Lifespan Respite Care Program: State Program Enhancement Grants | HHS 2024 ACL AOA LRLI 0019

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2024 ACL AOA LRLI 0019

The Lifespan Respite Care Program: State Program Enhancement Grants (HHS-2024-ACL-AOA-LRLI-0019) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) designed to strengthen and expand statewide respite care systems. The program focuses on helping family caregivers who support children and adults with disabilities, chronic conditions, or other care needs, and it requires that states address respite needs across the full lifespan from the very beginning of the project. The core idea is to improve how respite services are organized, delivered, and accessed statewide so caregivers can more readily find qualified help, take breaks, and sustain their caregiving roles over time.

Funding is provided through cooperative agreements, which means awardees should expect active collaboration with ACL during the project. ACL plans to make about seven awards total, covering a 4-year project period, with an award ceiling of $400,000. In addition to service system improvements, the grants emphasize building state capacity, improving coordination among partners, and putting durable structures in place that continue beyond the grant period.

States funded under this announcement are expected to advance respite services through their established Lifespan Respite Care system as outlined in federal law. Key enhancement activities highlighted in the notice include strengthening collaborations and partnerships across the state; expanding options for volunteer involvement (which can help increase respite availability, especially in communities with workforce shortages); ensuring adequate training is offered for respite providers (supporting quality and safety); identifying gaps in existing respite services; and conducting outreach to reduce those gaps. A strong emphasis is placed on continuing or increasing efforts to reach underserved populations across the lifespan, meaning states should pay close attention to communities that historically face barriers such as rural residents, culturally and linguistically diverse groups, low-income families, and others who may not be well served by current respite networks.

Applications are also expected to be grounded in the National Strategy to Support Family Caregivers. ACL signals that it views the Strategy as a practical roadmap, and applicants should incorporate relevant approaches from it when describing how they will enhance their State Lifespan Respite Systems of care. In practice, this means proposals should not only describe services, but also show how the state is building a coordinated, equitable caregiver support system with clear priorities, measurable actions, and partnerships that align with national caregiver support principles.

The opportunity includes specific federal reporting and data responsibilities. Awardees will work with ACL to implement data collection and reporting requirements tied to Section 2904 of the Lifespan Respite Reauthorization Act of 2020. This indicates that states should be prepared to track system performance and outcomes in a structured way, and to contribute to consistent, federally required reporting on program reach, service gaps, and progress in strengthening statewide respite capacity.

Eligibility is limited to state governments, and more specifically to eligible state agencies administering the state program under the Older Americans Act of 1965 or Title XIX of the Social Security Act (Medicaid), or another agency formally designated by the Governor to administer the program under the Lifespan Respite statute. The eligible state agency must be an Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) and must work in collaboration with a public or private nonprofit statewide respite care coalition or organization, reinforcing the program's expectation of broad, statewide partnership. Foreign entities are not eligible to apply for or receive awards under this announcement.

Administrative details included in the source information show the Assistance Listing (CFDA) number as 93.072, the activity category as Income Security and Social Services, and the original application closing date as June 11, 2024, with the opportunity posted on April 12, 2024. Overall, the grant is aimed at states that are ready to deepen and refine an existing lifespan respite system, improve provider and volunteer capacity, reduce access gaps through outreach and coordination, and align their work with national caregiver support goals while meeting federal data and reporting requirements.

• The Administration for Community Living in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Lifespan Respite Care Program: State Program Enhancement Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.072.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-11. (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 $400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments.

Apply for HHS 2024 ACL AOA LRLI 0019

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