and implementation process that will increase its capacity to coordinate and integrate health care and social services for the growing population of older adults with multiple chronic needs at its 16 clinics in East Los Angeles. The project aligns with our focus on team care because it will improve integrated care coordination in community-based clinics for Latino older adults with both chronic care and social needs.
- Training Visión y Compromiso – which maintains a network of promotores and community health workers across the state – is working to increase its capacity to provide CalAIM’s new enhanced care management and community supports services by strengthening its internal infrastructure. The project aligns with our focus on training because it will build a deeper relationship with a well-established community health worker training organization focused on Latino Californians.
- Technology Humboldt Senior Resource Center – which provides services, information, education, and recreation to older people, their families and caregivers in the rural area of Eureka is replacing its onsite network server with a cloud-based server to enhance the security and privacy of client data. The project aligns with our focus on technology because it will it leverages technological improvements and enhance health information exchange to enable more efficient, effective care of older adults.
One Tool Available Now
We know support to build capacity is urgently needed by many non-profits. To expand our support beyond the grants we make, since 2021 we have arranged for applicants to use the services of Catchafire, a nonprofit that matches professionals ready to donate their time with nonprofits needing their skills.
One recent beneficiary has been Sourcewise, the Area Agency on Aging in Santa Clara County, which has used Catchafire volunteers since April for copywriting, project management planning, flexible graphic design, and event slideshow creation. But the services most frequently requested of Catchafire have been language translation, logo design and visual brand identity enhancement, while the most popular consultation calls have been about organizational strategy and finance.
All applicants to the capacity building program will be invited to access Catchafire. If your organization is an aging services provider in California, but is not yet ready to apply for a capacity building grant, we invite you to sign up for access to Catchafire’s capacity building support by completing this interest form.
Registered nonprofits may use the free service for an unlimited number of projects and consultation calls, and Catchafire has recently expanded its offerings to include in-person volunteers. Its “Getting Started” webinars have additional guidance, and we are partnering for an online “Accelerator Workshop” at 1 p.m. PDT Sept. 10 to encourage more organizations to take advantage of this opportunity.
Since 2020, funding capacity building has been an important way the Foundation has helped carry out its mission. Our grants provide support that can help make lasting improvements to the infrastructure and operations of groups which, like us, want to better the health and wellbeing of older Californians and their caregivers.
We encourage you to apply so, together, we can create a future where older adults receive the coordinated, equitable care and support they deserve.
