Funding Collaboratives to Maximize Impact
For over 40 years, Grantmakers In Aging has served as a trusted network and resource for funders and a champion for aging-related issues and investments. We are the only organization exclusively focused on philanthropy and aging. GIA has extensive experience mobilizing new and increased support for aging, through funding collaboratives that we steward.
Why Use GIA as a Fiscal Agent?
- Neutral perspective: As a neutral, national organization, we work outside of the local nonprofit ecosystem, adding an unbiased perspective to grantmaking decisions.
- Public-private partnerships made easy: As a public charity, GIA can manage both foundation and government dollars - blending funds while meeting geographic and demographic parameters, as well as political considerations, across multiple funding sources.
- Streamlined process: By centrally managing the fundraising and fiduciary responsibilities, we save both funders and grantees time and effort, enabling them to focus on program development and delivery. We streamline budgeting, contracting, reporting, and data collection.
- Collaborative advantage: Aging is an underfunded priority and aging-focused foundations often have smaller budgets and fewer staff. As a result, many GIA members prefer to fund in collaboration to maximize impact. We expect this to continue, as federal funding contracts, and need increases.
- Proven expertise: Our team and network of funders have deep experience initiating, capitalizing, implementing, and evaluating age- and dementia-friendly communities and multisector plans for aging.
Sharing What Works
When we serve as a fiscal agent, we create funders guides that enable other funders within our network to replicate or adapt successful initiatives. We also elevate these grant programs at our Annual Conference and through our seven funders communities and virtual programming.
The Aging Advocacy Fund
Examples of GIA in Action
GIA draws on decades of experience serving as a fiscal agent.
Launched as an 18-month collaboration between GIA and Grantmakers In Health (GIH), the Champion Fund supported the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA). The initiative included a political landscape analysis, convenings, communications, and an advocacy-focused resource for funders, partner organizations, and grantees.
This is a multiyear initiative to develop and strengthen state-based coalitions advocating for improved services and supports for caregivers. An outgrowth of GIA’s Family Caregiving Funders Community, Caregiver Nation provides small grants and technical assistance to coalitions in 10 states. Coalitions are collectively working toward reauthorization and appropriation of the Older Americans Act and the RAISE Family Caregivers Act, as well as state-specific goals.
As the initiative’s fiscal agent, GIA administers an invite-only grant program. This includes developing proposal, budget, and reporting templates; coordinating funding partners; making funding recommendations; and executing decisions. With six funders and a budget of $1,143,000, grants have been made to 10 coalitions, a national program office, and an evaluation partner.
This three-year initiative funded by Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies aimed to address the needs of older people in South Dakota. As the fiscal agent, GIA made grants totaling $588,000 to the South Dakota Community Foundation and four community-based aging service organizations.
GIA managed an invite-only proposal and reporting process and provided technical assistance and support to grantees throughout the project period, including two in-person site visits and a daylong conference in Chamberlain, South Dakota.
This three-year initiative aimed to accelerate age-friendly community efforts in five localities and develop resources to strengthen age-friendly movements throughout the country. Funded with more than $4 million by Pfizer Foundation, Community AGEnda raised an additional $1 million in matching funds from local foundations.
GIA issued a competitive request for proposals; awarded grants to organizations in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, and Missouri; identified and funded national technical assistance partners; developed tools and resources; managed budgeting and reporting; and conducted annual evaluations.
The fund directed funding and resources to assist older adults affected by the 2005 hurricanes in the Gulf States. GIA raised and stewarded $4.8 million from funders including AARP Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, The John A. Hartford Foundation, Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation, Lower Pearl River Valley Foundation, New York Community Trust, RRF Foundation for Aging, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, UJA-Federation of New York, Jewish Federations of North America, and The Woods Charitable Trust.
As the Fund’s managers, GIA convened a National Advisory Committee; conducted a needs assessment of older adult service systems in the region; formulated the mission statement for the Fund; established and implemented the review process for evaluating proposals; engaged funding partners; awarded and monitored grants; and conducted the post-project evaluation. The Fund reviewed 55 applications and made 22 grants to organizations in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi to support recovery, rebuilding, and disaster preparedness efforts that engaged and assisted older people.
The fund worked to catalyze new investments in aging through partnerships with regional grantmaking associations. Funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies in the amount of $1.78 million, EngAGEment raised $757,503 in local matching funds and documented $6.5 million in new funding for aging-related initiatives, representing a nearly 4:1 return on investment.
GIA developed the infrastructure to launch and manage the initiative, including hiring a National Outreach Director; convening an Advisory Committee; issuing a competitive Request for Proposals; selecting grantees; working with an evaluator to design a survey instrument; administering awards; providing ongoing support and technical assistance, conducting site visits and quarterly calls; publishing issue briefs; and managing annual reports and budgets.