The Southwest Initiative Foundation’s Age-Friendly Communities report and grant were developed to provide accurate information on aging in our rural area to community leaders, service providers, families, and the media that empowers them to advocate for and respond to the needs of adults 55 and older.
Creating Age-Friendly Communities Report
Inspired to ensure that our residents can lead healthy, vibrant lives on their own for as long as possible, we commissioned Wilder Research, a division of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, to research current strengths and service gaps and to anticipate the supports that are needed. The findings, detailed in the Creating Age-Friendly Communities Report, describe our changing demographics and potential strategies to support our 55+ residents.
If you are interested in learning more, please contact Community Impact Director Nancy Fasching if you would like to join our network interested in this important work.
Age-Friendly Communities Grant
A $100,000 grant is available to fund an innovative project that addresses needs of adults 55 and older within our 18-county southwest Minnesota region. Parties interested in applying for this grant must complete the pre-application by March 1, 2016.
Download the Request for Proposals for complete details.
Project Funding
This research and grant is made possible by SWIF’s Paul and Alma Schwan Aging Trust Endowment Fund, a designated fund established in 1990 with a generous gift from Marvin Schwan in honor of his parents.
Additional donations from caring community members and wise investment by SWIF have resulted in more than 25 years of positive impact for our aging rural population. Past programs supported by the fund include Productive Aging, Inter-generational Dialog, Senior College, Parish Nursing, Honor Flight Southwest Minnesota, and Encore Entrepreneurship.
