HHS – Native American Elder Justice Initiative (2021)

By NLADA on May 3, 2021

Applications due: by June 21, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Under the new funding opportunity the Native American Elder Justice Initiative (NAEJI) will address the need for more culturally appropriate information and community education materials on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation in Indian Country. It is expected that activities carried out under this resource center will address at least one (1) of the needs listed: Identify, develop and disseminate information and strategies on effective collaborations between tribal and non-tribal entities to address suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation; Assist Tribes in the development of tribal codes that protect seniors, building on existing work to develop model codes and an implementation toolkit, and maintaining examples of tribal codes to share with those creating or updating their own codes; Identify and develop tribally produced elder abuse prevention resources, and other informational materials for professionals and tribal members on elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation that are culturally appropriate to Tribal perceptions of abuse and Tribal values; Develop training and technical assistance materials about elder abuse in Indian Country, such as: basic information about elder abuse, how to identify abuse, developing effective multi- disciplinary teams, and developing and/or promoting effective tribal prevention, intervention, and response activities, including those that involve effective cross-jurisdictional partnerships; Provide technical assistance and training on elder abuse, neglect and exploitation, and outreach to increase awareness of the problem of elder abuse in Indian Country, as well as the NAEJI, and through conference presentations, material development, PSAs, newsletters, and articles; Develop expertise in Native Elder Abuse Prevention through the development of webinars and training materials for health care providers, social services, long-term care and caregivers, law enforcement, tribal courts, and tribal leaders specific to elder abuse in Indian Country; Explore with tribes the needs and challenges surrounding data collection on elder abuse issues in Indian Country, including what kinds of data would be useful and to whom, how data could be collected, who would/could collect it, how would confidentiality be guaranteed, what kind of system would be necessary to house and securely store data, who would manage and own the data, and other issues related to the development of data collection systems; and Expand training to include a focus for senior companions, community health representatives, home health care workers, and others who make in-home visit to elders to enhance their knowledge and awareness of elder abuse.

Helpful resources

The Justice in Government Project at American University has curated research briefs on how civil legal aid helps Native Americans. You can access the brief here.
Want help making your case? The Justice Index scores and ranks states on their adoption of best practices for ensuring access to justice. Find how well your state is doing here.

Grant information

Funding Title: Native American Elder Justice Initiative

Agency Name: HHS – Administration for Community Living

Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2021-ACL-AOA-IERC-0034

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement

Express Language for Legal Aid: No, there isn’t express language for legal aid.

Target Population: Elderly, Native Americans

Expected Number of Awards: 1

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: Yes

Estimated Total Program Funding: $300,000

Award Ceiling: $300,000

Award Floor: $200,000

Current Closing Date for Applications: by June 21, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Eligible Applicants: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others (see text field entitled “Additional Information on Eligibility” for clarification),
State governments