Native American Elder Justice Initiative | HHS 2022 ACL AOA IERC 0070

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2022 ACL AOA IERC 0070

The Native American Elder Justice Initiative (NAEJI) is a federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL), designed to strengthen how tribal communities prevent and respond to elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in Indian Country. The central goal is to fill a persistent gap: many mainstream elder justice materials and approaches are not culturally grounded in tribal realities, so this initiative prioritizes resources and strategies that reflect tribal values, community structures, and the lived experiences of Native elders. The funded work is meant to support public awareness, education, and practical guidance that tribes and tribal-serving organizations can actually use.

The opportunity focuses on at least one of three major activity areas. First, the grantee may develop culturally specific materials for tribes, meaning education and outreach products that are created with tribal context in mind rather than lightly adapted from generic resources. Second, the grantee may gather and widely disseminate information on best practices in Indian Country, which emphasizes identifying what is already working in tribal communities and making that knowledge easier to access across many tribes. Third, the grantee may collect and share examples and information on model tribal codes that address elder maltreatment, supporting tribes that want to strengthen legal and policy frameworks for protection, reporting, investigation, and accountability. While applicants can address multiple areas, the grant expects the funded project to clearly advance at least one of these needs in a meaningful way.

A key expectation is that the grantee will work directly with tribes and tribal communities to better understand the occurrence and dynamics of elder abuse in tribal settings and to determine culturally relevant methods for prevention and education. This includes attention to public awareness approaches that fit community norms, the policy implications that may arise when addressing abuse and exploitation, and practical prevention strategies that align with tribal governance and service systems. The initiative also emphasizes working closely with tribal elders, families, and communities, reflecting an understanding that elder justice is not only a service issue but also a community and cultural priority.

Beyond work in individual communities, NAEJI is intended to build broader coordination across the field. The grantee is expected to collaborate with other public and private entities to create national partnerships focused on identifying trends, responding to emerging needs, leveraging limited resources, and improving how professionals and systems support elder abuse victims. In addition, the project must collaborate with at least one ACL resource center and/or the broader aging network to improve how information is gathered and how resources are shared. This requirement signals that ACL wants the project to connect tribal elder justice work to established national infrastructure, while still keeping tribal cultural relevance at the center.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered through a cooperative agreement, which typically means substantial federal involvement during the project period compared with a standard grant. The funding opportunity number is HHS-2022-ACL-AOA-IERC-0070, under CFDA 93.047, and it falls within the category of income security and social services. The posted award ceiling is $300,000, with one expected award, indicating a single recipient will likely lead this work at a national or multi-tribal level rather than multiple smaller local awards.

Eligibility is broad and includes federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations, as well as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), among others as clarified in the full notice. The opportunity was created on February 3, 2022, with an original application deadline of March 26, 2022 (electronic submissions due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time). Overall, the initiative is best understood as a targeted effort to produce and spread culturally grounded tools, legal/policy examples, and practice-based knowledge that can help tribal communities better protect elders and strengthen responses to abuse, neglect, and exploitation.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Native American Elder Justice Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.047.
• This funding opportunity was created on Feb 03, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 26, 2022 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 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HHS 2022 ACL AOA IERC 0070

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