When Elderhaus Adult Day Program received $1,500 from Next50 to replace broken washers and dryers, they discovered how targeted funding transforms senior care. You’re facing similar gaps in your organization’s capacity to serve older adults. Colorado’s grant landscape offers solutions designed specifically for nonprofits like yours—but only if you understand where to look and what funders actually prioritize.
Key Takeaways
- Next50 grants support Colorado nonprofits improving economic security for marginalized older adults, focusing on affordable housing, financial literacy, and food security.
- Seniors with disabilities and racial minorities in Colorado face significantly high rates of food insecurity and poverty, making targeted grants crucial.
- Aging affordability projects must address utilities, housing costs, digital equity, and economic disparities among marginalized older adults to qualify for funding.
- The Colorado Organizational Resiliency (COR) and Changing Aging strategies fund scalable solutions for underserved rural and marginalized senior communities.
- Emergency SUN grants provide emergency funding for nonprofits with budgets under $1 million serving economically insecure older adults in Colorado.
Economic Insecurity Among Older Adults in Colorado
Although many older adults nationwide struggle with economic insecurity, the challenge is particularly acute in Colorado, where nearly half of seniors aged 60 and older lack sufficient income to cover basic necessities.
You’re not alone if you’re worried about stretching every dollar. In Colorado, 43.4% of Black and 44.1% of Hispanic seniors live below 200% of the federal poverty level, and older adults with disabilities face food insecurity at nearly three times the rate of others.
Improving financial literacy and smarter resource allocation can help you access the grants and benefits that make a real difference in your daily life.
Understanding Marginalized Older Adult Populations
Marginalized older adults include groups facing systemic barriers such as racial minorities, people with disabilities, and LGBT individuals, all of whom experience higher rates of economic insecurity.
These barriers often limit access to stable housing, food security, and adequate income, heightening their vulnerability compared to the general older population.
Understanding these challenges is vital for creating targeted supports that improve their economic stability and quality of life.
Defining Marginalized Older Adults
Nearly half of Americans aged 60 and older don’t have enough income to cover basic living expenses, and that economic strain hits certain older adults much harder.
Marginalized older adults face layered challenges due to their intersectional identities—such as race, disability, and sexual orientation—that intersect with systemic barriers like poverty, food insecurity, and housing instability.
For example, over 43% of Black and Hispanic seniors live below 200% of the federal poverty level, and older adults with disabilities have nearly triple the food insecurity rate of their peers.
These realities highlight persistent economic instability affecting about 30% of older adults, underscoring the need to address structural inequities targeting marginalized groups.
Barriers to Economic Security
As you examine barriers to economic security among marginalized older adults, you’ll find that systemic inequities deeply restrict their ability to meet basic needs such as housing, food, and healthcare. Racial disparities compound these challenges—Black and Hispanic seniors experience poverty rates exceeding 43%, while food insecurity affects disabled older adults at triple the rate of their non-disabled peers. Housing instability plagues 11% of LGBT individuals aged 50+. Limited financial literacy and constrained resource accessibility perpetuate these cycles. Without targeted interventions addressing structural inequities, marginalized seniors remain trapped in cycles of deprivation, unable to access grants and support programs designed for their protection.
| Population Group | Poverty Rate | Primary Challenge |
|---|---|---|
| Black older adults (65+) | 43.4% | Income insufficiency |
| Hispanic older adults (65+) | 44.1% | Basic needs coverage |
| LGBT individuals (50+) | 11.0% | Housing payment arrears |
Next50’s Mission and Funding Priorities
Because Next50 focuses on systemic change, the organization directs its grantmaking toward fortifying nonprofits that serve marginalized older adults in Colorado by funding innovative projects that improve economic well-being and sustainability.
You’ll see real grant impact through their Colorado Organizational Resiliency (COR) and Changing Aging funding strategies, which prioritize making aging more affordable and advancing equity.
Next50 backs organizations using creative, scalable approaches to strengthen older adults’ economic security, especially in rural and underserved communities.
Their multi-year grants support capacity building, collaboration, and long-term resilience, ensuring your work can thrive amid shifting conditions and deliver lasting change.
Overview of Colorado Organizational Resiliency (COR) Grants
Although many nonprofits aim to support older adults in Colorado, the Colorado Organizational Resiliency (COR) grant specifically funds those that serve marginalized seniors by advancing economic well-being through innovative, sustainable approaches.
You’ll find that eligibility requires demonstrating commitment to Next50’s priority areas, including ending ageism and advancing digital equity.
The program particularly encourages organizations with budgets under $1 million to apply, directly addressing funding challenges faced by smaller nonprofits.
Multi-year funding options enable you to plan strategically for long-term grant impact and organizational stability.
These grants support solutions enhancing your effectiveness in serving vulnerable older adults throughout Colorado.
Details of Changing Aging Grant Opportunities
When applying for the Changing Aging grant, you need to guarantee your organization meets the eligibility criteria as a U.S.-based nonprofit serving marginalized older adults, especially those facing economic insecurity.
Your proposal must clearly align with Next50’s mission to make aging more affordable and address priority areas like ending ageism, promoting digital equity, or supporting aging in place.
Demonstrating collaboration and systems-level impact in your application increases your chances, and multi-year funding is available to help sustain your innovative solutions over time.
Funding Eligibility Criteria
To qualify for the Changing Aging grant, your organization must be a U.S.-based 501(c)(3), government entity, or university—or apply through a qualified fiscal sponsor—that directly serves older adults, with a clear focus on improving economic opportunities for marginalized or underserved populations age 50 and over.
Your proposal must demonstrate a direct link to marginalized older adults and address disparities in aging. Funding sources prioritize projects that make aging more affordable and innovative in building organizational effectiveness and sustainability.
Multi-year grant distributions are available to support longer-term impact aligned with Next50’s mission and values.
Grant Application Process
Once you’ve confirmed your organization meets Next50’s eligibility requirements, you’ll need to navigate a straightforward two-stage application process designed to evaluate your proposal’s alignment with their funding priorities.
The Changing Aging grant application emphasizes grant writing that clearly connects to making aging more affordable for marginalized older adults, alongside showcasing innovative approaches.
Key steps include:
- Submit a concise initial application demonstrating alignment with Next50’s priority areas
- Incorporate community outreach strategies engaging marginalized seniors
- Highlight innovation for organizational effectiveness and sustainability
- Prepare for a virtual site visit if selected for further review
This structured process guarantees your proposal addresses economic well-being through targeted, creative solutions.
Sudden & Urgent Need (SUN) Grants Explained
Sudden & Urgent Need (SUN) grants provide essential, emergency funding to Colorado nonprofits with budgets of $1 million or less that serve marginalized older adults. These grants boost your grant impact by addressing immediate, unbudgeted crises that threaten services for older adults. By aligning with Next50’s mission, your funding strategies can target ageism, digital equity, and aging in place, ensuring older adults stay safe and independent.
| What’s at stake | What SUN grants can do |
|---|---|
| Older adults lose access to meals, tech, or classes | Keep crucial services running |
| Small nonprofits face sudden repairs or costs | Cover pressing, one-time expenses |
Eligibility Criteria for Next50 Grants
To qualify for Next50 grants, your Colorado nonprofit must clearly focus on improving the economic well-being of marginalized older adults, especially those facing economic or food insecurity.
You’ll need to show how your work makes aging more affordable and directly aligns with at least one of Next50’s priority areas, like ending ageism or advancing digital equity.
These criteria guarantee funding goes to organizations with a real, measurable impact on older adults’ lives.
Marginalized Older Adults
Because economic insecurity hits older adults hard—and hits Black and Hispanic seniors even harder—Next50’s grants prioritize marginalized older adults who face systemic barriers to stability.
You’ll find these grants specifically address health disparities and strengthen social support networks for vulnerable populations. Your organization can utilize funding to serve older adults experiencing economic hardship while advancing equity across communities.
- Older adults with disabilities face food insecurity at nearly three times the rate of non-disabled peers
- Black and Hispanic adults aged 65+ experience poverty rates exceeding 43%
- Grants support digital equity initiatives reducing isolation
- Funding enables aging-in-place programs for underserved populations
You’re encouraged to innovate solutions addressing these disparities while building organizational sustainability and effectiveness.
Aging Affordability Requirement
Next50 grants require all proposals to directly address the affordability of aging for marginalized older adults, focusing on alleviating economic insecurity that affects nearly 30% of older Americans. Your project must center on reducing aging costs through affordable housing, financial literacy, and systems-level change. Prioritize low- and moderate-income older adults, especially Black, Hispanic, and other historically marginalized communities where economic insecurity is highest. Build innovation into your model to strengthen organizational sustainability and long-term impact.
| Strategy | Target Impact | Example Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Affordable housing | Lower utility & housing costs | HVAC efficiency, aging in place |
| Financial literacy | Increase economic resilience | Budgeting, retirement planning |
| Digital equity | Expand access to resources | Online benefits, telehealth |
Priority Area Alignment
Your proposal’s success with Next50 hinges on clearly aligning with at least one of its three core priority areas: ending ageism, advancing digital equity, and supporting aging in place.
Use effective grant proposal strategies and funding alignment techniques to guarantee your application meets Next50’s expectations. Keep these principles in mind:
- Demonstrate how your project tackles economic disparities affecting marginalized older adults in one or more priority areas.
- Show innovative approaches to reduce the cost of aging and promote dignity.
- Connect directly with Next50’s mission by serving vulnerable older populations.
- Highlight organizational effectiveness and potential for long-term impact.
How to Align Your Proposal With Next50’s Priority Areas
When crafting your proposal for Next50, anchor it in the stark reality that nearly half of adults aged 60+ in the U.S. lack enough income to cover basic living expenses.
Make it clear how your work directly reduces economic insecurity among low- and moderate-income older adults, especially those from historically marginalized and rural communities.
Emphasize digital inclusion by detailing strategies that remove technology barriers, ensuring equitable access and skills.
Address ageism awareness by integrating initiatives that combat systemic discrimination.
Highlight support for aging in place and demonstrate innovative approaches that improve your organization’s effectiveness and sustainability in serving marginalized older adults.
Innovation and Systems-Level Change in Aging Programs
- Equitable approaches minimizing disparities in marginalized older adult communities
- Ending ageism and fostering digital equity as core priorities
- Multi-year funding to cultivate sustainable capacity and impact
- Supporting programs that address economic and food insecurities through scalable, systems-level change
Align your proposal with these principles to drive meaningful, lasting improvements.
Multi-Year Funding Options and Organizational Sustainability
Since sustaining impact over the long term requires stable and adaptive resources, Next50’s multi-year funding programs such as the Colorado Organizational Resiliency (COR) and Changing Aging grants empower nonprofits to develop strategic solutions that address the multifaceted challenges faced by marginalized older adults.
You’ll need to focus proposals on making aging more affordable while demonstrating innovation in organizational effectiveness and sustainability.
Aligning your initiatives with Next50’s priority areas—ending ageism and advancing digital equity—boosts your chance for sustainable funding.
Emphasize collaboration and seek guidance from a Next50 Community Impact Manager to craft strong, long term strategies.
Partnership and Collaboration Best Practices for Applicants
- Co-design projects that directly address economic insecurity for marginalized older adults.
- Align your work with systems-level change and equitable, innovative ideas.
- Partner with groups focused on housing, digital access, caregiving, and anti-ageism.
- Demonstrate how collaboration expands reach, impact, and long-term sustainability.
Next Steps: Scheduling a Meeting With a Next50 Community Impact Manager
To move forward with a Next50 grant, the crucial next step is to schedule a call with a Next50 Community Impact Manager, who can help determine how your work aligns with their mission, core values, and 2025 invitation-only funding process.
During meeting preparation, clearly articulate your organizational goals and how they support marginalized older adults, emphasizing innovation and collaboration.
The Community Impact Manager will guide you on funding strategies tailored to your project within Next50’s priorities, such as affordability in aging and economic well-being.
This proactive engagement is essential for receiving an invitation to apply and maximizing your funding potential.
Building Capacity and Resiliency Through Grant Funding
- Strengthen organizational effectiveness while serving marginalized older adults.
- Prioritize making aging more affordable and reducing economic disparities.
- Demonstrate collaboration and partnerships to amplify impact.
- Target small nonprofits with budgets under $1 million via Sudden & Urgent Need (SUN) grants to boost immediate resiliency.
This approach maximizes your organization’s long-term impact and stability.
State-by-State Grants for Seniors
| Alabama | Offers senior grants for housing repairs, healthcare assistance, utilities, and low-income support programs. |
| Alaska | Provides grants and aid for seniors covering heating costs, healthcare access, and rural assistance programs. |
| Arizona | Includes senior grants for housing, prescription assistance, food programs, and property tax relief. |
| Arkansas | Supports seniors through grants for medical care, utility assistance, home repairs, and nutrition services. |
| California | Provides extensive senior grants for housing assistance, healthcare, caregiving, and cost-of-living relief. |
| Connecticut | Includes grants for senior housing repairs, healthcare costs, prescription drugs, and tax relief. |
| Delaware | Provides senior-focused grants for medical care, housing stability, utilities, and daily living expenses. |
| Florida | Offers grants for seniors covering housing, healthcare, hurricane assistance, and home modification needs. |
| Georgia | Supports seniors with grants for medical care, housing assistance, food programs, and utility relief. |
| Hawaii | Provides senior grants for housing stability, healthcare access, and cost-of-living assistance. |
| Idaho | Includes financial aid programs for seniors covering healthcare, utilities, and home repairs. |
| Illinois | Offers senior grants for property tax relief, healthcare assistance, housing, and food security. |
| Indiana | Provides grants supporting senior healthcare, housing stability, and essential living expenses. |
| Iowa | Includes senior grant programs for medical costs, housing repairs, and energy assistance. |
| Kansas | Offers grants to seniors for healthcare, housing improvements, and utility support. |
| Kentucky | Supports seniors with grants for medical needs, housing repairs, and nutrition assistance. |
| Louisiana | Provides financial assistance for seniors including healthcare grants and home repair programs. |
| Maine | Includes senior grants for heating assistance, healthcare access, and housing stability. |
| Maryland | Offers grants for seniors covering healthcare costs, property taxes, and home modifications. |
| Massachusetts | Provides senior assistance grants for housing, healthcare, utilities, and daily living expenses. |
| Michigan | Supports seniors through grants for medical bills, housing repairs, and energy assistance. |
| Minnesota | Includes senior grant programs for healthcare support, housing stability, and food assistance. |
| Mississippi | Provides grants for seniors covering healthcare access, utilities, and essential living needs. |
| Missouri | Offers financial assistance programs for seniors focused on healthcare and housing support. |
| Montana | Supports seniors with grants for heating assistance, medical care, and housing repairs. |
| Nebraska | Includes senior grants for healthcare, property tax relief, and energy assistance. |
| Nevada | Provides financial support for seniors covering housing stability and healthcare needs. |
| New Hampshire | Offers grants for seniors focused on heating assistance, medical care, and housing support. |
| New Jersey | Includes senior grants for healthcare costs, property taxes, and housing assistance. |
| New Mexico | Provides grants supporting senior healthcare access and essential living expenses. |
| New York | Offers extensive senior grants for housing, healthcare, utilities, and cost-of-living relief. |
| North Carolina | Supports seniors with grants for healthcare, housing stability, and utility assistance. |
| North Dakota | Includes financial aid programs for seniors covering healthcare and heating assistance. |
| Ohio | Provides grants for seniors focused on healthcare access, housing repairs, and utilities. |
| Oklahoma | Offers senior assistance grants for medical care, housing needs, and food programs. |
| Oregon | Includes senior grant programs for healthcare support, housing stability, and energy costs. |
| Pennsylvania | Supports seniors through grants for medical expenses, housing, and property tax relief. |
| Rhode Island | Provides financial assistance for seniors covering healthcare and housing stability. |
| South Carolina | Offers senior grants for medical care, utilities, housing repairs, and nutrition support. |
| South Dakota | Includes grants for seniors focused on healthcare access and heating assistance. |
| Tennessee | Provides financial aid programs for seniors covering healthcare and housing needs. |
| Texas | Offers senior grants for healthcare costs, housing assistance, and utility support. |
| Utah | Supports seniors with grants for medical care, housing stability, and energy assistance. |
| Vermont | Includes senior assistance programs for healthcare access and housing support. |
| Virginia | Provides grants for seniors covering medical care, housing repairs, and utility costs. |
| Washington | Offers financial support for seniors including healthcare, housing, and daily living assistance. |
| West Virginia | Supports seniors with grants for healthcare, utilities, and essential living expenses. |
| Wisconsin | Includes senior grants for medical care, housing stability, and energy assistance. |
| Wyoming | Provides financial assistance for seniors covering healthcare access and heating costs. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What Not to Say When Applying for a Grant?
Avoid vague mission statements, ignore marginalized older adults’ needs, skip innovative ideas, mention government/university collaborators, or propose projects outside Next50’s priority areas—these grant application pitfalls are common grant mistakes that lead to disqualification.
How Can Senior Citizens Get Free Money From Government in the USA?
You can get free money through senior assistance programs like Social Security, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and the Old Age Pension (OAP), plus government financial aid such as Medicaid and energy assistance benefits tailored for seniors. Apply via local agencies or online portals like Colorado PEAK to access these programs efficiently.
What Government Programs Are Available for Seniors Near Me?
You can access local assistance and financial resources like Colorado’s Community Access Services grants for home repairs and utility help, property tax credits, and elder-care support programs offering up to $1,500 monthly for personal care near you. Investigate AARP and county-specific grants for aging adults too.
Who Is Eligible for the Colorado Home Grant?
You’re eligible for the Colorado Home Grant if your organization serves marginalized, economically insecure older adults and aligns with Next50’s mission. The application process requires showing impact on economic well-being and innovative solutions, with income requirements based on client demographics. Multi-year funding may be available to improve organizational sustainability.
Conclusion
Picture your organization’s work—hot meals delivered, rides to clinics, legal aid secured—running strong, not just surviving. With Next50’s COR and Changing Aging grants, you’re not patching holes; you’re building deeper roots and wider branches. You’re turning urgent fixes into lasting power, lifting marginalized older adults with real, sustained support. This is how resilience looks: steady, strategic, and centered squarely on equity.