A new funding opportunity is available from the Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy (VSHSL) to provide foundational support to a robust number of Senior Centers and will establish the King County Senior Center Network. Funded Senior Centers will be well positioned to be inclusive, vibrant gathering spaces for Seniors and their caregivers.
King County is growing older and more diverse. Senior Centers provide essential programs, services, and social engagement opportunities that allow Seniors to age with full and equal access to options for happy and healthy living. Strong, coordinated service systems that can support the unique needs of Seniors and their caregivers are imperative.
Senior Centers expand the reach of services to Seniors across King County as spaces for community gathering. At Senior Centers, Seniors access resource navigation, food and nutrition services, and opportunities for social engagement. The Covid-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted Seniors in vulnerable situations, and Senior Centers have intervened to reduce hunger, isolation, and loneliness among Seniors in King County. Isolation and loneliness significantly increase risks of chronic diseases, Alzheimer’s and related dementias, and stroke. Senior Centers provide an antidote to social isolation by offering spaces of community connectedness and belonging.
The prior VSHSL (2018-2023) filled a funding gap and helped stabilize operations and transform Senior Centers into hubs that expanded services, outreach, and engagement to isolated and racially and culturally diverse Seniors. Through this current investment, Senior Centers can continue to be inclusive, vibrant spaces working in partnership as Senior Hubs and leveraging resources as members of the King County Senior Center Network.
Funding overview
Funding through this Request For Proposals (RFP) will be awarded in two parts:
1. Part One: Foundational Funding
Organizations awarded foundational funding will create the King County Senior Center Network.
2. Part Two: Supplemental Funding
Supplemental funding requests can be made by applying to Part Two to support projects or programming that strengthen King County’s inclusion of the diversity of Seniors who live in the county. The projects or programs funded through the supplemental funding opportunity will include but are not limited to the development or continuation of Senior Hubs dedicated to specific geographies, cultural communities or identities. Additionally, Senior Centers will have the opportunity to request supplemental funds to support green energy improvements like heat pumps, solar panels, and air filtration that help reduce their facility’s carbon footprint. Through this supplemental funding opportunity, King County expects that more Seniors from diverse race or ethnic backgrounds and/or from underserved communities will have opportunities to engage in Senior Center programs.
Application details
Available funding: Up to $16,652,983 in Veterans, Seniors, and Human Services Levy funds
Investment period: July 1, 2024 – December 31, 2026 (subject to change)
Questions: Contact Norah Erwin-Stewart at nerwinst@kingcounty.gov
Applications due: March13, 2024 by 2:00pm Pacific Time
Join the information session to learn more
A virtual information session to discuss questions related to this RFP will be held on
February 7, 2024, 3:00 – 5:00pm.
Join by Zoom
https://kingcounty.zoom.us/j/89222885239
Meeting ID: 892 2288 5239
Passcode: 759075
Dial by your location
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
833 928 4608 US Toll-free
Find your local number: https://kingcounty.zoom.us/u/kpuKKtIpA
The information session will be recorded and posted at www.zoomgrants.com/zgf/vshslse1.
This will be a remote session with speech to text captioning provided. For accommodations to participate, please contact the Procurement Lead by February 2, 2024.