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The Washington Home Names Its 2025 Partner Grant Recipients – Awards $4.48M Locally

Funds Provide Vital Support for DC-Area Older Adults

WASHINGTON, DC (June 17, 2025) – Strengthening its commitment to cultivating strategic partnerships for systemic change, The Washington Home (TWH) is proud to announce its award of $4.48M in new grants to 26 local non-profit organizations, making a transformational difference for more than 50,000 DC-area older adults.

Through these investments, TWH is partnering with organizations aligned with its mission to invest in local, community-based efforts to address social isolation, caregiver relief, food and nutrition, and specialized health care for older adults in Washington, DC. Since becoming a foundation five years ago, TWH has granted $26.8M to support the community.

“The Washington Home is committed to carrying on our 137-year legacy of helping Washington area older adults,” said Sharon Collins Casey, Board Chair, The Washington Home. “Entering into our sixth year as a foundation, we remain dedicated to funding partnerships and investments delivering critical resources for older adults during a time of increased community need.”

Focus On Synergistic Service Expansion

To widen TWH’s funding impact, this year’s grant process included community provider meetings that fostered opportunities for local organizations to gather and discuss strategies to align resources and prepare multi-organization and multi-year grant proposals.

Areas of focus included programs and services that would synergistically expand access to healthcare, food nourishment programs, and social programs that foster connection.

TWH will be distributing these grants over the next 5 years to provide longer-term support for the programs, including: $1,726,500 in FY25, $1,631,500 in FY26, and additional multi-year installments to The Catholic University of America and Food & Friends for another $1,125,000.

Through this funding, key support will be provided to Washington, DC’s Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL) lead agencies, as well as senior wellness centers and community dining sites across all eight Wards.

“TWH has been actively working to build collaborations across our community, and we’ve seen inspiring partnerships develop that are improving system efficiencies, scaling resources, and building a stronger network of care on behalf of our community’s older adults,” said Crystal Carr Townsend, MPA, Chief Executive Officer, The Washington Home. “We’re very proud that through our investments we’re able to support every Ward through our priority areas.”

Support for Critically Ill: Healthcare Access, Workforce, & Caregiver Relief

As the older adult population increases, there is increased demand for more medical and caregiving resources. Severe shortages of trained staff to provide vital care and access to support services can impact health outcomes for this vulnerable population.

The Washington Home granted $1,248,000 to alleviate caregiver and staffing decline, and support services for older adults that will positively impact 27,000+ Washington, DC residents through: wellness centers, day programs, respite care, transportation support, fellowships, and scholarships to address the shortfall of geriatric-focused nurses and medical providers, and support of the long-term care coalition to address barriers for healthcare workers.

Healthcare Workforce: TWH funding will enable these organizations to partner to provide nursing and medical students with access to training to develop skills to support medical respite programs, geriatric specialties, and resource connection services to better serve older adults within the healthcare ecosystem.

    • Christ House
    • Home Care Partners, Inc.
    • Miriam’s Kitchen
    • The Catholic University of America

Healthcare Access: TWH is funding healthcare projects for medical respite, vision, and dental care that typically lack other sources of support for older adults.

Systemic Solution Spotlight: Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington provides eye screenings at senior wellness centers, connections to vision wear and referrals to medical eye care as needed; Community of Hope, Inc. and Unity Health Care, Inc. provide all-inclusive dental support covering preventive care and specialty services. TWH is also continuing to fund Joseph’s House in support of our legacy to provide access to hospice services.

    • Community of Hope, Inc.
    • Joseph’s House Inc.
    • Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington
    • Unity Health Care, Inc.
Support for Healthy Food Access For Older Adults

Without consistent, stable, and affordable access to healthy and nutritious food, older adults can struggle to maintain their health and remain active.

The Washington Home granted $2,080,000 to enable innovative solutions for meal delivery and strategic partnerships that increase coverage areas to serve 14,000+ older adults in need of nourishing food and companionship.

Systemic Solution Spotlight: Support of Food & Friends’ capital campaign and operations for service expansion of meal delivery to chronically ill older adults; Capital Area Food Bank Inc.’s launching of a pilot grocery program and food pantry, as well as development of a food purchasing credit for We Are Family to create efficiency in the food delivery system for older adults.

The DC-area nonprofits that received funding for community food and wellness support are:

    • Bread for the City, Inc.
    • Capital Area Food Bank
    • DC Central Kitchen, Inc.
    • Food & Friends, Inc.
    • Goods for Good
    • Martha’s Table
    • Seabury Resources for Aging
    • We Are Family Senior Outreach Network, Inc.
Support for the Alleviation of Social Isolation

Older adults are often at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation because they are more likely to face factors such as living alone, the loss of family or friends, chronic illness, mobility challenges, cognitive impairment, and hearing loss.

The Washington Home granted $1,155,000 in social programs and support services to connect 8,400+ older adults within the community.

Systemic Solution Spotlight: Vida Senior Centers — scaling capacity to serve older adults through a new home visitation program providing case management, connective services, and wellness checks, and offering an on-site breakfast program; Rebuilding Together – providing home repairs to retrofit housing to improve home safety and food security so that older adults can age in place.

The DC-area nonprofits that received funding for delivering community engagement services are:

    • East River Family Strengthening Collaborative
    • Far Southeast Family Strengthening Collaborative
    • Hattie Holmes Senior Wellness Center – Howard University
    • Hayes Senior Wellness Center – Howard University
    • Iona Senior Services
    • Plants and Blooms Reimagined
    • Rebuilding Together DC – Alexandria
    • SOME, Inc.
    • The Wilderness Technology Alliance
    • Vida Senior Centers
About The Washington Home

The Washington Home is a private foundation that provides funding to entities that create and deliver innovative, compassionate, and well-managed programs to improve the quality of life for elderly and/or terminally ill residents in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Founded in 1888, The Washington Home, until recently, provided long-term care to residents of its nursing home facility in upper Northwest Washington, DC, hospice care to patients in their own homes, and care in the in-patient hospice wing of the nursing home.

In recent years, the Board of Directors of The Washington Home directed a repositioning of the organization by ceasing hands-on care and consolidating its financial resources to be deployed for maximum impact in accordance with its longstanding mission. Learn more at www.TheWashingtonHome.org.