Highland Valley Entry

RFP

The FY24-25 Title III Application period has now closed.
Next application period begins in the Spring of 2025.

Highland Valley Elder Services, Inc.
Area Agency on Aging
Title III Request for Proposals

Contract Period: October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025
(2-year cycle)

Highland Valley Elder Services, Inc. is a federally designated Area Agency on Aging (AAA) and state designated Aging Services Access Point (ASAP), who has a defined service area of twenty-four communities in Hampshire and Hampden Counties.  Our MANDATE as an AAA is to promote comprehensive and coordinated resources for elders and their families.  Our designation as an ASAP allows us to provide access to resources for home and community based care.  Our MISSION states, “Highland Valley Elder Services serves older adults and their families through collaboration, education, advocacy and a range of programs designed to support them where they live.”

PROCUREMENT

The Title III Request for Proposal (RFP) seeks bidders interested in building collaborations and partnerships in pursuit of the above mission and mandates.  We are seeking proposals to support elders and family caregivers by offering resources and supportive services.  Our goal is to support proposals that demonstrate community partnerships and collaborations with the end result of providing collaborative services. We understand that partnerships and collaborations take time to nurture successful outcomes. 

RFP Criteria for Proposals: 

  • All proposals should demonstrate a partnership between agencies in our 24 town service area. Preferably partnerships include a Council on Aging in our 24 town service area. Proposals must primarily serve seniors in one or more of the communities in the Highland Valley service area (see listing of towns in service area below). Highland Valley is not defining how the partnership work needs to be accomplished. Proposals will be given small incentives for the oversight and management. The maximum allowed for administration oversight will be 8%, with the expectation that 4% of that amount will be an in-kind donation for administration by the applicant. 
  • Proposals should include budgets that appropriately support the project.  Generally grants are awarded within a minimum of $3,000 and a maximum of $8,000.
  • Proposals representing partnerships will be expected to oversee the distribution of dollars, record keeping, and monitoring activities.  The submitting organization will be the entity to work with Highland Valley and will be the organization monitored.  The submitting organization will be required to obtain and keep records for the collaborating agencies.

Award cycle will be October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2025 (2 year cycle). The change to a two-year award cycle will allow awarded proposals the opportunity to increase the capacity for success in the partnership endeavors. 

Priority Areas for Funding for Federal FY24-FY25

  • Family Caregiver Services
  • Transportation Services
  • In-home Support Services
  • Services to Reduce Isolation
  • Services to Promote Evidenced-Based Trainings
  • Services to support low-income seniors, minority populations, and/or seniors residing in rural communities

PHILOSOPHY

All Care is Local.  Eighty percent of elder care has traditionally been, and continues to be, delivered by spouses, children, neighbors and relatives.  Our formal system delivers the remaining 20%.  We seek to commit State and Federal funds and programming resources and services so that elders and their families, caring consumers and local communities will discover opportunities and options to collaborate and partner to assist the formal system.

Goals for All Proposals

  • Proposal must foster the design, development and implementation of program initiatives that engage elders, their families and caregivers with individuals and organizations.
  • Promote community activities, resources, programming, and/or social engagement in respective communities.
  • Support multi-generational programs, support groups, trainings, seminars and other organizing activities to encourage all ages to participate in activities that promote diversity and richness within their respective communities.
  • Foster access and awareness to underserved populations (to include consumers facing dementia, families of long term care residents, children as caregivers, spouses as supporting caregivers, grandparents caring for grandchildren, immigrants, non-English speaking, LGBTQ, rural, and low income consumers.
  • Funds are intended to benefit persons age 60 and above.  Applicants should seek to give preference to elders in the greatest social and economic need including low income, rural and minority elders.
  • For proposals to receive program support using the Health Promotion category (evidenced based programs) the application must describe and demonstrate utilization and support of this model. Stanford Model Programs are examples of accepted evidenced based programs. A list of programs is available on the National Council on Aging website.

GUIDELINES

  1. All proposals should adhere to submission deadlines.  No extensions will be granted.
  2. Grants are reviewed and awarded on a competitive basis for a 24-month period of time. (Federal cycle October 1 – September 30).
  3. Applicants may request funding for more than one program.  Each request requires a separate application. 
  4. Each grantee must give participants an opportunity to contribute voluntarily to the cost of activities.  The charging of a fee is prohibited.  Contributions must remain confidential.  No person may be denied involvement if he or she chooses not to contribute.  Contributions are used to expand the services of programs being funded.   All contributions received must be reported.  There will be a portion in the year-end report where you must submit information regarding the in-kind activities and/or an accounting of volunteers utilized to support the proposal. 
  5. If an activity requires participants to come to a site, the site must be handicapped accessible. 
  6. Grantees must provide 25% of funds from other sources or in-kind contributions to demonstrate support of the proposal. 
  7. Funded proposals must acknowledge the source of funds in all marketing and promotional materials (this statement will be stipulated in your final contract). 
  8. All Council on Aging applicants must also apply for their Formula Grant from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs in order to be considered for this funding. 
  9. Applicants and their representatives are encouraged to attend information sessions (see below). 
  10. All proposals are subject to the availability of funds. 
  11. No additional funds will be available beyond what the contract stipulates.
  12. New Title III grant applicants will be required to attend a 30-minute virtual applicant interview sessions with members of our Title III Advisory Committee. This will provide an opportunity for the grant applicant to review their program and the Committee to ask questions. Returning Title III grant applicants will also be offered the opportunity to participate in an applicant interview session and some will be required to attend based on program performance in the current grant cycle. Session time/dates will be assigned by Highland Valley to take place between June 12, 2023 and June 23, 2023. Applicants are encouraged to include program facilitators and key partners in their individual sessions.
  13. Awardees will be required to attend a virtual sub-grant information session on Thursday, September 28th from 9:30am – 11am. Invite will be send with award allocations.
  14. Awardees must collect unduplicated consumer counts, unit counts and demographic information to be submitted along with billing on a monthly basis. Requirements of each funding type will be outlined in sub-grant award letters issued in September 2023.
  15. Awardees will be notified regarding the amount of funds secured for the first year of the award cycle in September 2023. (EX. Amount awarded $4,000.00 for Oct. 1, 2023-Sept. 30, 2024). A formula for awards will be determined so that funding for the second year will be awarded accordingly once Highland Valley is informed by the state of the available funds for that designated year. (EX. Amount awarded $4,000.00 for Oct. 1, 2024-Sept. 30, 2025. Combined total for the two year cycle is $8,000.00). 

INSTRUCTIONS AND PROPOSALS TIMELINES

  • All Proposals must be submitted online.  Proposals are due by 5pm on Monday, May 15, 2023. 
  • Use application and budget forms at https://fd7.formdesk.com/highland/FundApplicationForm to file electronically.
  • Proposals will be tracked by the application portal identifying time of submission completion.
  • The application portal will provide a conformation page to applicant, once application is successfully submitted.
  • Informational sessions will be held virtually to review the RFP process and proposals with interested applicants on: 
    Tuesday, March 28th from 10:30am – 11:30 am and
    Friday, April 28th from 2:00pm – 3:00pm

To attend:  RSVP to Kelly McCarthy, Associate Director of Quality Assurance at: kmccarthy@highlandvalley.org or call 413-586-2000 x596. A link to the virtual meeting will be sent once RSVP is submitted.

  • Contact Kelly McCarthy at Highland Valley 413-586-2000 X596 with any application questions.
  • Award letters and contracts will be mailed the week of September 18th.  All signed contracts must be returned by October 1, 2023.
  • Highland Valley’s 24 Town Service Area Includes: Amherst, Blandford, Chester, Chesterfield, Cummington, Easthampton, Goshen, Granville, Hadley, Hatfield, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Northampton, Pelham, Plainfield, Russell, Southampton, Southwick, Tolland, Westfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg, and Worthington

HIGHLAND VALLEY’S ROLE 

  • Provide outreach, marketing and online collaboration, and resource materials to promote community development and support in the local communities
  • Provide in-home services to include in home assessments, resource and referral information, purchased services, consultations and consideration of program eligibility with elders, their families and employers
  • Partner with communities to increase capacity for consumers to age in their respective communities

The RFP anticipates the availability of approximately $122,924* in Federal funds from the Older Americans Act as noted below.  Awards are dependent on available funds.

Title III B – Supportive Services – $85,514* – a portion of these funds must be allocated based on a Federal formula.  Supportive Services includes companion and transportation services, etc.  Since funding is limited, partial funding may be negotiated and awarded.

Title III D – Health Promotion – $6,000*

Title III E – Family Caregiver – $31,410*

*Accurate amounts will be determined in August 2023. Amounts cited reflect FY23 category amounts. In August 2024, award amounts will be determined for year two of the award cycle.