Deadline: 15-Aug-2025
The Administration for Community Living is now accepting applications for its Lifespan Respite Care Program. This program aims to enhance the availability and accessibility of high-quality community-based respite care services for all family caregivers, supporting them in their caregiving roles.
The program is a competitive grant opportunity designed to help eligible state agencies implement the Lifespan Respite Care Act of 2006, as amended. Its goal is to improve both access to and the quality of respite care services in order to reduce caregiver burden. Services must be person-centered and family-directed, aiming to minimize isolation and eliminate access barriers.
Programs funded through this opportunity must serve all populations from the start, regardless of the care recipient’s age, disability, or chronic condition. There is no prioritization of any specific group.
Applicants are expected to outline objectives for advancing statewide respite services. Key areas of focus include building capacity among both paid and unpaid respite providers, combining funding streams and partnerships to sustain services, managing administrative and logistical functions, and implementing monitoring and quality assurance measures.
Applicants must also address priority areas such as expanding direct services, enhancing existing systems, strengthening partnerships, providing training for paid and volunteer providers, and identifying and addressing service gaps.
The total estimated funding available is $2,466,000, with individual awards ranging from $200,000 to $400,000. The project period is 36 months, divided into three 12-month budget periods.
Eligible applicants include all U.S. states and territories. Only state agencies administering programs under the Older Americans Act or Medicaid, or those designated by the governor to manage such programs, can apply. Each state may only submit one application.
Preference will be given to states without current grants. States with prior funding may also apply to continue developing their programs. Applications will be reviewed by third-party evaluators, and funding recommendations will be made by ACL program officers. Awards may be less than requested, requiring adjustments to project plans and budgets.
Funds must be used to supplement—not replace—other federal, state, or local funds. Applications proposing conduit or pass-through funding to another agency will be disqualified. Grantees must coordinate with the state’s Aging and Disability Resource Center and a statewide respite coalition or organization.
Individuals and foreign entities are not eligible to apply for this grant.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
