Volume 18 | Issue 21 | May 24, 2023

Generations This Week

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

Visit our Website
Make a Donation

Global Conference Updates - Snag a Spot in our Conference Program Book!


Want to put your organization on the map at Generations United's 2023 Global Intergenerational Conference? Snag a spot in our conference program book! Submit your ad by June 1, 2023.

Learn more.


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.


Register for Generations United's Global Intergenerational Conference, taking place July 26-28, 2023 in Washington, DC! Register today!


Are you already registered for our conference? Join us for one of our Pre-Conference Activities on Wednesday, July 26th! Check out our Plaza West Grandfamilies Apartments site visit here.


Check out the snapshot of our conference here.

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

Meet Our New Staff

Generations United has added a fantastic new staff member to our team this month and we want to introduce them to you. Please join us in welcoming her to the team!

Mona Edwards is a Grants and Contracts Specialist at Generations United. She is responsible for managing contracts and vendors, financial compliance, and grants management. Mona has a passion to serve and support the community and has experience working in the non-profit sector. She has supported gender equality initiatives, and served as an advocate, coach and board member for domestic violence prevention organizations. Most recently, Mona provided grants and financial management, knowledge management, and communications support for an international organization. Mona holds a master’s degree in business from the University of Liverpool, UK. 

Learn more about our staff here.

Fact Sheet: Children Thrive in Grandfamilies


Generations United has updated our Children Thrive in Grandfamilies Fact Sheet, a resource that provides key facts about how children do in the care of relatives and a list of research articles to support the facts.


Access the resource.

The Eisner Foundation Announces The Eisner Prize Fellowship


The Eisner Prize Fellowship is a new program designed to support leaders pioneering innovations in intergenerational connection.


The Eisner Prize Fellows application is open to anyone working to innovate in the area of intergenerational connection – whether that be through research, programs, technology, or other efforts advancing the field. Young people, people of color, and those working with historically marginalized communities are particularly encouraged to apply. The application closes on May 31, 2023, and Fellows will be announced in June.

Learn more

Program Spotlight - Legacy Letters

Legacy Letters is a five-week in-person intergenerational program designed to increase engagement and decrease isolation and loneliness with high school students and older adults through sharing life stories. The mission of Legacy Letters, a Generations United Program of Distinction, is to significantly reduce older and younger adults' levels of loneliness and improve social connectedness through writing and sharing autobiographical writing across generations. The program aims to improve perceived levels of social support, positive sense of self, connectedness to community, and life satisfaction. Legacy Letters meets for 90 minutes one day a week after school at the Southeast Seattle Senior Center. This experience boosts self-esteem by giving each and every participant a chance to be truly seen, heard and witnessed. The sharing of wisdom across generations is a unique and deeply meaningful experience for all involved. 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.

New Resource: Connecting with Families in Black and Indigenous Communities

The Network's May two-pager provides quick tips for engaging with Black and Native families, with short answers to a few key questions that can have a big impact on interactions with families. As always, this short resource includes links to additional information. We are grateful to our partners at ZERO TO THREE for their leadership in producing these monthly resources in consultation with esteemed experts and to our partners at the National Indian Child Welfare Association for their review of this resource.

Access the resource.

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.

Culture United: Kinship


"Kinship" features the work of eight contemporary artists who illuminate the complexities of our closest interpersonal relationships through portraiture. Through painting, photography, sculpture, and performance, the artists reveal how kinship, by its very nature, embraces contradictions. They also highlight the crucial role that storytelling and memories have in connecting different generations, encompassing both the living and the dead. Learn more.


Culture United highlights films, books, and TV shows with an intergenerational theme. Do you have any suggestions? Share them with us, and we'll share them in the weeks and months to come. We welcome responses or reactions. See disclaimer.

Thank You to Our Members and Supporters

Thank you to Robert Gordon for the donation in honor of Shaheed Morris. 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 MIT AgeLab’s Opportunities for Multigenerational Exchange, Growth and Action (OMEGA) initiative is proud to offer five scholarships to recognize the efforts that teens are making to create multigenerational connections. Each award will include a $5,000 college scholarship to the winning student and $1,000 to the winning student’s intergenerational initiative to support its activities. High school juniors and seniors in the U.S. are eligible to apply. Applications are due May 31, 2023.

Learn more.


The Herb Block Foundation: Encouraging Citizen Involvement. The Herb Block Foundation is committed to defending basic freedoms, combating all forms of discrimination and prejudice, and improving the condition of the poor and underprivileged in the United States. The Foundation’s Encouraging Citizen Involvement grant program provides support to nonprofit organizations nationally with the aim of helping to ensure a responsible, responsive democratic government through citizen involvement. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 support projects focused on citizen education and greater voter participation in the electoral process. All projects must be nonpartisan and may not involve lobbying for specific legislation or candidates. Letters of inquiry are due June 1, 2023. Learn more.


NEW: KidsGardening: The Lots of Compassion Grant, a new program offered by Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day and KidsGardening, is designed to support local leaders looking to transform vacant lots into gardens to help grow compassion in their community. In 2023, ten grantees will receive $20,000 each to transform a vacant lot into a garden. Nonprofit organizations, school districts, universities, groups, religious organizations, and other tax-exempt organizations are eligible to apply. The deadline for application submission is Friday, June 2, 2023, at 11:59 PM PT. Learn more.


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.


If you have—or know of—any intergenerational funding opportunities, please send them to [email protected].

Think Intergenerational - Great Resources

Journal of Intergenerational Relationships Call for Papers for Memorial Issue Honoring Founding Editor Dr. Sally Newman’s Contributions to the Intergenerational Field: Dr. Sally Newman was a guiding force for founding the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships in 2003, serving as its first editor until June 2014. Despite her death in 2022, Dr. Newman’s legacy lives on. In honor of Dr. Newman’s leadership in intergenerational program research, the Journal of Intergenerational Relationships invites scholarly contributions for a special issue focused on contemporary intergenerational research that builds on her foundational work, which can be seen today in different programmatic settings and countries. This special memorial issue will be published in 2024. Submissions must be received by May 31, 2023. Read the full special issue announcement here. Contact Shannon Jarrott with questions.


"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.

"Inclusive communities are strong communities, and we all benefit when older people have the opportunity to contribute."


Administration for Community Living

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 [email protected]. 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.

Click here for your free subscription
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram  LinkedIn  Youtube