The Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA) has published a request for proposals for qualified responders to provide regional and local projects for public awareness, education, and resources for persons with dementia and their caregivers.

New in State Fiscal Year 2025 is a one-time legislative appropriation of $1,800,000 to increase the availability of respite services for family caregivers of people with dementia and older adults and to provide information, education, and training to respite caregivers and volunteers regarding caring for people with dementia. From the money made available for this purpose, MBA must award grants on a competitive basis to respite service providers, prioritizing areas of the state with a high need for respite services.

All projects for this RFP must perform work within one or more of the project focus categories:

• Increase Awareness – Programs or projects that increase the public’s awareness of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
• Promote Early Identification – Programs or projects that use culturally appropriate screening tools to facilitate and increase referrals to healthcare professionals for cognitive assessment testing.
• Increase Cognitive Testing – Programs or projects that increase the rate of cognitive testing, promote cross-referral, and integrate a communication protocol between the partnering entities.
• Connect Family, Friends, and Neighbors Caregiving – Programs or projects that connect family, friends, and neighbors who are caregiving for persons with Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias to services, education, and resources.
• Respite Services for Family, Friends, and Neighbors Caregiving – Projects that increase the availability of respite services for family caregivers of people with dementia and older adults and provide information, education, and training to respite caregivers and volunteers regarding caring for people with dementia.

Grant details

• Proposals are limited to regional and local grants, as defined by the Minnesota Legislature. Statewide proposals are not eligible.
• The term of any resulting contract is anticipated to be up to 24 months, from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2026.
• The maximum grant award is two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000).
• A 25% match is required for requests between fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) and two hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($250,000).
• Proposals must be submitted on April 26 by 4 p.m. CT.

Eligibility

Qualified responders for regional and local grants may include, but are not limited to, community health boards, school districts, colleges and universities, for-profit entities, tribal nations, nonprofit organizations, community clinics, and other health care organizations. Organizations previously awarded a regional and local dementia grant can re-apply for a new project or program enhancement. Responders may submit multiple proposals from the same organization, but each application's project content and budget must be clearly distinct.

For complete information on the required tasks, deliverables, and deadlines, see the MBA RFP. A Responders’ Conference will be held via WebEx on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024, 1 – 3:30 p.m. (Central Standard Time).