Archstone Foundation

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OVERVIEW: The Archstone Foundation’s grantmaking focuses on the health and well-being of older adults. California is a geographic priority.

IP TAKE: Archstone’s focus is the coordination of care for elderly residents of the state of California, but in recent years, it has also funded research and evaluation of eldercare programs and national organizations working in the fields of eldercare and gerontology. Having worked in the eldercare field for more than 35 years, this funder also “supports its grantees with assistance and reporting tools, along with hands-on collaboration and advice.”

The application process at Archstone begins “with a conversation with a program staff member about the work you are doing, or wish to do, to improve the health and well-being of older Californians.” Full proposals are accepted by invitation only, with the exception of those received in response to RFPs, which the foundation occasionally posts on its website. This is an approachable funder, so don’t hesitate to reach out with ideas or questions. Staff emails are linked to short bios on the foundation’s website.

PROFILE: The Archstone Foundation, based in Long Beach, California, was established in 1985 when a nonprofit HMO, FHP, Inc., became a for-profit corporation, and the fair market value of the assets was used to endow the foundation. Its mission is “to improve the health and well-being of adults 65 and older and their caregivers.” Grantmaking addresses three separate goals: improving health outcomes for elderly people through the integration and coordination of services, eliminating racial disparities in health outcomes and access and building the capacity of nonprofits that serve elderly people. This funder’s grantmaking focuses on but is not exclusively limited to the state of California.

Grantmaking for Public Health

Improving health outcomes for the elderly and improving access to services and care are at the heart of Archstone’s grantmaking. Grants for health and diseases stem from each of its strategic initiatives. Care coordination grants for health focus on the development of teams for patient-centered care, quality training for care professionals and the use of technology to improve delivery and services.

A recent grant supported the Partners in Care Foundation’s development of a curriculum to prepare community health workers for participation in community-based organizations serving the elderly. Another recent grant supported research on “crossing the digital divide” with low-income seniors. The foundation also made grants for capacity building to health organizations and initiatives including San Bernardino’s El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center, the Community Health Initiative of Orange County and Grantmakers in Aging, Inc.

Grantmaking for Mental Health

Some of Archstone’s grantmaking touches on the mental health and well-being of elderly people in California and elsewhere. Grants stem mainly from the foundation’s coordination focus area. A recent grant supported research conducted at the University of Washington on the use of text messaging in the treatment of depression in older patients. Other mental health grants have supported the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, the Department of Human Services of the County of Sonoma and the Depression in Late Life Initiative at Neighborhood Healthcare in Escondido, California.

Grantmaking for Racial Justice and Indigenous Rights

The foundation names justice equity, diversity and inclusion as areas of focus, and a significant portion of its recent grantmaking has focused on reducing disparaties in health outcomes along racial, ethnic and cultural lines. The foundation recently supported an equity initiative at the LeadingAge California Foundation, which advocates for quality housing and care for California’s older adults. Another recent grant supported Cleveland’s Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging, which used funding to study and improve “cultural adaptations of caregiving programs.” The foundation has also supported the American Society on Aging’s Rise program, “a social justice and leadership program for people of color in the field of aging.”

Important Grant Details

The Archstone Foundation’s grants generally range from about $5,000 to $480,000.

  • More than half of its grantmaking serves organizations that operate in the state of California, but this funder has increased its giving outside of the state recently.

  • Grantees tend to be medium- to large-sized organizations that either provide direct services to elderly people or conduct research or evaluation of programs for the elderly.

  • For additional information about past grantmaking, see the foundation’s grants database.

Archstone accepts proposals submitted in response to its RFPs, which change focus from year to year and are generally linked to the foundation’s individual initiative pages. Otherwise, the foundation requires prospective grantees to begin the process with a “conversation with a program staff member,” whose email addresses are linked to staff bio pages. The foundation’s website also features a video about its grantmaking priorities and practices.

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