Aging Grants
Learn about grants for senior citizens and aging by exploring our curated list of top aging funders below. Members can also research funding opportunities for senior citizens using the search tool for Grantfinder. Become a member.
Key Funders
- AARP Foundation
- Alliance for Aging
- American Federation for Aging Research
- Area Agency on Aging of Palm Beach Treasure Coast
- John a. Hartford Foundation
- Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco the Peninsula Marin & Sonoma
- National Council on Aging
- National Lottery Community Fund
- Northeast Florida Area Agency on Aging
- Patterson Foundation
- Rasmuson Foundation
- May and Stanley Smith Charitable Trust
- Henry and Marilyn Taub Foundation
- Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
- Weingart Foundation
Funding trends for aging grants
More than 1 in 6 Americans is over the age of 65, and that number is projected to grow, representing more than 22% of the U.S. population by 2040, reports the Administration for Community Living. By 2035, older Americans will outnumber children under 18 for the first time (Grantmakers in Aging).
It’s not at all clear that federal safety net programs will be available and sufficient to meet the needs of the aging population. A 2024 survey by West Health/Gallup found that almost 46% of Americans lack confidence they will be able to afford healthcare as they age. The Administration for Community Living estimates that today’s 65-year-olds have an almost 70% chance of needing long-term care at some point, and Medicare and most other health insurance will not cover non-medical long-term care.
Senior citizens and the elderly face specific age-related challenges when it comes to geriatric health, income, and social connections – and also experience many concerns that overlap with those of other generations, such as around housing and access to care.
Where are grants for senior citizens going?
Grantmaking for aging populations addresses several intersecting issues – from direct services such as meal delivery to advocacy for government funding. Federal funding, notably for Social Security and Medicare, plays a major role in this area. State and local government funding is also important. But public programs do not fully meet the needs of aging populations, and that’s where philanthropy can help. Philanthropy fills gaps, supports innovation to find new solutions, and engages in public-private collaborations and policy advocacy.
A relatively few dedicated funders have been making grants for services, research, and advocacy on behalf of older people for a long time, Grantmakers in Aging reports. They are joined by funders who may not have dedicated grantmaking programs focused on aging, but who give at the intersections of aging, older populations, and other issues.
In addition to grants from private foundations, grants for aging also come from faith-based organizations such as Jewish Federations, Catholic Charities, and Presbyterian associations; community foundations; and health conversion foundations.
Grantmaking for aging overlaps with many other philanthropic spaces, including health, housing and community development, women and girls, LGBTQ, and the arts.
Grants for aging go to many different types of organizations and initiatives. There are direct services grants for things like nutrition, healthcare, housing, and advance-care planning, as well as grants for advocacy, such as policy advocacy to increase or renew government funding for initiatives that support older Americans. Grants are also made to community centers and other nonprofits that support social connection and aging with creativity, and to back narrative change and reframing how we think about aging. While grants for research into conditions that predominantly affect older people may have global impact, much of the grantmaking for aging happens at the local level.
Gaps in funding for the elderly
As the U.S. population ages, there is a need for more funding in almost every area of this philanthropic space. Grantmakers in Aging also points to a need for inclusive, intergenerational approaches to funding, rather than funding to meet the needs of different generations in silos. After all, many people live in intergenerational households, where needs from housing to food security are shared across generations. Further, there are often direct relationships between grandparents’ ability to provide care and working parents’ access to affordable childcare. And health, cognitive, or social issues that affect older adults are not uncommonly related to earlier life experiences and circumstances. For these and other reasons, there is a need for intersectional, intergenerational grantmaking.
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