Many organizations in southeast Michigan are unprepared to take advantage of the opportunities presented by our growing older adult population or to respond to the needs of people as they age. The Senior Engagement Program is aimed at providing organizations that do not traditionally serve, engage or target older adults in their work with the opportunity and resources to learn, collaborate and act critically and creatively about how to improve their operations to better address fundamental aging issues.

With the support of the Imani Fund, the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan is pleased to support the Senior Engagement Program. The program’s core elements include: Innovation Grants, Community Learning, and Capacity Building Grants. This program is designed for nonprofits who are non-traditional senior service organizations interested in assuming leadership on issues facing southeast Michigan’s aging population. Preference will be given to applicants that engage at least one key partner with expertise in aging and the interest and capacity to effectively collaborate with the applying agency on the proposed project.

The Senior Engagement Program is committed to helping participating organizations:

• Reshape their current operations to be more welcoming, inclusive and supportive to the largest growing demographic group in our region.
• Learn more about how to serve or engage older adults and develop partnerships with organizations with expertise in serving and/or engaging older adults in their work.
• Enhance collaboration and improve the capacity of organizations to serve and/or engage older adults and address the fundamental issues of aging.

The deadline for submitting letters of interest is now closed, as of 5:00 p.m. on Monday, February 15, 2010. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan thanks all applicants and their partners for their interest in making their work more inclusive of seniors in southeast Michigan.

Letters of Interest submitted for the Senior Engagement Program are currently being reviewed. Applicants selected to submit full proposals will be notified the week of March 1, 2010 or earlier. The Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan may seek additional information or conduct a site visit with applying agencies and their partners before March 1, 2010. The deadline for submission of full proposals is Monday, March 29, 2010.

Click here to read the Request for Letters of Interest for the Senior Engagement Program.