Generations This Week

Volume 18 | Issue 49 | December 13, 2023

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

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Reflecting on a Remarkable Year: Generations United's 2023 Highlights

To say that 2023 has been an exciting year for Generations United is an understatement. Join us in celebrating the milestones, achievements, and heartwarming moments that made 2023 unforgettable! Watch our highlights video and relive the magic!

Thanks in large part to supporters like you, we have elevated the importance of intergenerational programs and supports for grandfamilies and kinship families - most notably by hosting a highly successful, sold out biennial global conference in Washington, DC. Your support has fueled our journey, making our accomplishments this year possible. Consider making a year-end donation to keep the momentum going. Your gift of any size helps to build a world that values all generations. Support us today!

Check Out the 2023 State of Grandfamilies Report

The 2023 State of Grandfamilies report, Building Resilience: Supporting Grandfamilies' Mental Health and Wellness, brings attention to the mental health and emotional wellness of grandfamilies, sheds light on their resilience and the challenges they face, and provides innovative solutions and resources to better support them. The report also includes policy and program recommendations for strengthening these incredible families.

Download the report and the release event materials and recordings.

Thanks to The Brookdale Foundation Group for making this report and event possible, and to Centene Corporation for their valuable support!

Plaza West Grandfamily Gift Drive

Generations United is partnering with Mount Vernon Triangle CID to support their holiday drive to bring in donations for the families at Plaza West, an innovative affordable housing development serving grandparents raising grandkids in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood. The unique development has 50 units for grandfamilies. Plaza West also served as the site visit location during Generations United's Global Intergenerational Conference this year.

Spread joy this holiday season by contributing to the Plaza West Grandfamily Gift Drive! Learn more.

Tip Sheet: Supporting Kinship Families of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children

In recent years, record numbers of unaccompanied immigrant children have crossed into the United States. While many of these children are soon reunited with and released to parents who are already in the U.S., upwards of 60 percent are released to sponsors who are kin. This tip sheet provides information and guidance to help you better serve these kinship families. Access the tip sheet.

Accepting Requests for Assistance

As always, the Network is accepting individual requests for assistance from professionals who work in systems or organizations that serve kinship/grandfamilies. Fill out the request assistance 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 Robert Donohue and Marsha Adler for their donations to Generations United. Thank you to all 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

Bob Woodruff Foundation provides support for programs and services that serve the military and veteran community in the United States. The focus is on programs that improve the health and well-being of service members, veterans, and their families and caregivers; improve social determinants of health; decrease barriers to accessing physical and mental healthcare; increase accessibility to programming that fosters a healthy lifestyle; and enhance opportunities for veterans to thrive after service. Nonprofit organizations providing direct services to the military and veteran population are eligible to apply. Application deadline: January 11, 2024. Learn more.

The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant program aims to improve the health, well-being, and quality of life for military service members and veterans exposed to trauma as well as their families and caregivers through experiences of art or art making. The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grant is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in partnership with Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA). The Creative Forces Community Engagement Grants are available to nonprofit organizations and state/local/tribal government entities that have at least three-years experience in presenting/producing arts-based projects and/or programming for military communities. Applications close January 17, 2024. Learn more.

ArtsHERE, a new grantmaking initiative from the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with South Arts and collaboration with the five other U.S. Regional Arts Organizations, supports increased opportunities for arts participation in the United States. ArtsHERE will invest in a range of projects from organizations throughout arts and cultural ecosystems that have demonstrated a commitment to equity within their practices and programming and undertaken consistent engagement with underserved groups and communities. Grants will be provided for specific projects to strengthen each organization’s capacity to sustain meaningful community engagement and increase arts participation for underserved groups and communities. In addition, grantees have access to peer learning and technical assistance opportunities. Application deadline: January 19, 2024 for statements of interest. Learn more.

Partnerships for Local Agriculture & Nutrition Transformation in Schools (PLANTS) is seeking proposals for projects led by groups of local partners with systemic and equity-driven approaches to transforming school food supply chains. Projects should seek to build and strengthen relationships among community-based food system stakeholders and School Food Authorities (SFAs) as well as expand scratch cooking in schools in order to build more nourishing school meal programs. To support the success of their projects, grantees will additionally receive individualized and in-depth technical assistance as well as tools, training, and resources from the PLANTS Project Team. Applications Close: January 22, 2024 (11:59 P.M. ET). Learn more.

AmeriCorps Seniors invites organizations to submit applications for the FY 2024 Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs. These funding opportunities specifically help AmeriCorps Seniors focus Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent projects on issues that are critical to communities and help expand the programs to more geographies. AmeriCorps Seniors Senior Companion Program grants must establish programming that engages adults fifty-five (55) years and older to serve as volunteers who help seniors live independently. AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparent Program grants must provide and/or facilitate access to services and resources that contribute to improved educational outcomes for economically disadvantaged people, especially children and particularly children with special and/or exceptional need. Applications deadline: Thursday, February 1, 2024, 5:00 PM ET. Learn more about Senior Companion funding here and Foster Grandparent funding here.

Life Comes From It is a grantmaking and movement-building circle that supports grassroots work led by people of color in the United States. Funding is provided for projects and collaborations led by people of color that focus on restorative justice, transformative justice, Indigenous peacemaking, and land-based projects. The aim is to support work committed to replacing criminalization and incarceration with alternative approaches to address violence and repair harm, and prioritizing peacemaking development and Indigenous initiatives led by Native people. Grants are typically unrestricted and for general operating costs. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or organizations with a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor are eligible to apply. Application deadline: None for introductions. Learn more.

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

Think Intergenerational - Great Resources

Generations United Resources

Strengthening Cultural Responsiveness In Intergenerational Programs is a new report from Generations United that highlights the intentional and creative ways that organizations combat systemic racism by prioritizing the voices and lived experiences of diverse staff and participants in their practices. Available in English and Spanish. Learn more.

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. 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.

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.

"When younger people have access to friendships with older adults, it shifts their experience of what it means to grow old."

— Eunice Lin Nichols, co-CEO of CoGenerate

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!

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