2006 MetLife Foundation
Family Caregiver Awards Program
Sponsored by the National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Foundation
Recognizing the work of not-for-profit organizations that support family caregivers.
Program Description & Application Process
Deadline for Submissions: May 15, 2006
The National Alliance for Caregiving and MetLife Foundation are pleased to announce a new national awards program focused on family caregiving. The goal of this program is to improve the quality of life of family caregivers by recognizing and supporting the efforts of community groups that work with them. The awards will recognize the work of community agencies and other organizations that support family caregivers as a significant part of their mission.
DEFINITION OF FAMILY CAREGIVER
The term "family caregiver" applies to a person who cares for relatives and loved ones who are frail, elderly, or who have a physical or mental disability.
CATEGORIES
Six awards will be presented. We anticipate presenting two awards in each of three categories based on the quality of submissions (examples are provided only for clarity):
Caregiver Education Awards will go to groups that have developed exemplary training programs to educate caregivers on topics such as: assisting with ADL needs, financial planning, time management, and others.
Example: a book and/or video that shows the caregiver how to respond positively to negative outbursts by the care recipient.
Technology Awards will go to organizations that have developed and implemented innovative technology to support family caregivers or have adapted existing technology in a unique way to support the needs of family caregivers. Example: a computer program that allows the caregiver to track changes in prescriptions for medications and monitor compliance.
Caregiver Support Awards will go to organizations that provide family caregiver support programs such as respite, counseling, or corporate eldercare in a truly innovative way. Example: a mobile respite unit that serves caregivers in a small, rural community.
Details
- One award in each category will go to an organization working in a community with a population of 100,000 or less.
- The other award in each category will go to an organization working in a community with a population of 100,000 or greater.
- Each award will carry a cash value of $25,000 that will be designated for use in the awardee’s caregiver support program.
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NOTE: A special Alzheimer’s Award (one of the six) will be given to an organization in either a large or small community that innovatively supports family caregivers of those with Alzheimer’s disease—and meets the other criteria in the category in which they apply.
ELIGIBILITY
All U.S. not-for-profit organizations with a 501(c)(3) designation that support family caregivers as a significant part of their mission are encouraged to apply. Any organization submitting a product or program must agree to full disclosure of how it was developed and provide sufficient details to enable replication. This includes sharing data and research and allowing key staff to be available for interviews. The winners must also agree to work with NAC staff to develop a brief replication guide upon notification of the award.
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CRITERIA
Applications will be judged on the following criteria. The first two criteria* will be weighted more heavily than the following three but all five will be considered by the panel of reviewers.
- * Innovation
How this program or product is new and different from others.
- * Demonstration of effectiveness or impact
How much impact the program or product has had on the knowledge or behavior of caregivers or the general public, shown through testimonials, surveys or other means.
- Basis in research
How the program or product applies research to practice.
- Diversity
How the program or product has addressed cultural, racial, ethnic, gender, age, and other differences among caregivers or care recipients.
- Potential for replication or adaptability
How others could easily begin a similar program or whether others have already done so.
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SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
All applications must be submitted online. In addition to contact information (including an e-mail address and telephone number for the individual with whom we can follow up), you will submit a single Word document using an online form. Although the narrative is limited to five pages, please provide succinct but detailed responses. For an application to be reviewed, all questions must be answered and the following format used.
- Summary description of the program or product (maximum 300 words)
- Category in which application is being submitted (Caregiver Education, Technology, or Caregiver Support)
- Size of the community (population of less than 100,000 or more than 100,000)
- Is this an application for the special Alzheimer’s Award? If so, clearly indicate that
- Narrative (up to five pages double-spaced)
- Description of applicant organization (including not-for-profit status Federal ID number)
- Description of the program or product
- Clearly describe the program or product
- Describe how long it has been in existence
- Describe how many and what types of people have been served
- What is the total overall budget?
- How many staff are required? With what credentials?
- If appropriate, describe with whom you collaborated or formed a partnership and how it functions
- Description of how criteria are met
Innovation: Explain how the program or product is new or different and how it enhances quality.
Effectiveness or impact: Describe the impact of the program or product and how it was measured. Be as specific as possible. For example, what percentage of the target group has been reached successfully? How did you measure the results? Describe any evaluation undertaken to prove the impact of the program or product.
Basis in research: Describe the research base used to develop your program or product (e.g. community needs assessment, literature review, or survey). Describe how it builds upon similar programs or models or extends a proven model to a new population or user.
Replication or adaptability: Describe whether the program has been replicated or how easy it would be to do so. What was the budget for the program or product (is it prohibitively expensive?)? Describe what would be required for someone else to replicate what you have done and the resources to do so (costs, staff, other resources). Clearly indicate your agreement to full disclosure of all necessary details to enable replication and to provide contact information for an individual to respond to inquiries.
If the submission is for a website, be sure to include the URL in the application summary and narrative.
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ADDITIONAL MATERIALS
Please do NOT send additional materials or the product itself at the time of application. If the application is accepted for further evaluation, you will be contacted and 5 copies of sample materials and a copy of the federal not-for-profit designation letter will be requested at that time.
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RECOGNITION
The awards will be presented at a gala and dinner in Washington, DC in November, 2006, time and place to be announced.
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CONTACT INFORMATION
For additional information, contact Mary Brugger Murphy at the National Alliance for Caregiving, mary@caregiving.org, (301) 718-8444.
Deadline for Submissions: May 15, 2006
