General Information
AgeGuide administers grants for projects in our eight-county region. These include Older Americans Act services, such as Title IIIB Transportation, Title IIIC Congregate Meals and Home Delivered Meals, and Title IIIE Caregiver Services, as well as benefit access grants such as our Senior Health Insurance Programs. Please visit our Public Information Document (link) for more information about the services funded by AgeGuide.
The majority of AgeGuide grant awards operate on a 3-year cycle. A Request for Proposals process, open to all eligible applicants, is conducted once every 3 years. Applicants who are awarded funding for the first year may be invited to renew their awards based on availability of funding, continued need for the service in the region, grantee performance, and other criteria at the discretion of AgeGuide.
If you are interested in applying for funding from AgeGuide, please visit our Request for Proposals page to see if an RFP is currently available.
Who is Eligible to Apply for AgeGuide Grants?
Eligible applicants for AgeGuide grants include non-profit and local government organizations qualified to receive Federal/State financial assistance grant funding to provide services for older adults (age 60+) as authorized under the Older Americans Act of 1965 (Public Law 89-73). AgeGuide funding is not available for for-profit organizations.
For most grants, applicants additionally must meet the following criteria:
1. Applicants must be able to provide services throughout the county applied for unless a special exception is made.
2. Applicants must serve underserved populations (including racial and cultural minorities, and low-income, limited-English-speaking, and LGBTQ older adults) at least in proportion to their representation in the county.
3. Applicants must be able to meet the required matching commitment, if applicable.
4. Applicants must offer participants the opportunity to contribute to the cost of service and must be able to track this program income adequately.
Targeting Objectives
As outlined in the AgeGuide Northeastern Illinois General Service Requirements, grant recipients must assign priority, in the provision of services, to older adults in greatest economic and social need (“target populations”), at a rate at least in proportion to the incidence level of each group within the county. To achieve this outcome, providers must develop strategic plans to reach and provide services to these target populations which are defined in the federal Older Americans Act and the Illinois Act on the Aging as the following:
- Older adults with income at or below federal poverty guidelines
- Minority older adults
- Older adults age 75+
- Older adults living alone
- Older adults with Limited English Proficiency
- Older adults who are frail
- Older adults with severe disabilities
- Older adults with dementia and related disorders (and their caretakers)
- Older adults at risk for institutional placement
The Illinois Act on the Aging [20 ILCS 105/3.11] expanded the definition of “greatest social need” to the need caused by noneconomic factors that restrict an individual’s ability to perform normal daily tasks or that threaten one’s capacity to live independently. These factors include:
- Physical or mental disability
- Language barriers
- Cultural or social isolation caused by, among other things, racial and ethnic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or HIV status
Purpose of the Request for Proposals
The purpose of this RFP is to solicit applications for services in Planning and Service Area 02 for Fiscal Year 2022. The federal fiscal year begins October 1, 2022. This RFP is competitive and all organizations that meet the requirements are eligible to apply.