NATIONAL COUNCIL ON INDEPENDENT LIVING and THE U.S. ADMINISTRATION ON AGING

Request for Proposals on Best Practices for Collaboration
between Independent Living and Aging Advocates

March 14, 2008

Apply Now: Application in Microsoft Word or Text-Only!

The U.S Administration on Aging and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, both part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, launched the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) grant initiative to promote the integration of long-term care information and referral services, benefits and options counseling services, and access to publicly and privately financed services and benefits for those in need of long-term supports and their families. ADRC grants were awarded to 43 states beginning in 2003, and these states have opened ADRCs that serve older adults and individuals with disabilities.

NCIL has been working with the Administration on Aging to bridge the gap between the disability community and the aging community. In July of 2007, during the NCIL 25th Anniversary Conference, NCIL members, the Administration on Aging and AARP came together to offer an opportunity for dialog between ADRC’s and the independent living community. Subsequently, NCIL was awarded a grant from the Administration on Aging to help implement intensive technical assistance and peer-to-peer mentorship to ensure inclusion and collaboration between aging and disability organizations.

NCIL is proud to announce an opportunity for Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs), and/or state associations of CILs to collaborate with the local Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) , State Units on Aging and ADRCs to promote dialog, encourage positive relationships, and strengthen ADRCs for all local residents, especially people with disabilities.

There are many ways CILs can work with the AAA and ADRCs. We have several issues in common, we just see the world through different eyes. Visit http://www.ncil.org/conference/ADRCTranscript.html for a side-by-side comparison of CILs and AAAs to get ideas on collaboration.  

NCIL will award (5) $4,000 mini-grants to five (5) states (for a total of $20,000) to develop exemplary plans for collaboration, education and exchange of information and resources among the independent living community, the aging community, and ADRCs. To apply for the grant, interested CILs, SILCs, and/or state associations of CILS must submit a written plan co-signed by the organizations they plan to collaborate with. After the grant activities are completed, a detailed report of the events sponsored, event evaluations, and outcomes from the event/s must be submitted. You may also be asked to present about your outcomes to the NCIL ADRC taskforce.

The request for proposals starts March 14th and ends April 14th 2008. Proposals are due by April 14, 2008 12:00pm EDT. Notification of awards will be available by April 21, 2008. The grant period is from May 1 to August 31, 2008.

We are looking to develop best practices from the field. Every state and community is different. We are looking to you, our members, to tell us the best ways to collaborate with different communities towards shared goals including healthcare, housing, transportation and a discrimination free society!

If you have any questions about this form or the CIL / ADRC Project, please contact Elizabeth Leef: 202.207.0334 (Voice) or 202.207.0340 (TTY) or elizabeth@ncil.org (Email).

Please send completed applications to:
National Council on Independent Living
Attn: Elizabeth Leef
1710 Rhode Island Ave. NW, 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20036; OR,
FAX – 202.207.0341

Area Agencies on Aging are local aging services organizations who either provide or contract services under the Older Americans Act. The funding flows through the State Unit on Aging (SUA). A few states, such as Delaware, are not large enough to have AAAs, and all OAA dollars are handled by the SUAs. Many ADRCs have grown out of existing AAAs.