2021 Empowering Communities to Reduce Falls and Falls Risk | HHS 2021 ACL AOA FPSG 0015

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACL AOA FPSG 0015

The 2021 Empowering Communities to Reduce Falls and Falls Risk grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number HHS-2021-ACL-AOA-FPSG-0015) was a discretionary federal funding program offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL). It used a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which generally means recipients should expect an active partnership with the federal program office during the project period, including ongoing coordination, reporting, and alignment with ACL priorities related to falls prevention and healthy aging.

The opportunity focused on preventing falls among two primary groups: older adults and adults with disabilities living in the community. Its first goal emphasized planning and systems change. Applicants were expected to build robust partnerships and then use those relationships to develop a comprehensive, results-based strategy to reduce falls and falls risk locally. In practical terms, this points to a coordinated community approach rather than a single program or stand-alone intervention. A strong application would likely have described how partners such as aging services, disability organizations, public health agencies, health care providers, housing entities, and community-based organizations would work together to identify needs, refer participants, deliver services, and track outcomes in a way that shows measurable progress.

The second goal focused on implementation at scale and sustainability. ACL wanted communities not only to offer falls prevention efforts, but to significantly increase participation in evidence-based falls prevention programs. That wording signals a preference for interventions with demonstrated effectiveness, typically structured curricula or models that have been evaluated and shown to reduce falls or falls risk factors. At the same time, applicants were expected to plan for sustainability beyond the grant period, meaning they needed a credible path to keep programs running after federal funds ended. Sustainability could involve embedding programs into existing service systems, establishing referral pipelines, training and retaining instructors, securing ongoing funding streams, pursuing reimbursement or cost-sharing where feasible, and building organizational capacity so the work does not disappear when the award concludes.

In terms of eligibility, the program was open to a wide range of entities. Eligible applicants included state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in that nonprofit category). This broad eligibility reflected the community-level nature of falls prevention, where leadership can come from public agencies, nonprofits, tribal entities, housing organizations, or academic partners, often in collaboration.

Key logistics and funding details were straightforward. The opportunity was posted on December 4, 2020, with an original application deadline of February 2, 2021. The award ceiling was $300,000 per award, and ACL anticipated making about six awards. The program was classified under the Health funding activity category and aligned with CFDA (now Assistance Listing) number 93.761. Overall, the grant was designed to help communities build a coordinated local strategy and expand the reach of proven falls prevention programming, while putting the pieces in place to maintain that progress long after the federal funding period ends.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2021 Empowering Communities to Reduce Falls and Falls Risk" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.761.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 04, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 02, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for HHS 2021 ACL AOA FPSG 0015

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