2020 Empowering Communities to Reduce Falls and Falls Risk | HHS 2020 ACL AOA FPSG 0372

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2020 ACL AOA FPSG 0372

The 2020 Empowering Communities to Reduce Falls and Falls Risk grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number HHS 2020 ACL AOA FPSG 0372) was released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through the Administration for Community Living (ACL). It is a discretionary funding opportunity offered as a cooperative agreement, meaning awardees are expected to work collaboratively with the federal agency during the project period rather than operating with complete independence. The program sits in the health funding activity category and is associated with CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) 93.761.

At its core, the opportunity is designed to help communities reduce falls and fall-related risk among two priority populations: older adults and adults with disabilities. Falls are a major driver of preventable injury, loss of independence, and health care costs, so ACLs approach here emphasizes practical, community-level systems that can measurably lower risk and expand access to proven prevention supports.

The grant lays out two main goals. The first goal focuses on building strong, robust partnerships across a community and using those relationships to create a comprehensive, results-based strategy to reduce falls and falls risk. In practice, that implies coordinating among organizations that touch older adults and people with disabilities, such as aging services networks, disability service providers, public health entities, health care organizations, housing partners, community and faith-based groups, and other local stakeholders. The emphasis on a "result-based" strategy signals that applicants are expected to plan around measurable outcomes, not just activities, and to organize efforts in a way that can show community-level impact over time.

The second goal is about scale and staying power. Applicants are expected to significantly increase the number of older adults and adults with disabilities who participate in evidence-based falls prevention programs. The language "evidence-based" points to structured interventions with research support, typically delivered through established curricula or models shown to reduce falls, improve balance and strength, or address modifiable risk factors. At the same time, the opportunity explicitly requires applicants to pursue sustainability beyond the grant period, so the project is not supposed to end when federal funding ends. Sustainability in this context usually means planning for ongoing referral pathways, training and retaining instructors or facilitators, embedding programs into partner organizations, securing non-federal funding streams, and building demand and administrative capacity so the programs can continue as a regular part of community services.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in that particular nonprofit category). This wide eligibility reflects ACLs interest in community-driven solutions that may be led by government, academia, housing, tribal entities, or nonprofit service systems depending on local infrastructure and need.

The funding parameters indicate an award ceiling of $300,000, with an expectation of 7 awards. The opportunity opened on November 25, 2019, and had an original application deadline of January 31, 2020, with electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date. Overall, this funding opportunity supports communities that can organize partnerships, deliver and expand evidence-based falls prevention programming, and build a durable local approach to reducing falls and falls risk among older adults and adults with disabilities.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2020 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 Nov 25, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 31, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (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 7 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 2020 ACL AOA FPSG 0372

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