In support of the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) said earlier this month that it is awarding $20 million in funding to improve support for family caregivers.
As a part of the initiative, ACL will award five cooperative agreements to two programs authorized by the Older Americans Act: the National Family Caregiver Support Program and the Native American Caregiver Support program. The projects awarded funding will receive $1.1 million annually for four years to develop and implement these approaches, ACL said.
“This initiative creates an unprecedented opportunity for the aging and disability networks to build new partnerships with organizations in other fields that can help drive innovation in these areas,” ACL said in a press release. “A wide range of public and private organizations are eligible and encouraged to apply.”
The projects will focus on improving awareness of and outreach to family caregivers; the inclusion of family caregivers in care teams; improving access to services and support for family caregivers; financial and employment protections; and generating data, research and best practices for caregivers.
These actions were suggested to ACL in a 2022 report from LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston. Co-director Marc Cohen said in a statement that ACL took into account recommendations made in the report when awarding the $20 million grant.
“This is a clear example of learning a lot just by listening,” he said. “We convened stakeholders representing over 100 organizations and learned exactly what they were experiencing and what they needed to make a real difference in the lives of caregivers. Fortunately, ACL has now begun to provide financial support to see a number of the many recommended strategies move toward implementation.”
