MENTOR UP REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. Grant Opportunity. Application Deadline: November 13, 2015

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1 I. AARP Foundation Overview MENTOR UP REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Grant Opportunity Application Deadline: November 13, 2015 AARP Foundation exists to solve the fundamental challenges that stand in the way of lowincome Americans 50 and older working to ensure their right to live happier, more secure lives. The core of our mission is to give them a voice, to make them more visible and to give them the opportunity and tools to thrive. Every day, we work to address the needs of older adults by investing in and creating innovative solutions that tackle the root causes of the challenges they face: the need for functional and affordable housing, adequate and nutritious food, steady income and strong and sustaining bonds to family, friends and their communities. AARP Foundation is the affiliated charity of AARP. Mission: The AARP Foundation serves vulnerable people 50+ by creating and advancing effective solutions that help them secure the essentials. Vision: A country free of poverty where no older person feels vulnerable. The AARP Foundation executes it mission in service of this vision by focusing on five impact areas: hunger, income, housing, insolation, and legal advocacy. The Mentor Up program is one expression of AARP Foundation s interventions to alleviate the negative effects of isolation among vulnerable adult populations. II. Mentor Up Program Overview For so many low-income, vulnerable older adults, the issues related to isolation can have devastating and severe consequences including shortened lifespan, depression and a heavier burden of chronic disease. Mentor Up, an intergenerational isolation intervention program of the AARP Foundation, provides the opportunity to serve vulnerable, socially isolated older adults through the cultivation of a youth volunteer corps. The mutual benefits of Mentor Up for young people, vulnerable adults age 50+ and AARP Foundation are two-fold: Establishing of a network of organizations working to foster positive intergenerational engagements to reduce the negative effects of social isolation, led and/or initiated by young people 1

2 Increase in the number and quality of volunteer-based social and service engagements; mitigating poor health outcomes among low-income adults (age 50+) experiencing isolation Intergenerational programs purposefully bring together people of different age groups in ongoing, mutually beneficial, planned activities, designed to achieve specific outcomes. Research indicates that intergenerational programs can contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities, for example, by facilitating mutually beneficial relationships; volunteering and community building; increasing social cohesion; integration and collaboration; and strengthening family relationships. Mentor Up is among the only national effort working to align and propel intergenerational programming coupled with youth-led service and volunteerism. Rather than position Mentor Up in opposition to other youth-focused efforts, Mentor Up s goal is to cultivate a network of likeminded organizations to aggregate intergenerational interventions that will grow the service category using a reverse mentoring perspective, whereby young people are initiating and sharing their time, insights, knowledge and ability in ways that benefit older adults. The Effects of Social Isolation Social isolation is known to be pervasive among older Americans. For low income, vulnerable older adults, issues related to isolation can have devastating and severe consequences including shortened lifespan, depression, and a heavier burden of chronic disease. An estimated 1 in 5 adults over 50 are affected by isolation and research shows that prolonged social isolation can be equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Health consequences of isolation include: increased cognitive decline, faster growth into dementia, loss of impulse control, increase inflammation in body systems, increased cardiovascular changes, as well as other changes on a genetic level. 1 The Impact of Intergenerational Programs Research indicates that intergenerational programs can contribute to the well-being of individuals and communities by facilitating mutually beneficial relationships; volunteering and community building; increasing social cohesion; integration and collaboration; and strengthening family relationships. Older adults involved in intergenerational efforts are able to expand their social networks, use existing skills and learn new ones, and stay active. Studies have shown that active and engaged older adults remain in better health. There is a growing body of data including research spearheaded by AARP Experience Corps that suggests high intensity volunteer programs designed as a health promotion intervention can lead, in the short-term, to significant improvements in the level of physical activity of previously inactive older adult volunteers. 1 Holt-Lunstad, J. Smith, T., Layton,J. Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review,

3 Because research shows that millions of older adults struggle with meeting their everyday needs, and that millions more live alone and/or are disconnected from family/community, if we create an engaging volunteer corps that leverages the skills, energy and talents of young people, then AARP Foundation can help more older adults who are living in, or are at risk of social isolation, regain skills and establish/re-establish connections that will help mitigate poor health outcomes. III. Goal of the Request for Proposals (RFP) AARP Foundation is requesting proposals from organizations with existing intergenerational volunteer programs - or proposed new programs that focus on one or more of the following areas, which align with AARP Foundation s impact areas: Hunger: intergenerational services/programs that focus on supporting access to healthy, affordable food, helping to alleviate hunger Housing: intergenerational services/programs that focus on improving quality and/or maintenance of the living spaces of vulnerable adult populations Health and wellness: intergenerational services/programs that focus on supporting health and wellness initiatives in vulnerable adult populations including access to care, healthy practices and other wellness programs. Transportation: intergenerational services/programs that focus on increasing access to transportation for vulnerable adults. Income: intergenerational services/programs that focus on providing vulnerable adults support related to their income, which could include assistance with financial planning or paying bills. Social Connection: intergenerational services/programs that focus on fostering social connections between youth and vulnerable adults In addition, the proposal should also leverage existing networks (formal or informal) for scaling of the intervention to reach more individuals. Depending on the level of evidence and capacity of applicant, scaling may focus on reaching more beneficiaries within the applicant s current geographic service area (particularly for programs with preliminary evidence) or expand into new geographic service areas (particularly for programs with moderate or strong evidence). IV. Grantee Requirements The organization must be a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Multiple organizations may apply as a group, but only one can be fiduciary agent. AARP Foundation has a particular interest in projects/initiatives serving Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, and Philadelphia though organizations in any community are eligible including rural communities 3

4 Existing project(s) of the applying organization must have some level of documented evidence of providing intended social benefit and achieving its target outcome. While a match requirement is not required, organizations that do provide a match will receive priority. Evidence: Grantees will be asked to report on the level of evidence of their existing or proposed intergenerational program. In the case of proposed new programs, the grantee must demonstrate with evidence that it has had success operating related programs with similar success and has a clear theory of change as demonstrated by the submission of its logic model. The grantee will be categorized into one of four level of evidence categories based on the responses given: Pre-Preliminary, Preliminary, Moderate, or Strong. This determination will be made by the AARP Foundation. V. Grant Award Information A. Grant Details Our intention is to offer a range of awards from $25,000 -$150,000 to a diverse group of grantees reflecting size of organization, scope of project and depth of impact. We encourage organizations of all sizes to consider submitting a proposal We encourage organizations of all sizes to consider submitting a proposal Funding requests in which the amount of the grant request is reasonably proportionate to the scale of the expected outcomes will be considered Grants will be administered over a twelve-month period, beginning in the first quarter of The proposed grant amount should align with the level of evidence demonstrated in the application, as well as the quantity and quality of expected impact from program activities. For example, an intervention that helps secure an unemployed individual a job and provides on-going coaching to ensure the individual succeeds and maintains the job provides a large long-term impact for the individual. The costs of that program may be very high on per beneficiary level and so is the long-term impact. An intervention that provides a meal to an individual in dire need of food provides a large short-term impact for the individual. The costs on a per beneficiary level is very low and so is the long-term impact of a single meal. Each intervention provides a solution for a critical community need and each intervention has a different financial model. 4

5 B. Reporting Requirements AARP Foundation requires quarterly programmatic and financial reports. Reports are due by the end of the calendar month following the calendar quarter end. In addition, AARP Foundation requires the sharing of metric data the grantee captures on behalf of the grant program. AARP Foundation may also utilize other data capturing tools in collaboration with the grantee. C. Indirect Cost Rate AARP Foundation will only fund an indirect cost rate of 10% of the grant-funded program. If the applicant wishes to use a larger indirect rate, the indirect expense not funded by the grant can be used as match. VI. Application Information Applications must be submitted online through the following link: A. Proposal Process The proposal is intended to provide details about your proposed program that you are seeking funding from AARP Foundation. The proposal should focus on what you hope to achieve with your proposed program and how you expect to achieve those results. Please be specific and concise. Program Summary (250 character limit): A brief one or two sentence overview of your program. Logic model: Please upload a logic model of your program (See exhibit 1A in the appendix). Include inputs, activities, outputs, short-term, intermediate-term and long-term outcomes of your proposed program. Community Need (1000 character limit): What is the community need your project has sought to address? Please provide specific facts about the community need and why it is a pressing need. Results Achieved (2000 character limit): What results has your project achieved related to strategic objective? Please be specific regarding the actual outcomes that your project has achieved. Please include details about the specific beneficiaries and what they received. Include details on how you were able to measure the outcomes including relevant metrics, tools used to capture the metrics, frequency of obtaining data. 5

6 Process Towards Achievement (2000 character limit): How did your project achieve the results?: Please be specific in explaining the activities, staff, partners, etc. that helped your project achieve its results. Geography: What are the specific areas (neighborhoods, cities, counties) the proposed program will serve? Demographics: o What are the population demographics (gender, race, ethnicity, income and age) the proposed program will serve? (500 character maximum) o AARP Foundation target population is low-income or vulnerable older adults. What is the total AARP Foundation target population size your project could serve? If your project were to serve each individual that has the need earlier identified, how many of those individuals would be considered low-income or a vulnerable older adult? o What percent of that target population does your project serve? Based upon the number in the previous question, provide a percentage that is actually served. o What is the current number of people served by your project? This could include other individuals beyond low-income or vulnerable older adults. Proposed program goal: What is the ultimate goal of the program? What do you ultimately hope to achieve with this program and how will it address Mentor Up s goal of connecting youth with interventions that assist vulnerable older adults? Market Analysis (1500 character maximum): What distinguishes your program from others that address a similar need? Program Expansion (2500 character maximum): What is the increase in the number of people your program will serve? What are the specific activities that will allow you to reach that goal? Please list past experiences in expanding programs to more people while maintaining program fidelity. How did you ensure program fidelity was maintained? Performance Management (1500 character limit): What are the specific metrics to be captured that will determine if the program has met its outcomes, particularly as it relates to health outcomes? What tools will be used to capture the metrics? Who will capture the metrics? How often will the metrics be captured? How will the metrics be shared with AARP Foundation and your organization? Risks (1500 character limit): What are the risks associated with the program that could diminish its ability to achieve its goal? How will the risks be mitigated? Evaluation (2500 character maximum): What is your evaluation plan to determine the ongoing level of impact for your program? For example, what components of your program are 6

7 most replicable; what components of your program that are most impactful; the degree to which your program has made an impact, etc. Program Timeline (2500 character maximum): What are the dates related to key program milestones? If the program will be expanded, what are the key milestones for expansion? Staff and Organization (2500 character maximum): Please provide details on how the experiences of the organizations and individuals associated with the program are relevant for the execution of the proposed program. Who will be the program lead? How much time will the person dedicate towards the program? How many FTEs are currently dedicated to this program, if any, and how many will be dedicated to the proposed program? Other Funding Sources (1000 characters): What other funding or revenue sources, if any, will fund this program? What level of match will your organization provide to the program? Partnerships/Collaborations (1000 characters): Are there critical partnerships or collaborations with other organizations for the program? If so, please list the organizations, the primary individual associated with organization and role the organization will play in the program. Budget: Please include the program budget utilizing the AARP Foundation budget template. Budget Narrative: Please explain line items for the program budget. (2500 character maximum) VII. Review Criteria Reviewers seek to understand: Exactly what your proposed program will accomplish. Reviewers are seeking clearly defined outputs and outcomes that specifically relate to the program the goal of this RFP. What makes your program different and worth funding than any similar programs. Is the timeline for your program reasonable and clear and does your staff and organization have the experience to meet the milestones listed on your timeline. What is your plan for expansion and does your staff and organization have previous experience expanding the program into new areas. The specific geographic area(s) you will serve and the degree of which your program will be serving low-income or vulnerable older adults. 7

8 Is AARP Foundation the only organization funding the program or are there other organizations (including the applicant itself)? What partners, if any, will help in expanding this program into new areas? The organization/program must have a track-record of designing, implementing and measuring programs that achieve success according to establish objectives and metrics. The organization/program must demonstrate possessing the expertise, experience resources and capacity to implement the proposed program successfully. How you clearly demonstrate your ability to replicate the program with fidelity and systematically capture and report data to achieve your program goals. Are there clearly understood risks and will you put in place a reasonable risk mitigation plan? The clarity of your continued evaluation plan, if applicable, to reach moderate or strong evidence. A budget that ensures the proper level of staffing and reasonable costs to achieve the program proposed results. VIII. Application Process Applications will only be accepted online at [INSERT LINK] and select the New Application link. If you have not applied for a grant with AARP Foundation in the past two years, you will need to register first. All applications must be received no later than 11:59 PM ET by November 13, You will receive a response within two days of your submission. Finalists will be contacted by November 20, 2015 for clarifications to their applications. Clarification must be completed by December 2, :59 PM ET. The clarifications should be uploaded to the grant application. Details about the clarification process will be given to those requesting clarification. AARP Foundation may also hold site visits for finalists. These site visits may be actual or virtual (e.g., video conferencing). Please make sure your calendar is available during December 7-11 for such a visit. More information about the site visit will also be given during the clarification period. By December 17, you will be notified regarding status of the grant application. For those that will receive a grant, we will provide you with our signed grant agreement at this time. IX. Timeline November 13, 2015: Proposals due no later than 11:59 PM November 20, 2015: Finalists contacted with request for clarification 8

9 December 2, 2015: Deadline for grantees to submit clarifications December 7 - December 11, 2015: AARP Foundation conducts final interviews, site-visits and/or negotiations to finalize grantee submissions December 15-17, 2015: Final grantees are determined and grantees contacted with signed grant agreements. 9