Volume 18 | Issue 23 | June 7, 2023

Generations This Week

News for Advocates of Children, Youth, and Older Adults from Generations United

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Generations United in the News


Generations United Executive Director Donna Butts is quoted in a Wall Street Journal article titled "No, Grandma and Grandpa Can’t Babysit Tonight," which is about some working parents discovering that grandparents aren’t as available to babysit as they had hoped. Read the article here.


Global Conference Updates - Last Chance: Register Today for the Global Intergenerational Conference!


Secure your spot today: Limited space remains! Register for Generations United's Global Intergenerational Conference, taking place July 26-28, 2023 in Washington, DC! Register today!


An additional discounted block of rooms is now available at a nearby hotel, the Canopy by Hilton Washington, D.C. The Wharf (975 7th Street SW Washington, District of Columbia 20024 USA) for $259 a night (plus applicable taxes). Limited space is available and the deadline for the discounted rate at the Canopy is Wednesday, July 5th. The conference hotel is a 0.5 mile walk from the Canopy.

Book your room today!


Make a difference today! Your donation can help provide scholarships for deserving individuals to attend our conference and access valuable learning opportunities. Support our conference scholarships and donate today!


Already registered for our conference? It’s not too late to add pre-conference activities on Wednesday, July 26th. Additional registration required. Check out our Plaza West Grandfamilies Apartments site visit and our Hill Visit Prep Session.


Check out the snapshot of our conference here.


For questions regarding the conference, please contact us at conference@gu.org

Thank you to The Eisner Foundation, our premier sponsor of the 22nd Global Intergenerational Conference.

We're Hiring!


Generations United is hiring an Executive Assistant. If you're looking to join a supportive and inclusive work environment doing important intergenerational work, apply today!


Learn more and apply.

Program Spotlight - DreamCatchers

DreamCatchers empowers students and their local communities to fulfill end-of-life dreams of hospice patients and creates powerful connections for younger and older generations. The mission of DreamCatchers, a Generations United Program of Merit, is centered around creating strong intergenerational connections, with the goal of destigmatizing hospice, death and dying. High school and college student-run chapters partner with local hospices in their communities to grant dreams for their patients, in the form of a memorable experience or event. Past dreams include family reunions, birthday parties, car shows, boat rides, helicopter rides, and more! We have chapters in more than fifteen states across the United States, and recently formed a chapter in Seoul, South Korea. Our student chapters partner with local hospices, creating opportunities to spread joy, connect with patients, and inspire their communities. Our impact spreads not only to the hospice patient themselves, but their family, friends and other volunteers who are involved in dreams. Learn more.


Each week, Generations United is spotlighting a recipient of our Intergenerational Program Certification. The certification is an annual recognition of outstanding programs bringing older and younger participants together and is based on rigorous standards of program effectiveness and sustainability. Learn more about the Intergenerational Program Certification here.

Join Us for Two Upcoming Webinars!

There's still time to register for our June webinar, taking place next Tuesday, June 13, at 2 p.m. ET! Generations United Senior Fellow and Network Advisor Dr. Anita Rogers will moderate an expert panel on identifying and engaging untapped partners to support kinship families. Learn more and register.


On Monday, July 17, at 2 p.m. ET, we're hosting a webinar on kinship program evaluation with Dr. Angelique Day of the University of Washington and Berenice Rushovich, MSW, of Child Trends. They will explore the foundational principles and strategies that nonprofit organizations and government agencies may use to demonstrate the success of their kinship programs. Learn more and register.

Accepting Technical Assistance Requests

As always, the Network is accepting individual technical assistance (TA) requests from professionals who work in systems or organizations that serve kinship/grandfamilies. Fill out the TA request form to receive support from our team. Learn more and sign up to access our resources!

The Network is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $9,950,000 with 95 percentage funded by ACL/HHS and $523,684 and 5 percentage funded by non-government sources. The contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
Thank You to Our Members and Supporters

Thank you to our members and supporters! Consider making a donation today to help unleash the potential of a society that values all generations. If you're an organization, join us!

Think Intergenerational - Funding Opportunities

The Brookdale Foundation Group Relatives as Parents Program (RAPP) has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the creation or expansion of supportive services to grandparents and other relatives raising children. A seed grant of $30,000 ($20,000 in year one and $10,000 tier two, contingent upon progress made during year one and potential for continuity in the future) is available to non-profit organizations across the United States. On-going technical assistance will be provided. Proposals are due June 22, 2023. Learn more.


Administration for Community Living: Advancing Aging Network Capacity to Recognize and Support Family, Kinship and Tribal Caregivers. Using the 2022 National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers (the Strategy) as a road map, ACL will fund up to five (5) new cooperative agreements to eligible entities to work on a national level to further advance the development of state, community and tribal family caregiver support programs funded under the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP), Title III-E and VI-C of the Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended. This new initiative is intended to advance NFCSP/NACSP development to more closely align it with the principles and concepts contained in the Strategy, thus better positioning the program to more effectively recognize, assist, include, support, and engage family caregivers and better meet the challenges and opportunities associated with supporting them. Closing date for applications is June 25, 2023. Learn more.


ECMC Foundation's mission is to improve higher education for career success among underserved populations in the United States through evidence-based innovation. Support is provided for efforts that fit within the Foundation’s strategic priorities: 1) removing barriers to post-secondary completion, including programs that directly support learner success; 2) building the capacity of higher education organizations, institutions, and systems to improve outcomes for learners and evolve to meet changing needs; and 3) transforming the post-secondary ecosystem, including large-scale, cross-sector collaborations in service of more equitable outcomes. The Foundation makes grants and investments through an open letter of inquiry process for projects connected to one or more of the strategic priorities. Nonprofit organizations, government entities, and post-secondary institutions and systems are eligible to apply. Application deadline: None for letters of inquiry. Learn more.


National Alliance for Children's Grief - Grief Reach Grants is a dedicated grant opportunity supporting childhood bereavement services in the United States. Any organization that currently serves young people who have experienced a death of a loved one are invited to apply for this competitive grant opportunity to enhance access to and increase grief support for youth and their families. This competitive funding opportunity has four goals: to increase access to bereavement support services in local communities, especially diverse communities; to enhance the capacity of organizations providing bereavement support service; to expand bereavement support services to address unmet needs; and to support communities dealing with grief and loss with tangible resources. This funding opportunity is offered twice a year. Cycle 2 of 2023 will focus on the area of Community Expansion. The cycle will open for application on June 1, 2023, with grants awarded in September 2023. Learn more.


If you have—or know of—any intergenerational funding opportunities, please send them to gu@gu.org.

Think Intergenerational - Great Resources

"Intergenerational Community Planning" Report: Generations United Senior Fellow Irv Katz and Generations United friend and Penn State professor Matt Kaplan, PhD, collaborated on a "guide" to intergenerational community planning published by the American Planning Association (APA). The intergenerational planning guide follows related APA reports on multigenerational planning and planning for all ages. The document suggests that the well-being of children, youth, and older adults--and how they relate with one another--should be integrated into regular city planning processes, such as the comprehensive planning that most cities and towns undertake. "Intergenerational Community Planning" is available for free to members of the American Planning Association and $25 for non-members.

Generations United Resources

2022 State of Grandfamilies Report, Together at the Table: Supporting the Nutrition, Health, and Well-Being of Grandfamilies, includes the latest findings on grandfamilies facing high rates of hunger and food insecurity, as well as policy recommendations to help feed grandfamilies. Read the report to explore the data and learn why we need to change current policies to ensure access to adequate nutritious food for grandfamilies.


Grandfamily Caregiver Tip Sheets on Self-Care and Youth Mental Health are now available in Spanish. These tip sheets were developed with support from our partner, Humana. Learn more.


Updated Intergenerational Evaluation Toolkit, which was created in 2019 by Dr. Shannon Jarrott with support from The Eisner Foundation, includes over 20 reliable and valid outcome measures that have been used in the evaluation of intergenerational programs. Learn more.


17 New State-Specific Adoption & Guardianship Comparison Charts Are Now Available! These comparison charts help grandfamilies understand the difference between adoption and guardianship for children leaving foster care to permanency with relatives, made possible with support from the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. Learn more.


Grand Resource: Help for Grandfamilies Impacted by Opioids and Other Substance Use Part 2 includes 5 new resources designed to provide tips, useful information, and a list of additional resources to help grandfamilies both inside and outside the foster care system impacted by opioids or other substance use. Learn more.


Racial Equity Toolkits are designed to give resources and tips to child welfare agencies, other government agencies, and nonprofit organizations, so they can better serve all grandfamilies. Generations United has produced a toolkit for American Indian and Alaska Native grandfamilies, African-American grandfamilies, and Latino grandfamilies. Learn more.


Racial Equity Tip Sheets now available with support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Generations United is pleased to share a new series of tip sheets to accompany our racial equity toolkits. These tools are designed to help professionals serving grandfamilies to provide culturally appropriate services. Learn more.


Sharing Our Space: A Toolkit for Developing and Enhancing Intergenerational Shared Sites is designed for individuals and organizations interested in creating an intergenerational shared site or enhancing services at their current site. Divided into 10 sections, the toolkit details every step of the development and operation process, from initial planning to sustaining long-term shared site programs. Learn more.


Making the Case for Intergenerational Programs provides rationale and facts to help make the case for intergenerational programs. It is based on a comprehensive review of the literature on intergenerational programs and highlights evidence-based findings on how intergenerational programs benefit everyone. There is also an accompanying fact sheet available in English and Spanish. Learn more.


Staying Healthy Across Generations: Vaccines are Essential for All Ages is an infographic that illustrates that vaccines aren't just for kids - they protect all generations, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Staying up to date on vaccines for the flu, pneumonia, and whooping cough is important to protect both older adults and children. Learn more.

"The most useful thought we can hold... is that we are not members of different generations... We are all so close to each other in time that we should think of ourselves as brothers and sisters."


Kurt Vonnegut, an American writer and humorist known for his satirical and darkly humorous novels.

We want Generations This Week to be a resource for you. Please send us any national news on intergenerational issues in addition to upcoming conferences, funding opportunities, research, reports, and webinars. You can connect with other intergenerational enthusiasts through our Facebook group. Please also let us know how we can improve! Email us at gu@gu.org. We'd love to hear from you!

Treat Yourself GRAND!

As a reader of Generations This Week, you are eligible to receive a complimentary subscription to GRAND - The Lifestyle Magazine for Awesome Grandparents. 


That's a $26 value for 12 issues delivered right to your inbox. Get valuable offers and inspirational articles like our column on GRAND Families, and more.

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