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Background and Goals

Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for people 65 years of age and older. Every 14 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury.

To help address this growing epidemic, since 2014, ACL has awarded more than $50 million in grants through the Prevention and Public Health Fund.

These grants have been awarded to domestic public and private nonprofit entities, state agencies, community-based organizations, universities, and tribal organizations. ACL also funds a nonprofit organization to serve as the first-ever ACL National Falls Prevention Resource Center.

The purpose of the ACL Falls Prevention program is to bring to scale and sustain evidence-based falls prevention programs that have been proven to reduce falls, fear of falling, and fall related injuries in older adults.

Falls Prevention FY23 Grants

In 2023, ACL awarded eight cooperative agreements (four-year project period) totaling approximately $4.3 million. 

Grantee Progress

Since the beginning of this grant program, over 135,000 older adults have taken part in evidence-based falls prevention programs such as A Matter of Balance, Stepping On, and Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance. In this time, more than 8,000 workshops have been held in every region of the United States.

The average age of a participant in an ACL-funded falls program is 73, with one in five (19 percent) having experienced a fall within the last three months prior to starting the program.

After taking part in the programs funded through these grants, 89 percent of participants report a reduced fear of falling. Furthermore, participants reported taking the following actions to reduce their chance of a fall:

  • 66 percent did exercises they learned in the program at home
  • 42 percent made changes in their home
  • 36 percent talked to a family member or friend about how they can reduce their fall risk
  • 23 percent had their vision checked
Fiscal Year 2023 Grants

Read about the 2023 Falls Prevention Grantees

Grantee

Award Amount
Atlanta Regional Commission (GA) $549,327
Coastal Bend Wellness Foundation (TX) $549,327
County of Middlesex (NJ) $516,939
Education Health and Research International (DE) $548,308
Marymount University (VA) $548,298
Petersburg Medical Center (AK) $549,327
Rush University Medical Center (IL) $549,092
University of Montana (MT) $549,173
Fiscal Year 2022 Grants

Grantee

Award Amount

Southampton Hospital Foundation, Inc. (New York)

$546,737

Ohio Department of Health

$553,163

County of Sacramento (California)

$553,163

Utah Department of Health

$553,163

Appalachian State University (North Carolina)

$552,322

Young Men’s Christian Association of the Suncoast (Florida)

$517,597

Sanford Medical Center (South Dakota)

$550,009

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fiscal Year 2021 Grants

Grantee

Award Amount

Innovations for Aging (Minnesota)

$1,054,885

Putnam County (New York)

$273,057

Mississippi State Department of Health

$287,696

Council for Jewish Elderly (Illinois)

$287,696

Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services

$287,696

MHP Salud (Michigan)

$287,344

The University of Tennessee

$286,214

Clemson University (South Carolina)

$286,985

Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services

$287,688

Sanford Medical Center (South Dakota)

$278,641

Springfield College (Massachusetts)

$287,610

Fiscal Year 2020 Grants
FY 2020 Awardees

Grantee

Award Amount

AltaPointe Health Systems, Inc., AL $290,759
Council for Jewish Elderly, IL $300,000
Iowa Department on Aging, IA $297,286
Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, NH $299,995
National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, MI $300,000
Partners in Care Foundation, CA $1,185,721
University of North Carolina Asheville, NC $1,199,384
Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging, WI $300,000
Fiscal Year 2019 Grants
FY 2019 Awardees
Grantee Award Amount
Age Options Inc, IL $450,224
Central Maine Area Agency on Aging, ME $449,342
Chicago Housing Authority, IL $147,364
Elder Services of the Merrimack, MA $437,634
Florida Department of Elder Affairs, FL $150,000
MAC, Incorporated, MD $449,532
New York City Department on Aging, NY $450,224
Ohio Department of Health $450,223
South Dakota State University, SD $149,702
United Way of Tarrant County, TX $446,440
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, OK $448,070
Winston-Salem State University, NC $147,626
Fiscal Year 2018 Grants
FY 2018 Awardees
Grantee Award Amount
Innovations for Aging, LLC, MN $543,601
Marymount University, VA $542,554
Michigan State University, MI $543,601
The New York State Department of Health/Health Research, Inc., NY $542,554
The Oasis Institute, MO $539,839
The Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability, TN $148,752
Tule River Indian Health Center, CA $150,000
Washington State Dept of Health, WA $543,554
Wyoming Department of Health, WY $107,447
YMCA of the Suncoast, Inc., FL $543,601
Fiscal Year 2017 Grants
FY 2017 Awardees
Grantee Award Amount
University of North Carolina at Asheville, NC $599,755
Partners in Care Foundation, Inc., CA $600,000
United Way of Tarrant County, TX $599,999
Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, VA $554,561
Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging, WI $468,018
Trustees of Dartmouth College, NH $599,955
Utah Department of Health, UT $599,760
Fiscal Year 2016 Grants
FY 2016 Awardees
Grantee Award Amount
Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, MA $570,538
Iowa Department of Public Health, IA $585,447
MAC, Inc., MD $582,656
Marymount University, VA $479,821
New Mexico Department of Health, NM $561,955
Rush University Medical Center, IL $367,699
Southern Maine Agency on Aging, ME $478,779
Indian Health Council, CA $150,000
Inter Tribal Council of AZ, Inc., AZ $150,000
Spirit Lake Tribe, ND $149,589
Fiscal Year 2015 Grants
FY 2015 Awardees
Grantee Award Amount
Partners in Care Foundation, CA $684,000
The Oasis Institute, MO $558,997
Dartmouth Center for Healthy Aging, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health, NH $510,389
New Jersey Department of Human Services $509,000
New York State Department of Health $509,311
United Way of Tarrant County, TX $602,799
Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging $695,000
Fiscal Year 2014 Grants
FY 2014 Awardees
Grantee Award Amount
National Council on Aging (serving as the Resource Center) $400,000
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment $400,000
Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley $492,960
Foundation for Healthy Communities, NH $223,100
Georgia Department of Human Services $399,918
Hardrock Council on Substance Abuse $100,000
Health Foundation of South Florida $400,000
Iowa Department on Aging $385,840
Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians $99,999
Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians $42,532
Minnesota Board on Aging $500,000
Sokaogon Chippewa Community $99,816
State of Vermont $535,059
Utah Department of Health $465,530
National Falls Prevention Resource Center

ACL funds a National Falls Prevention Resource Center to increase public awareness and educate consumers and professionals about falls risks and how to prevent falls. The Resource Center is housed at the National Council on Aging’s Center for Healthy Aging.

The National Falls Prevention Resource Center cooperative agreement is designed to achieve two major goals:

Goal 1: Increase public education about the risks of falls and how to prevent them.

Goal 2: Support and stimulate the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based community programs and strategies proven to reduce the incidence of falls among seniors.

The Resource Center serves as the national clearinghouse of tools, best practices, and other information on falls and fall prevention. Access these resources at their website: https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/.


Last modified on 02/12/2024


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