Notice: The annual announcement inviting grant proposals would normally be released right now at the beginning of December. However, this year, due to the unusually grave downturn in the economy, neither organization is in a position to provide the grant funds necessary for the 2009 program. Therefore, a joint decision has been made place the program on hold for one year, and to use the time to review the effectiveness and long-range planning for the program. We fully expect to resume the Partnerships program for 2010 and to provide more effective support than ever to the law and aging field. So keep your creative gray-matter working to devise and develop new initiatives to meet the law related needs of elders, and we will do our best to kick start the process next December in 2009!
—Charlie Sabatino, director, ABA Commission on Law and Aging
The Partnerships in Law and Aging Program is a collaborative effort of the ABA Commission on Law and Aging and the Albert and Elaine Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging, with ongoing support from the Marie Walsh Sharpe Endowment. The program is designed to:
- spur collaboration and develop effective partnerships among providers of law-related services to older persons, including public sector legal services programs, private bar, access to justice initiatives, and state and area agencies on aging; elder rights advocates, including legal assistance developers and long-term care ombudsmen; and courts, social services, law enforcement agencies, and other organizations;
- enhance legal awareness and autonomy and promote the rights of elders who are poor or otherwise isolated by geography, culture, language, disability, education, or other barriers;
- improve elder access to the legal system by expanding available resources and exploring new methods for providing assistance, including holistic delivery, technology-based systems, self-help clinics, and the innovative use of volunteers; and
- serve as a catalyst for development of effective, permanent partnerships and resources and replication of successful projects.
General Eligibility Guidelines
The Partnerships in Law and Aging Program funds new initiatives that are innovative and collaborative, that demonstrate awareness of existing Older Americans Act and other legal services in the community, and that meet program objectives and criteria. It may not be used to replace lost staff or funding, or to fund maintenance of effort or obligations under other grants. Funds cannot be used to acquire computers or other technology. It does not fund advocacy beyond that permitted by I.R.S. Code §501(c).
We encourage partnerships among Older Americans Act and other legal assistance program(s), the private bar, bar associations, state or area agencies on aging, elder rights advocates (including legal assistance developers and long-term care ombudsmen), courts, and social services agencies, where appropriate. We also encourage involvement of entities that may not traditionally have worked with civil legal services programs, e.g., law enforcement.
Each project funded will have one principal grantee (the applicant in most cases) plus designated partners. The principal grantee will receive the grant funds, manage the project, prepare and submit reports, and serve as the contact with the ABA Commission.
The following organizations are eligible to serve as either the principal grantee or a project partner: Non-profit, law-related organizations, including Older Americans Act and other publicly-funded legal services and elder rights and protection programs, state or local bar associations, law schools and law-related education groups, dispute resolution programs, and others providing legal services and seeking to strengthen legal awareness and the legal rights of vulnerable older Americans.
The following organizations are not eligible to serve as principal grantee, but are encouraged to participate as a project partner: Government agencies, including area agencies on aging, adult protective services, attorney general offices, law enforcement, courts; non-profit organizations that do not provide legal services or other legal advocacy (e.g., aging services providers, health centers or hospitals, medical schools, social justice and faith-based organizations, libraries); for-profit organizations, law firms, or other organizations, offering pro bono services to the project.
National organizations may participate in the project in a limited capacity. They are not eligible to serve as principal grantee and, as a general rule, may not serve as partners. Exception: A national organization may serve as a project partner if its support is donated. Local affiliates of national organizations (e.g., Alzheimer’s Association chapter) may serve as principal grantee or a partner provided they are otherwise eligible.
Current and former grantees are eligible, but must clearly demonstrate how the proposed project differs from that which was previously funded.
