The Keiro is prioritizing programs and partnerships that focus on enhancing quality of life for older adults and caregivers in the Japanese American community of Los Angeles, Orange, and Ventura counties.
Donor Name: Keiro
State: California
County: Los Angeles County (CA), Orange County (CA), and Ventura County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/14/2022
Size of the Grant: up to $20,000
Grant Duration: 1 year
Details:
Keiro fulfills its mission by supporting culturally-sensitive programs, services, and collaboration that incorporates key elements contributing to a high quality of life for older adults and their caregivers, listed below:
- Health/Wellness: A person’s health/wellness is defined by their physical, mental, and emotional state of being. Health/wellness includes both the presences, absence and/or risk of disease and symptoms, and the individual’s perception of their health status.
- Purpose: An older adult should have at least one self-defined purpose – something that brings meaning and joy to their life. Purpose can include family and friends, community engagement, hobbies, and spirituality. While it is often revisited throughout one’s lifetime, a lack of purpose can contribute to a decline in wellbeing.
- Connectedness: Humans are inherently social and need engagement through social networks to thrive. Connectedness – whether at an individual family, or community level – is vital to physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Lack of social connection, including in-person and virtually, has been shown to have significant negative impact on overall health/wellness.
- Security: A sense of security is necessary for older adults to live a healthy and fulfilling life. Security includes financial stability; consistent housing; a reliable social network; and access to high quality, affordable services. A lack of security in even one of the previously listed areas can impede an older adult’s quality of life.
Autonomy: As older adults age, autonomy, and the ability to choose how to live life the way they want should be maintained as much as possible. Although physical and/or cognitive limitations may make this difficult, lacking even a feeling of autonomy can lead to a decline in quality of life.
Goals
- Enhance the quality of life of older adults and their caregivers in the Japanese American and Japanese communities
- Specifically, focus on at least one element of Keiro’s Quality of Life definition while supporting and reaching out to older adults and caregivers in the community
- Reach out to new older adults and caregivers or reestablish existing connections while providing support through community programs, events, and increasing capacity to provide these services
- Promote culturally-sensitive programs and services accessible to Community.
Program Areas
They recognize that the program areas below often intersect, and they encourage applications that have alignment with one or both of these areas.
- Services to Older Adults
- One fifth of all Japanese American adults are age 65 and older. This is much higher than the percentage of adults aged 65 and older in the general population. Keiro seeks to support individual Japanese American and Japanese older adults and their ability to enhance their quality of life with confidence by equipping them with knowledge, resources, and assistance, so they can effectively manage their lives and wellbeing wherever they call home.
- Grants will be awarded to provide services that enhance the quality of life of older adults most in-need. Examples of services can include (but are not limited to):
- Fostering a sense of community among Japanese American and Japanese older adults to help reduce isolation and loneliness
- Supporting older adults who desire to live independently in a safe environment
- Improving access to vital community programs and services
- Educating older adults and their families to make informed decisions and thoughtful plans, including end of life decisions
- Support of Caregivers
- Caregiver demands and burdens are increasing as people are living longer and are choosing to live at home, instead of residential care facilities. Keiro seeks to support caregivers in the community to assist older adults in need.
- Grants for program development will be awarded to organizations that provide support to caregivers or that provide caregiving services to older adults. Examples include (but are not limited to):
- Enhancing support systems for caregivers to ease the physical, psychological, and financial burdens of caregiving
- Developing a sufficient pipeline of well-trained caregivers, both professional and informal, who are able to provide in-home, culturally sensitive, and appropriate care along a continuum of needs
- Addressing the needs of the most vulnerable older adults who lack access to adequate, culturally sensitive caregiving
- Empowering caregivers to confidently make decisions for themselves and their families.
Funding Information
- There will be one funding level of up to $20,000. Although organizations may apply for more than one grant, funding will be limited to a maximum of $20,000 per organization.
- The grant period is up to one year. Multi-year requests are not considered.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible proposals must be for programs and services that:
- Primarily serve older adults and/or caregivers in the Japanese American and Japanese communities
- Serve Los Angeles, Orange, and/or Ventura County
- Organizations eligible for a grant must meet one of the following criteria:
- Nonprofit organizations that are tax exempt under IRS Section 501(c)(3)
- Community groups that have a 501(c)(3) organization serving as their fiscal agent
- Faith-based nonprofit organizations are eligible for funding if they welcome and serve all members of the community.
For more information, visit Keiro.
