October 17, 2022 Washington, DC — LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit, mission-driven providers of aging services, today announced grant recipients and the launch of programming developed for the next phase of a national partnership with Community Catalyst and the Vaccine Equity and Access Program (VEAP), an initiative funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Three LeadingAge members will receive $20,000 grants to implement COVID-19 and flu vaccine access and awareness efforts in their communities. Recipients were selected based on applications demonstrating strong local partnerships and commitment to COVID-19 vaccine equity and access, particularly among people of color, who have been disproportionately impacted throughout the pandemic. Grantees are: 

• Friends House Retirement Community in Sandy Spring, MD
• Westminster Communities of Florida, in Orlando, FL
• Lutheran Towers in Atlanta, GA

Additionally, LeadingAge’s national office will: 

• Award multiple grants totaling $20,000 to locally based members, following an application submission and review process. Funds will be used to implement vaccine equity awareness and access among older adults and the people who care for them, particularly in communities of color. 
• Create and distribute a vaccine equity and access toolkit for distribution among all LeadingAge members nationwide to inform and promote the development and implementation of vaccine equity and access programs in their communities.
• Update English- and Spanish-speaker grassroots materials for members to use to encourage individuals to learn more about vaccines and boosters.

“Supporting members and their local partnerships helps to ensure that more people – especially vulnerable populations and care professionals – learn more and receive vaccines and boosters,” said Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO, LeadingAge. “Our mission-driven and nonprofit members are committed to spreading the word about vaccines’ importance and ensuring access to everyone. We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Community Catalyst and VEAP and excited to monitor the development and outcomes of these promising initiatives.” 

For the first phase of LeadingAge’s involvement with the CDC’s VEAP through Community Catalyst, announced in November 2021, LeadingAge distributed 42 grants to members throughout the U.S., who deployed funds to develop incentives for people to get information, make decisions, and choose to get vaccinated and boosted. Read more about the initiatives undertaken by Bennett County Hospital and Nursing Home in Martin, SD; Stoddard Baptist Nursing Home in Washington, DC; Lakeview Village, a life plan community in Lenexa, KS and others: LeadingAge Members Promote, Educate, and Vaccinate with CDC Grants, Mar. 24, 2022.  

We represent more than 5,000 nonprofit aging services providers and other mission-minded organizations that touch millions of lives every day. Alongside our members and  38 state partners, we use applied research, advocacy, education, and community-building to make America a better place to grow old. Our membership, which now includes the providers of the Visiting Nurse Associations of America, encompasses the continuum of services for people as they age, including those with disabilities. We bring together the most inventive minds in the field to lead and innovate solutions that support older adults wherever they call home. For more information visit leadingage.org.