Grants for Caregiving
Although grants are often perceived as awards or free money, they are usually used to fund large projects, campaigns or initiatives. In exchange for funding, award recipients must fulfill certain obligations or objectives as outlined in the original grant proposal. Caregiving grants follow the same formula and must be implemented according to the foundation's or agency's guidelines. Grants can be used to conduct professional or scientific research and provide additional support for individuals and families with caregiving responsibilities.
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Function
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Caregiving grants are given to organizations, hospitals and nonprofits that support caregivers or that educate the public on caregiving issues such as aging and child rearing. Government and corporate funding are crucial for nonprofit organizations, which use awards to develop programs and provide services to families that support elderly parents and grandparents, relatives or disabled dependents. Grants also help nonprofit organizations to develop policies and best practices in conjunction with local, state and government caregiving initiatives.
Types
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The types of projects that caregiving grants support vary across organizations. Funding organizations and agencies will usually specify what types of activities are covered under the grant. For example, the U.S. government's National Family Caregiver Support Program specifies that organizations can use grant funding to develop case studies, surveys and reports on caregiving trends in the U.S. Some grants are used to identify major challenges faced by medical professionals, social workers and family caregivers in underserved, rural and inner-city communities. Other projects specify that grant recipients must produce tangible products, such as a website or online course for individuals and organizations focused on helping older adults become mentally and physically independent.
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Amount
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Grant amounts differ greatly depending on the foundation, corporation or agency as well as the requirements outlined in the grant proposal. For example, the Langeloth Foundation offered $384,876 spread across 36 months for organizations supporting family caregivers and professionals. Larger iniatives, such as the U.S. government's National Family Caregiver Support Program for elderly individuals, provided more than $150 million per year between 2007 and 2010.
Benefits
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The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) estimates that 22 percent of families are caring for two individuals, and 8 percent are caring for three or more. Caregiving grants enable organizations to provide a range of services that reduce caregiver stress, depression and anxiety as well as help alleviate the financial strain of caring for multiple family members and dependants. The AoA also reveals that state and community caregiving services help avoid and reduce healthcare costs.
Significance
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One important aspect of grant programs is tracking and measuring success. The National Family Caregiver Support Program provided services to 600,000 caregivers in 2008 according to the AoA. More than 140,000 caregivers were given counseling and training to better manage their caregiving responsibilities. The program also provided nearly 10 million hours worth of respite care services, which consists of volunteers, medical professionals or paid companions who assist caregivers with daily tasks to alleviate the stress of caring for relatives and loved ones.
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References
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