This bill adds a new Rural Outreach Grant Program to the Older Americans Act. The program lets the Assistant Secretary make grants to states, Tribal governments, area agencies on aging, senior centers, and nonprofits that serve older people or focus on LGBTQI or sexual health. Grants would fund outreach in rural areas to build lasting partnerships with LGBTQI older adults and other older people in protected classes, meet their needs, and provide sexual health services (including services for people with HIV).
The bill lists what grant money can pay for: training and education for outreach, reducing isolation, improving links between older adults and local service providers, improving cultural competency about LGBTQI and protected-class older adults, expanding nondiscrimination policies (including protections for sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics), creating inclusive community spaces, and providing sexual health services. Applicants must describe proposed activities, the rural population to be served, resources and partners, and show the work addresses unmet urgent needs. Grants must supplement, not replace, existing state or local funds. The Assistant Secretary must set standards, allow local adaptation, require coordination with state and local service agencies, prioritize organizations serving older people with greatest social need, and report to Congress annually. The bill authorizes $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 2028.
If you are an older LGBTQI person or an older person in a protected class living in a rural area, this program aims to increase outreach, reduce isolation, and improve access to culturally competent services and sexual health care in your community. If you run a nonprofit, tribal program, area agency on aging, or senior center in a rural area, you could apply for grant funding to support outreach, training, and services described in the bill.
The bill authorizes $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 and 2028 for the rural outreach grant activities. No publicly available information on additional costs, savings, or budget offsets is included in the bill text.
The bill’s sponsors and text describe the program as a way to build cooperative, lasting partnerships between rural service providers and LGBTQI older adults (and other older people in protected classes), to meet unmet needs, reduce isolation, improve cultural competency, expand nondiscrimination, and provide sexual health services, including for people with HIV.
No publicly available information.