Deadline: 16-Aug-23
The NextFifty Initiative is offering grants through Advancing Equity in Aging Program to provide financial support to organizations that serve and/or seek to serve historically marginalized communities.
In addition, NextFifty Initiative seeks to better understand systemic barriers to care and/or other types of services and supports for older adults and their caregivers with intersectional identities by supporting organizations that serve (or seek to serve) them. Grants will provide flexible dollars to improve the lives of marginalized older adults by supporting healthy aging, improving access to care and support, and/or addressing ageism, racism, and systemic inequities.
To reduce barriers to funding, NextFifty Initiative simplified the application and reporting requirements and included more opportunities for building relationships. Rather than ask for a specific project plan and budget, they’re asking applicants to share your organizational or project goals specific to marginalized older adults and help them understand how the requested funds will help you achieve those goals. The aim is to strengthen organizations that enhance the lives of historically marginalized older adults by helping you reach your own goals.
NextFifty Initiative has committed to social equity and expects grantees to demonstrate performance accountability that is free from discrimination on the basis of age, race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, color, religion, national origin, disability, military status, genetic information, or any other protected status. In addition, NextFifty Initiative seeks proposals that focus on the most underserved in the aging sector including, but not limited to, communities of color, disabled, LGBTQ+, low-income, rural, immigrant/refugee, and vulnerable communities.
Funding Information
- NextFifty Initiative asks that organizations request only what they need, and the maximum request is $100,000. Grantmaking is competitive and partial funding may be awarded.
- Important note: NextFifty Initiative prohibits the assessment of a Gift Tax or Investment Fee assigned by grantees.
- Advancing Equity in Aging Grants are for one year.
- Financial Audit Requirement
- Nonprofits that have not yet completed an external audit or those with an audit older than 12/31/2020 will be limited to funding requests of $30,000 or less.
- Nonprofits with an annual operating budget of $500,000 or less are eligible to request more than $30,000 but must submit an external Financial Review or Compilation in lieu of an audit.
- Nonprofits that have not yet completed an external audit or those with an audit older than 12/31/2020 will be limited to funding requests of $30,000 or less.
What will NextFifty Initiative consider funding?
- Through this funding opportunity, NextFifty Initiative seeks to fund programs, projects, and/or organizations that exclusively focus on two or more of the older adult and/or caregiver populations listed below. If your organization’s CEO/Executive Director and/or 51% or more of the organization’s leadership team or board identify as people of color, your organizational focus and/or eligible program or project focus may be on one or more of the populations listed below.
- Low-income
- Rural
- Frontier
- Communities of Color
- LGBTQ+
- Immigrant/Refugee
- Physical/Cognitive/Behavioral Disability
- Other
- Examples of requests NextFifty will consider include:
- Work to support marginalized caregivers and/or work that promotes healthy aging in marginalized communities
- Project-based initiatives aiming to better the lives of marginalized older adults
- Increasing an organization’s capacity to serve marginalized older adults.
Are Fiscal Sponsors allowed?
- Yes. NextFifty Initiative will allow organizations to apply through a fiscal sponsor. A fiscal sponsor is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other grant administrative services. A fiscal sponsor is held legally responsible for the management of grant funds and the obligations of the grant.
- The fiscal sponsor must have a formal relationship with the entity carrying out grant activities and be able to exercise control over grant activities. NextFifty Initiative requires that the fiscal sponsor have a contractual relationship with the grant project partner and must possess a mission that clearly aligns with the activities of the grant.
- Fiscal Sponsor relationships acceptable to NextFifty Initiative:
- An operating organization has not yet secured its nonprofit status but has a formal relationship with a nonprofit entity that acts as a fiscal sponsor to manage grant oversight functions, including financial operations and grant fund management.
- An operating organization is too small to support full administrative functions and has a formal relationship with a nonprofit entity that acts as a fiscal sponsor to manage grant oversight functions, including financial operations and grant fund management.
- A cluster of eligible nonprofit organizations works cooperatively on a project and selects one of the members to manage grant oversight functions, including financial operations and grant fund management.
Eligibility Criteria
- Nonprofit entities organized under sections 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and 501(c)(6) of the IRS code that are in good standing with the state jurisdiction in which the organization resides, excluding universities. Government entities are eligible for funding.
- Organizations may apply for multiple funding opportunities but cannot be funded in more than one opportunity with the exception of Sudden & Urgent Need Grants.
- Organizations may submit only one application for Advancing Equity in Aging unless the organization can clearly demonstrate multiple, distinct locations.
Requirements of Grantees
- Sign NextFifty Initiative’s grant agreement. Modifications or adjustments to the grant agreement will not be accepted. Applicants should be comfortable with the grant agreement prior to submitting an application.
- Provide a final report at the end of the grant period describing the progress toward the stated goals, lessons learned, and how NextFifty Initiative funds contributed.
- For organizations requiring Expenditure Responsibility, a six-month and final progress report on how funds were utilized will be required.
- Acknowledge NextFifty Initiative publicly as a funder.
- Notify NextFifty Initiative immediately if there are any substantive changes in how the funds will be used, the organization’s ability to spend funds, target population, location, grant manager, or other key factors.
- If an applicant uses a fiscal sponsor, the sponsor is responsible for reporting and grant oversight.
- NextFifty Initiative expects that all tangible and intangible products resulting from its funding will be used to advance the mission. Therefore, They seek to ensure that written or electronic work products, research, data, inventions, software, or other intellectual property (“IP”) developed through NextFifty Initiative’s support is made broadly available to third parties that serve or benefit from similar charitable ends. While NextFifty Initiative considers the unique circumstances of each funding opportunity and any contemplated IP, funding agreements will generally include provisions by which (a) NextFifty Initiative retains license rights with respect to IP generated from grant funds, and/or (b) NextFifty Initiative may be assured that such IP will be freely disseminated or otherwise made available at a minimal, reasonable cost to the public.
What will not be funded?
- Universities
- LLCs or for-profit organizations (They do not accept applications from for-profit organizations under a non-profit fiscal sponsor at this time)
- Requests that do not meet two or more of the eligibility requirements.
- Requests that involve payment or reimbursement of individual bills (i.e., medical bills, rent assistance, housing fees, utility bills, etc.)
- Lobbying, political campaigns, and requests with the goal of supporting a specific political position
- Fundraising and general event sponsorships
- Type III non-functionally integrated supporting organizations (as classified by IRS form 990, Schedule A, Part 1)
- Laboratory research*
- *NextFifty Initiative does not support basic science (wet lab) research. Wet-lab research includes projects where drugs, chemicals, and other types of biological matter are analyzed and/or tested. NextFifty Initiative can and will support pilot projects, feasibility studies, and needs assessments that are research-based. These types of research activities are often necessary precursors to establish viability for the implementation of various innovations.
For more information, visit Advancing Equity in Aging.
