Community Supports for Rural Aging in Place and Independent Living – Funding & Opportunities

Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grants Inactive
Grants to nonprofit organizations that provide services to improve the daily lives of people with paralysis and their caregivers. Projects and initiatives should foster acceptance, involvement, community engagement, and health and wellness.

AARP Community Challenge Inactive
Grants for projects that work to improve livability for all residents of a community. The 2026 application cycle will focus on public spaces, housing, transportation, digital connections, and disaster preparedness. Applications from rural communities are encouraged.

Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program Inactive
Grants to educate and train the primary care and geriatrics workforces to provide age-friendly and dementia-friendly care in integrated geriatrics and primary care sites/delivery systems and maximize patient and family engagement to address care gaps and improve health outcomes for older adults. Proposals that benefit older adults in rural, tribal, or other medically underserved communities/populations are a priority.

Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability in Rural Communities Inactive
A single grant for a Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) to conduct research, knowledge translation, training, dissemination, and technical assistance activities to improve outcomes among people with disabilities who live in rural areas, including those from racial and ethnic minority groups.

Geriatrics Academic Career Award Program Inactive
Funding to support the career development of junior faculty in geriatrics as academic geriatricians or academic geriatrics specialists. The overall goals of the program are to develop the necessary skills to lead healthcare transformation in a variety of settings, including rural and/or medically underserved settings, to be age-friendly, and to provide training in clinical geriatrics, including the training of interprofessional teams of healthcare professionals to provide healthcare for older adults.

Native American Elder Justice Initiative (NAEJI) Inactive
Funding to operate a national center that addresses the need for culturally appropriate information and community education materials on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in Native American/Alaska Native communities. Activities include developing culturally specific materials for tribes, gathering and disseminating information on best practices, and gathering and disseminating examples and information on model tribal codes to address elder maltreatment.