Nonprofit innovators vie for a $500,000 top prize

The Glacier Hills Legacy Fund (GHLF) at the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation (AAACF) is pleased to announce ten finalists in the Vital Seniors: A Community Innovation Competition, a $2.5 million initiative designed to catalyze high-impact innovation and create enduring outcomes for vulnerable seniors and their caregivers in Washtenaw County. This next phase of the competition will build capacity for finalists and create a new learning community of innovative practitioners.

“This initiative will spark innovative, actionable solutions to the serious problems faced by vulnerable seniors, their families, and caregivers,” said Neel Hajra, CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation. “Between 2010 and 2040, the number of adults age 60+ in Washtenaw County will more than double, as will the number of seniors in poverty. Life for everyone in 2040 will be shaped by how we respond now to the needs of the aging."

The ten finalists are:

• Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living
• Area Agency on Aging 1-B
• Avalon Housing
• Chelsea Senior Center
• Eastern Michigan University
• Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County
• NEW - Nonprofit Enterprise at Work, in partnership with NewFoundry
• Shelter Association of Washtenaw County
• Trinity Health At Home, in partnership with Huron Valley Ambulance
• Ypsilanti Meals on Wheels, in partnership with Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley

Each of the 10 finalist teams will receive a capacity grant of $20,000. Throughout the summer, finalist teams will participate in trainings, coach & mentor support, and technical assistance to develop their proposals. This investment in the ten finalists will allow them to strengthen their innovation products and services. The public will be invited to vote for two People’s Choice Awards of $50,000 in Fall 2018, when a total of six prizes will be awarded, including the Vital Seniors Grand Prize of $500,000 and the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr., Foundation Caregiver Prize of $250,000.

More information, including a synopsis of GHLF, can be found at www.vitalseniorscomp.com