Quick Guide to Title III 

and Title VI Nutrition 

Partnership

This document reviews helpful ways that Title III and 

Title VI nutrition providers can work together. Through 

partnerships, providers can work to meet the goals of 

the Older Americans Act. 

Important steps to partnership.

• Learn about Title III and Title VI programs.

• Learn about needed services.

• Provide services and reduce duplication.

• Gain community support.

Planning for a Partnership?

• Tribal Sovereignty is the federal right of tribes to self-govern.

• Know that each tribe may have its own rules and regulations.

• Identify the leader for the tribe and Title VI programs.

• Set up a ‘meet and greet’ with tribal leaders.

• Make cultural awareness practices.

◊	Make a system that assesses cultural awareness. Also, host trainings for 

Indian nations, tribes, pueblos, or Native villages.

◊	Seek providers with an understanding of cultural value, or a provider 

that can provide cultural knowledge trainings.

◊	Practice diverse hiring.

• Find the positive differences between the Title III and Title VI programs.

• Review what State Units on Aging (SUA) have in their state plan and Area 

Agency on Aging (AAA) plans.

Source: Quick Guide to Title III-Title VI Nutrition Collaboration
Quick Guide to Title III and 

Title VI Nutrition 

Partnership

Apply Partnership:

• Decide which tribes to work with, while thinking about 

the following.

◊	The greatest need. (wait lists of older adults not 

receiving services, poverty levels, number of chronic 

diseases, etc.).

◊	Is the tribe already working with a non-nutrition 

program?

◊	Is assistance needed from other community 

agencies?

◊	Is the tribe ready to partner?

• Confirm communication methods.

◊	Add the Title VI Director and appropriate tribal staff 

to receive communications.

◊	Make sure state, AAAs, and local service providers 

maintain updated lists of tribal contacts.

• Organize how to refer clients and share information 

between AAAs/service providers and tribal 

organizations.

• Include Title VI grantee staff, service recipients, or both 

on organization boards.

Maintaining Partnership:

• Have a person keep good communication to build 

relationships.

• Meetings can be helpful to think of solutions or work 

together on events.

• Regularly share goals and plans.

◊	Changes in leadership mean things may 

change. Make sure organizations understand the 

commitment to work together.

• Reach out for help.

◊	ACL Regional staff can help support partnership 

efforts.

• Do not give up. Partnership can take time.

Resources:

• Working with Tribal Nations 

is a free online training from 

the National Indian Health 

Board.

• Older Indians provides news, 

information for grantees, 

and more.

• ACL Diversity Toolkit 

provides a starting point for 

discussions on how to better 

serve diverse groups of 

older adults.

• Native Elder Service Locator 

from the National Resource 

Center on Native American 

Aging, University of North 

Dakota is useful for finding

services, resources, and 

data available by area.

• Services for Native 

Americans (OAA Title VI)

• National Resource Center for 

Alaska Native Elders

• National Resource Center for 

Native Hawaiian Elders
Models of Collaboration

Cooperation

• Referrals between organizations.

• Information sharing.

Coordination

• One-time or occasional events.

• Regular meetings.

Partnership

• Shared funding.

• Cooperative events.

• Shared resources.

• Regular advertising.

Service Integration

• Continuous communication.

• Collaboration at leadership and staff 

levels.

• Forming of new programs or services.

NOTE:

The models of collaboration work continuously and can happen in any order. 

• Cooperation is the least involved and complex model. 

• Service integration is the most involved and complex model. 

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.