NEW YORK (November 14, 2024) — Enterprise Community Partners (Enterprise) today announced the recipients of the 2024 Thome Aging Well Innovation grants. Over the next 24 months, more than $9 million will support 17 organizations reimagining the way we care for older adults in Michigan and Maryland.  

Older adults are one of the fastest growing age groups in the United States. Today, one in six Americans is aged 65 years or older, with that number expected to reach 78.3 million people by 2040. While they are living longer and healthier lives in general, many older adults are dealing with one or more chronic health conditions. However, most existing systems of care are ill-prepared to deal with this aging wave. The Thome Aging Well Innovation grants aim to cultivate transformative solutions to create resilient systems for current and future generations.

Out of 148 inspiring applications, 17 organizations were selected for their exceptional vision and commitment to creating more equitable, joyful, and community-centered approaches for aging. The selected cohort includes seven organizations serving Maryland, eight serving Michigan, and two serving both states. Their innovations take a variety of approaches to support aging populations from therapeutic arts to community care hubs to senior advocacy through holistic engagement. 

“Research has shown us that social isolation and housing instability can have significant, adverse impacts on the health outcomes of older adults,” said Stephany De Scisciolo, VP of Impact, Evaluation, and Population Health at Enterprise. “As Americans live longer, it is more important than ever that we identify and invest in new approaches. We look forward to supporting the incredible work of our grantees and their commitment to a future where community care for older adults is readily accessible to all.”

These grants are part of Enterprise’s six-year, $19 million Thome Aging Well Program to support older adults who live in affordable communities to age safely and securely at home. Funded by the Edward N. and Della L. Thome Memorial Foundation, Bank of America trustee, the program has already touched close to 12,000 older adults in Michigan and Maryland through previous funding rounds to scale aging-in-place initiatives with a proven track record of impact.

This round of funding is projected to impact 20,000 older adults in Michigan and Maryland. The grant consists of two phases: a planning phase lasting up to six months with up to $100,000 in planning support to each organization to allow for additional ideation, and an implementation phase of up to two years, and up to $1 million with peer-to-peer connection and capacity building support offered throughout.

The grant recipients are:

Maryland

• Arts for the Aging-Maryland, Inc. for a therapeutic arts program that recruits and trains older artists living in affordable housing communities
• Centro de Apoyo Familar to empower Hispanic elders to become community health workers and environmental advocates
• Enterprise Community Development, Inc. to launch an age-friendly care clinic model with the University of Maryland Baltimore at eight affordable housing communities
• Johns Hopkins University to conduct research on using Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing for assisted living communities
• LeadingAge Maryland to develop a sustainable financing model that will provide for the services necessary to support the well-being and independence of older adults with lower incomes
• Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, Inc. to empower nonprofits to support low-income seniors through a three-phase program that includes needs assessments, planning, capacity building, culturally-relevant training, and embedding justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion into the nonprofits’ strategies and operations
• Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development to expand high impact, low-cost home modification services to low-income seniors in three rural Maryland counties

Michigan

• Calhoun County Senior Services to optimize collaboration, communication, and coordination among siloed food distribution sites across rural Calhoun County
• Corporation for Supportive Housing to improve the health of those impacted by chronic homelessness through enhanced payment models
• Jewish Family Service/Senior Regional Collaborative to establish a community care hub in Southeast Michigan for older adults
• Presbyterian Villages of Michigan Foundation to create a playbook for developing affordable continuing care communities accessible to those with lower incomes
• St. Patrick Senior Center, Inc. to establish Detroit’s first workforce development and entrepreneurial incubator created for older adults
• TrueNorth Community Services to provide tailored opportunities for social connection, empower senior advocacy, increase civic participation, and give back through volunteer opportunities in rural areas
• Villages Community Development Corporation to normalize estate planning for low-income seniors by tying it to home repair grants
• Washtenaw Housing Alliance for a shared housing program to match home providers with home seekers

Across Both States

• At Home With Growing Older for the Aging360 program, helping older adults learn and practice simple and cost-effective home improvements
• Front Porch Communities Foundation to deepen the social bonds between residents and staff through an innovative training program