2023, November

Beginner’s Guide to Diversifying Funding for OAA Programs

Introduction

The world of money and funding is a complex but necessary and 

important part of the daily work of senior nutrition programs. Older 

Americans Act (OAA) Title III-C funds are not intended to cover the 

entire cost of nutrition programs. Instead, this funding is intended 

to be supplemented with other sources. Having a diverse set of 

funding sources often leads to long-term security and flexibility. 

Use this guide to think about diversifying your program’s funding. 

Familiarize yourself with the definitions in bold type. Below each 

definition, you will find inspiration from a successful program or 

helpful resources for funding options of interest!

Learn the Lingo

Bequest: 

Money or property which you legally leave to 

someone after your death.

INSPIRATION:

Meals on Wheels of Alameda County provides 

sample language on its website for how to 

give a gift through a bequest. Consultation 

with family and financial planners is 

encouraged prior to preparing a bequest. 

(Source; Additional Resource)

Budget: 

An estimate of income and expenditure for a set 

period of time. 

Revenue:

Money generated from normal business 

operations including payments for services and 

donations or contributions received.

Line Item:

Part of a budget that is dedicated to a particular 

need. 

Funding Allocation:

An amount of money allotted to each budget 

line item or category.

RESOURCES:

• Edmond Mobile Meals Resource Development 

Plan Sample - Excel sheet that can be used as 

a resource development roadmap.

• What Is a Line Item Budget and What Are the 

Advantages of Using One? - Article providing 

insight on line item budgets.

Crowdfunding:

When a large number of people give money to 

pay for a project, especially by using a website to 

collect the money.

RESOURCE:

• Success in an Online Giving Day: The Role of 

Social Media in Fundraising - Research article 

on the impact of using social media when 

fundraising.

RECOMMENDED SITES:

• Indiegogo

• Mightycause

• National Day of Giving 

Donation:

Something given by either an individual or 

corporate donors, especially a sum of money.

INSPIRATION: 

• Senior Services of Alexandria - Donation page 

highlighting many ways to give.

• Windy Hill on the Campus - Meet Tammy Miller, 

Executive Director of Windy Hill on the Campus 

senior center in Pennsylvania.

RESOURCES: 

• Top 10 Tips to Ask for Donations in Aging

- American Society on Aging toolkit on 

compelling campaigns.

• Effective Strategies For Diversifying Funding

- Best practices for identifying, cultivating, 

soliciting, and stewarding donors.

• Edmond Mobile Meals Donor Stewardship 

Sample - Sample spreadsheet to help 

keep track of thanking donors and staying 

connected. 

This project was supported in part by grant number 90PPNU0002 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human 

Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and 

conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy.
Endowment Fund: 

An investment held by a nonprofit organization for 

the purpose of generating a permanent stream of 

income. Donations are added to the fund, and the 

donations inside the fund typically stay invested 

forever. Generally, the earned interest is available 

to finance the activities specified by the donors.

INSPIRATION:

• The Loving Legacy Endowment Fund at The 

Hub in Sheridan, Wyoming, was established in 

2007. Endowment dollars generate income, a 

portion of which is available year after year, 

while the principal continues to build the fund 

for the future. The endowment helps to provide 

financial security for services which include 

meals, transportation, activities, and caregiver 

support among others. (Source)

Fee-for-Service:

Charging a fee for a meal or service.

INSPIRATION:

The Pennsylvania Department on Aging 

established a policy allowing AAAs to establish 

private pay meal service:

Cost-Sharing: Requiring a participant to pay 

some portion of the cost for meals, typically 

using a sliding scale based on income. This is 

strictly prohibited by section 315 of the OAA 

when providing OAA funded meals.

• “AAAs and/or centers may implement a ... 

meal program at the discretion of the AAA, 

providing fresh or frozen meals on a private 

pay basis. The monies earned from the sale 

of these meals may provide an additional 

revenue stream to the AAAs. Meals provided 

... do not need to meet menu requirements for 

congregate or home delivered meals.”

RESOURCE:

• Meal Services Elements of Sustainability: 

Establishing a Private Pay Program - Guide to 

establishing a fee-for-service system.

Foundation:

A private, community, family, or other organization 

which provides money for a special purpose such 

as research or charity.

INSPIRATION:

• Senior Resources delivers hot and frozen meals 

to the doorsteps of 600 plus older adults in 

South Carolina’s Richland County. Senior 

Resources was awarded $20,000 from the 

Bank of America Charitable Foundation. This 

award helped older adults remain healthy 

and independent in their homes by funding 

nutritional support and resources. (Source)

Funding Diversification: 

Having a variety of short-, medium-, and long-term 

funding sources.

INSPIRATION:

• Creative Fundraising Ideas for SNP - ACL 

webinar exploring creative ways to sustain 

senior nutrition programs.

RESOURCE:

• Instructional Campus on Aging Nutrition 

(ican!) Module 10 - Self-study that helps 

in identifying how to diversify funding 

through voluntary contributions, private pay, 

donations, grants, and innovative revenue.

Fundraising: 

Seeking financial support for a program. 

Note that federal rules for Older Americans Act 

funds have restrictions for fundraising according 

to CFR 200.442

”Costs of organized fundraising, including 

financial campaigns, endowment drives, 

solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar 

expenses incurred to raise capital or obtain 

contributions are unallowable. Fundraising costs 

for the purposes of meeting the Federal program 

objectives are allowable with prior written 

approval from the Federal awarding agency.”

RESOURCE:

• Annual Fund: The Ultimate Guide

Grant:

A sum of money given to an individual or 

a company by the government or another 

organization for a particular purpose.

Notice of Award: The written formal document 

from the sponsor that informs grant recipients 

that their application submitted for funding has 

been approved.

INSPIRATION:

• INNU Grantee Spotlight Page

RESOURCES:

• ACL Open Funding Opportunities 

• Grant Station Insider

• Grants.gov

• Philanthropy News Digest
In-Kind: 

Resources donated, other than money, that you 

would have otherwise needed to pay for. 

INSPIRATION:

• Meals on Wheels by ACC in Sacramento, 

California lists items that they accept for inkind donations on their donations’ page. Some 

items include placemats, Bingo prizes, adult 

coloring books, and greeting cards. They also 

accept vehicle donations through DonateACar.

com. (Source)

• Berkeley County Meals on Wheels (West 

Virginia)

• Meals on Wheels People (Oregon)

RESOURCES:

• In Kind Donations (Jitasa)

• In Kind Gifts (Candid.)

Restaurant Voucher Program:

Using Title III-C funds to offer older adults meal 

vouchers to local, participating restaurants. 

INSPIRATION:

• INNU 2020: Iowa Cafe - Iowa Department on 

Aging’s restaurant voucher initiative

• Senior Dine - New Opportunities’ partnerships 

with local restaurants to provide meal services 

to area seniors

RESOURCE:

• Iowa Cafe Guide for Partners - Example 

restaurant partnership guide designed to help 

foodservice establishments partner with Area 

Agencies on Aging.

Shared Kitchens:

Specially licensed commercial kitchens used by 

food entrepreneurs, caterers, food truck operators, 

and others to produce food products without 

having to invest in owning and operating a 

commercial kitchen. 

INSPIRATION:

• Shasta Senior Nutrition Program in Redding, 

California offers the community options to rent 

its banquet hall, smaller rooms, commercial 

kitchen, and meeting rooms that offer 

professional settings for 10 to 300 persons. 

Rental proceeds are used to support programs 

for older adults. (Source)

RESOURCE:

• Maximizing the Use of Commercial Kitchens 

for Senior Nutrition Programs - Includes 

opportunities and challenges for shared 

kitchens.

Sponsor: 

One who contributes money or goods towards a 

program in return for advertisement.

INSPIRATION:

• Meals on Wheels Mercer County in Ewing, 

New Jersey participated in the annual event 

called March for Meals which is a month-long 

celebration of Meals on Wheels and of the 

older adults who rely on the service to remain 

independent. Various activities throughout the 

month of March took place through the help 

of sponsors. They highlighted their sponsors’ 

logos on their web page and in a short video. 

(Source)

Title III-C Funds:

The funding from the Older Americans Act that 

goes to nutrition services.

RESOURCES:

• Quick Tips: Older Americans Act Basics - 

Common questions on providing Title III-C 

Nutrition Services

• Quick Tips: Funding Options - Information and 

resources related to common questions on 

funding for OAA Title III-C Nutrition Services

Total Cost of a Meal: 

A calculation of both the direct and indirect costs 

that go into a meal.

RESOURCE:

• Identifying the Total Cost of a Meal - Summary 

brief for meal cost calculations to accurately 

assess and encourage voluntary contributions 

based on the actual cost of nutrition services.
Voluntary Contributions: 

Donations given of participants’ own free will.

Noncoercive Solicitation: Making a need known 

in a way that clearly informs each participant 

that there is no obligation to donate.

Means Testing: Establishing eligibility for 

participation based on income. This is strictly 

prohibited by the OAA. No participant who is 

otherwise eligible may be denied services due to 

an inability or unwillingness to contribute. 

INSPIRATION:

• Voluntary Contribution Study: In Baltimore, 

Maryland, small donation envelopes with a 

suggested contribution amount were placed 

on the table where participants collect 

silverware and water for their meals. Placing 

the envelopes in this high traffic area made it 

natural for participants to pick up an envelope 

along with the other items before sitting down 

to eat their meals. 

• Voluntary Contribution Study: In Greater 

Waterbury, Connecticut, a site created 

placemats that highlighted the difference 

between the price of similar meals at a local 

restaurant and the suggested donation 

amount at the congregate meal site. Having 

the restaurant price as a reference point made 

the suggested donation seem comparatively 

low. 

RESOURCES:

• Voluntary Contributions: What Senior Program 

Professionals Need to Know - General 

guidance on required and prohibited acts.

• Understanding Participants’ Monetary 

Contributions - ACL issue brief on voluntary 

contributions at nutrition sites.

See below for 5 steps on where to go from here!

Definition Sources: 

• Oxford Languages

• Collins Dictionary

• Community Tool Box Chapter 46, 

Section 2: Strategies for Sustaining 

the Initiative

• FDIC Liquidity and Funds 

Management

• Identifying the Total Cost of a Meal

• Voluntary Contributions: What 

Senior Nutrition Program 

Professionals Need to Know