Addressing Dementia in Tribal and Urban Indian Communities: CAReS Program

This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) supports Tribal and Urban Indian communities in strengthening dementia care and services for American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. Rooted in Indigenous values and community self-determination, the program will fund meaningful, measurable improvements that span the full dementia care continuum, from early recognition to caregiver support. 

Option A – Dementia CAReS (Care Access, Resources, and Support). One national
awardee will coordinate four integrated priorities:  

• Mini-Project Funding to help clinics launch culturally tailored services.  
• A Dementia Champion Network connecting frontline leaders.  
• Success Sharing through case studies and toolkits. 
• Evaluation & Data using common performance measures and dashboards. 

Option B – Dementia Caregiver Support and Training Center. One national awardee will deliver dementia caregiver support training, services, resources, and technical assistance. Services will support Tribes, Tribal organizations, and Urban Indian organizations. The awardee will develop and implement a comprehensive, culturally relevant caregiver support and training model. It will prioritize leadership and advocacy, caregiver support, and knowledge and skills development. Across both options, recipients will document emerging practices using standardized measures. These measures will guide continuous quality improvement and improve outcomes for AI/AN people and their caregivers.

Across both options, recipients will document emerging practices using standardized measures. These measures will guide continuous quality improvement and improve outcomes for AI/AN people and their caregivers.

Funding range for Option A (CAReS) per applicant for the first budget period: ​$500,000 to $750,000 
Funding range for Option B (Caregiver Support) per applicant for the first budget period: ​$250,000 - $300,000​​

We expect to fund projects in 5 one-year budget periods for a total period of performance of 5 years.