Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2021 ACL AOA IERC 0034
The Native American Elder Justice Initiative (NAEJI) is a federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living (ACL), focused on strengthening how elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation are prevented, identified, and addressed in Indian Country. The central purpose is to fill a persistent gap in culturally appropriate information, community education, and practical tools that reflect Tribal values and Tribal perspectives on what abuse looks like, how it is experienced, and what responses are most effective. Rather than funding direct service delivery alone, the opportunity is designed to support a resource center style effort that can develop materials, spread promising practices, and provide training and technical assistance (TA) that Tribes and partner systems can actually use.
The grant emphasizes improving collaboration across jurisdictions, because suspected elder abuse cases in Indian Country often involve multiple systems and authorities. A key expected activity is to identify, develop, and disseminate strategies for effective collaboration between tribal and non-tribal entities, which can include social services, healthcare, law enforcement, courts, and other responders. The intent is to move beyond informal relationships and provide concrete guidance on how to coordinate investigations, referrals, victim support, and protective actions when responsibilities are shared across tribal, state, and sometimes federal lines.
Another major component is support for stronger legal protections through tribal policy development. The NAEJI resource center is expected to assist Tribes with developing or updating tribal codes that protect elders, building on existing model codes and implementation toolkits. This includes maintaining and sharing examples of tribal codes so that Tribes do not have to start from scratch, and so they can learn from approaches that have worked elsewhere. The goal is to make it easier for Tribes to create clear legal definitions, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms that fit their communities while still offering real protection against abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.
The opportunity also prioritizes the creation and dissemination of tribally produced prevention resources and informational materials that are culturally grounded. This includes materials for both professionals and community members, designed to align with Tribal perceptions of harm, family roles, community responsibilities, and elder respect. The funding supports developing content that can be used for education and prevention, including materials that speak directly to elders, caregivers, and extended family networks, as well as professionals who may not understand local cultural contexts.
Training and technical assistance are core deliverables. Applicants are expected to develop training and TA materials covering foundational topics such as what elder abuse is, how to recognize warning signs, and how to respond safely and effectively. The initiative specifically calls for support around forming and strengthening multidisciplinary teams, and for building prevention, intervention, and response approaches that work in Tribal settings. This includes developing or promoting effective cross-jurisdictional partnerships, recognizing that successful outcomes often depend on coordinated action between tribal programs and outside agencies.
Public awareness and outreach are also explicitly required. The initiative expects active efforts to increase awareness of elder abuse in Indian Country and to raise visibility of the NAEJI work itself through channels such as conference presentations, printed or digital material development, public service announcements, newsletters, and articles. In practice, this means the funded project should not only create materials but also ensure those materials reach the people who need them, in formats and venues that are accessible and trusted.
A specialized focus is placed on building professional expertise across the systems most likely to encounter elder abuse. The opportunity calls for webinars and training materials tailored to healthcare providers, social services staff, long-term care providers and caregivers, law enforcement, tribal courts, and tribal leadership. The idea is to strengthen practical skills across the full response continuum, from first noticing signs of mistreatment, to documenting concerns, to making appropriate reports and referrals, to taking protective and legal action consistent with tribal processes and community priorities.
The initiative also recognizes that data is both sensitive and necessary, and it encourages applicants to explore with Tribes the needs and challenges of elder abuse data collection in Indian Country. This includes identifying what types of data would be useful and for whom, how data could be collected, who would be able to collect it, and how confidentiality would be protected. It also includes considerations about what kind of secure system would be required to store data, and critically, questions of governance such as who would manage the system and who would own the data. This portion is framed as exploratory and collaborative, acknowledging that data systems must be designed in ways that respect Tribal sovereignty, privacy, and community trust.
Finally, the opportunity highlights the importance of training those who regularly enter elders homes and may be among the first to notice red flags. It calls for expanded training targeted to senior companions, community health representatives, home health care workers, and others conducting in-home visits. The intent is to raise awareness and improve early identification and appropriate response, since in-home settings can be where neglect, coercion, isolation, or financial exploitation is first observed.
Administratively, this is a discretionary federal opportunity offered as a Cooperative Agreement, indicating substantial federal involvement or partnership expectations during the project period. The funding activity area is income security and social services, under CFDA 93.047. Eligible applicants include state governments, public or state-controlled institutions of higher education, federally recognized Tribal governments, Tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments), and other entities as allowed under the programs eligibility rules. The opportunity anticipates a single award, with an award ceiling of $300,000. The original funding notice was created April 20, 2021, with an original closing date of June 21, 2021, and it clearly states that late applications are not eligible for review or funding.Apply for HHS 2021 ACL AOA IERC 0034
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Native American Elder Justice Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.047.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 20, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 21, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $300,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Native American Elder Justice Initiative (NAEJI) Grant - FAQs
1) What is the Native American Elder Justice Initiative (NAEJI)?
NAEJI is a federal funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Community Living (ACL). It focuses on strengthening how elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation are prevented, identified, and addressed in Indian Country.
2) What is the main purpose of this funding opportunity?
The central purpose is to fill a persistent gap in culturally appropriate information, community education, and practical tools that reflect Tribal values and Tribal perspectives on what abuse looks like, how it is experienced, and what responses are most effective.
3) Is this grant intended to fund direct services to individual elders?
The opportunity is not framed as funding direct service delivery alone. Instead, it is designed to support a resource-center-style effort that develops materials, spreads promising practices, and provides training and technical assistance that Tribes and partner systems can use.
4) What types of activities are emphasized under NAEJI?
Expected activities include developing and sharing culturally grounded prevention resources; providing training and technical assistance; strengthening cross-jurisdiction collaboration; supporting tribal policy and code development; and conducting public awareness and outreach so resources reach the intended audiences.
5) Why does the grant emphasize collaboration across jurisdictions?
Suspected elder abuse cases in Indian Country often involve multiple systems and authorities. The grant highlights the need for strategies and guidance that help tribal and non-tribal entities coordinate investigations, referrals, victim support, and protective actions when responsibilities are shared across tribal, state, and sometimes federal lines.
6) What kinds of partners and systems are mentioned for cross-jurisdiction collaboration?
The opportunity references collaboration among social services, healthcare, law enforcement, courts, and other responders, including both tribal and non-tribal entities.
7) What does the opportunity mean by moving beyond informal relationships?
It points to the need for concrete, shareable guidance on coordination (such as how to handle investigations, referrals, and protective actions), rather than relying only on informal connections that may be inconsistent or difficult to sustain when cases cross jurisdictions.
8) How does NAEJI support stronger legal protections for elders?
A major component is assisting Tribes with developing or updating tribal codes that protect elders. This includes building on existing model codes and implementation toolkits and maintaining and sharing examples of tribal codes so Tribes can learn from approaches that have worked elsewhere.
9) What kinds of legal or policy outputs are expected?
The description highlights tribal code development and updating, including helping Tribes establish clear legal definitions, procedures, and enforcement mechanisms that fit their communities while protecting against abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation.
10) What are "tribally produced prevention resources" in this context?
These are informational and prevention materials developed in ways that are culturally grounded and aligned with Tribal perceptions of harm, family roles, community responsibilities, and elder respect.
11) Who are the prevention and informational materials intended for?
The materials are intended for both professionals and community members. The opportunity specifically mentions content for elders, caregivers, extended family networks, and professionals who may not understand local cultural contexts.
12) What training and technical assistance (TA) topics are expected?
Applicants are expected to develop training and TA materials on foundational topics such as what elder abuse is, how to recognize warning signs, and how to respond safely and effectively in Tribal settings.
13) Does NAEJI prioritize multidisciplinary team development?
Yes. The initiative specifically calls for support around forming and strengthening multidisciplinary teams and building prevention, intervention, and response approaches that work in Tribal settings.
14) What does the opportunity say about cross-jurisdictional partnerships in practice?
It recognizes that successful outcomes often depend on coordinated action between tribal programs and outside agencies, and it expects development or promotion of effective cross-jurisdiction partnerships.
15) Are public awareness and outreach required deliverables?
Yes. Public awareness and outreach are explicitly required, including efforts to increase awareness of elder abuse in Indian Country and to raise visibility of the NAEJI work itself.
16) What outreach channels are mentioned?
Examples include conference presentations, printed or digital material development, public service announcements, newsletters, and articles.
17) Which professional audiences are specifically named for tailored training?
The opportunity calls for webinars and training materials tailored to healthcare providers, social services staff, long-term care providers and caregivers, law enforcement, tribal courts, and tribal leadership.
18) What kinds of practical skills is the initiative trying to strengthen across systems?
The described goal is to improve practical skills across the full response continuum, from noticing signs of mistreatment, to documenting concerns, to making appropriate reports and referrals, to taking protective and legal action consistent with tribal processes and community priorities.
19) What does NAEJI say about elder abuse data collection?
The opportunity encourages applicants to explore, with Tribes, the needs and challenges of elder abuse data collection in Indian Country. This is framed as exploratory and collaborative due to the sensitivity of data and the need for respectful design.
20) What data-related questions does the opportunity encourage applicants to explore?
It encourages identifying what data would be useful and for whom, how data could be collected, who could collect it, how confidentiality would be protected, what secure system would be needed to store data, and governance questions such as who would manage the system and who would own the data.
21) How does the opportunity address Tribal sovereignty and privacy in data efforts?
It emphasizes that any data system must respect Tribal sovereignty, privacy, and community trust, and it raises governance and data ownership as critical considerations.
22) Is there a special focus on people who enter elders homes?
Yes. The opportunity highlights training for those who regularly enter elders homes and may be among the first to notice red flags.
23) Which in-home roles are specifically mentioned for expanded training?
The initiative calls for expanded training targeted to senior companions, community health representatives, home health care workers, and others conducting in-home visits.
24) What is the intended impact of training in-home visitors?
The intent is to raise awareness and improve early identification and appropriate response, since in-home settings can be where neglect, coercion, isolation, or financial exploitation is first observed.
25) What type of federal award is NAEJI?
This is a discretionary federal opportunity offered as a Cooperative Agreement, which indicates substantial federal involvement or partnership expectations during the project period.
26) What is the funding activity area and CFDA number?
The funding activity area is income security and social services, under CFDA 93.047.
27) Who is eligible to apply based on the information provided?
Eligible applicants include state governments, public or state-controlled institutions of higher education, federally recognized Tribal governments, Tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments), and other entities as allowed under the programs eligibility rules.
28) How many awards are anticipated?
The opportunity anticipates a single award.
29) What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $300,000.
30) When was the original funding notice created and when did it close?
The original funding notice was created on April 20, 2021, with an original closing date of June 21, 2021.
31) Are late applications accepted?
No. The notice states that late applications are not eligible for review or funding.
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