ACL National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging

The Administration for Community Living within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through its Administration on Aging and Office of Nutrition and Health Promotion Programs, has released a funding opportunity to establish a National Resource Center on Nutrition and Aging. This initiative is designed to strengthen the aging and disability network by scaling senior nutrition programs nationwide in alignment with the Older Americans Act. The program reflects federal priorities around whole person health and aims to reduce food insecurity, improve health outcomes, and support independent living among older adults. The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to create a centralized national resource center that provides leadership, coordination, and technical assistance to aging network partners, including State Units on Aging, Area Agencies on Aging, and local service providers. The Center will support the expansion and replication of innovative nutrition services, enhance collaboration between healthcare and community systems, and strengthen the delivery of preventive nutrition interventions. Activities include delivering tiered technical assistance, facilitating peer learning, conducting training, and developing tools and resources that support program implementation and sustainability. Funding for this opportunity totals approximately 3043788 dollars over a three year performance period, with annual funding between 1000000 and 1014596 dollars. Only one award is expected. The cooperative agreement structure requires substantial federal involvement, including ongoing collaboration, monitoring, and guidance from ACL. Applicants must contribute a 25 percent cost share, which may include both cash and in kind contributions such as volunteer time, donated services, or equipment. Funds cannot be used for construction, basic research, or certain restricted activities, and must align strictly with federal regulations and program goals. Eligible applicants include domestic nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, tribal governments and organizations, institutions of higher education, hospitals, faith based organizations, and community based organizations. Individuals and foreign entities are not eligible. The program requires applicants to demonstrate capacity to operate at a national level, including managing data systems, delivering technical assistance, and coordinating across multiple stakeholders. Applications must include a project narrative, budget narrative, work plans for each year, and supporting documentation such as organizational charts and commitment letters. Applications are submitted through Grants.gov and require prior registration with both SAM.gov and Grants.gov systems. The application deadline is July 22, 2026, at 1159 PM Eastern Time, approximately 30 days after posting. An optional notice of intent is due seven days after posting. Awards are expected to be announced by September 30, 2026, with the project period beginning on the same date and continuing for three years. Applicants must adhere to strict formatting and submission requirements, including page limits and document standards. Evaluation of applications is based on a 100 point scoring system that assesses the problem statement, goals and objectives, approach, work plan, impact, organizational capacity, and budget justification. The program emphasizes measurable outcomes, including improvements in food security, health, and program participation among older adults. The selected grantee will be responsible for building a centralized database, producing dashboards and reports, and supporting continuous quality improvement across the aging network. This initiative is expected to generate measurable national impact by improving program efficiency, reducing healthcare utilization, and enhancing the well being of older adults.

Focus on measurable outcomes tied to nutrition and health improvements; demonstrate strong data infrastructure and national technical assistance capacity; align clearly with Older Americans Act priorities