History of the New Age of Aging

The Alliance for Children and Families’ New Age of Aging initiative was originally created through collaboration with and funding from The Atlantic Philanthropies.

During the mid-2000s, the Alliance and The Atlantic Philanthropies worked with E jj Olson & Associates to conduct a 10-month planning process. The process revealed that the human service sector was ill-prepared for the dramatic demographic shift taking place in the United States.

The resulting study found that few human service workers had training in gerontology, individuals and organizations had misinformed perceptions about older adults, and few services were being offered to this growing population.

First Five Years

Based on the study’s findings, The Atlantic Philanthropies invited the Alliance to submit a proposal for a comprehensive, grant-funded initiative.
The Alliance was awarded $2.6 million for the five-year initiative that today is known as the New Age of Aging.

Intergenerational Mentoring: 2011 to Today

In April 2011, the New Age of Aging was awarded a $225,000 grant from MetLife Foundation to launch a three-year intergenerational mentoring program. The program is designed to connect older adults and youth as partners in civic engagement.

The grant allows the Alliance to help its member agencies strengthen or build efforts that encourage healthy communities by promoting mutual respect between generations

The program is administered through collaboration with the Alliance Civic Engagement Program.

 For more information, contact the Alliance’s New Age of Aging staff.