Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) are public health issues. These conditions are common, come with high costs, and have a serious individual and community impact. However, public health solutions can help make a difference for people and families affected by these conditions. Physical health includes brain health, and dementia is a chronic disease.
So, public health should play a role in increasing awareness of ADRD. Public health work can help educate communities about risk factors they can change to lower dementia risk and address the social drivers of health disparities that exist.
This small grant proposal aims to support public health agencies with resources to:
- Increase awareness and understanding of why ADRD is a public health issue and that there are things public health professionals can do to address it.
- Share data and information to increase understanding of the impacts of ADRD and resources available.
- Identify strategies to increase awareness of brain health and dementia in their communities.
- Facilitate community conversations and collaboration to address ADRD topics in their communities.
Grant Framework
Proposed period of performance: April 1, 2026-September 15, 2026
Applications will be available in January 2026. In February 2026, an advisory committee of state agency staff will review applications and determine awardees. Criteria considered for award selection includes demographics and location of county served, populations served, and application responses.
Deliverables
Awardees will include 5 public health or tribal public health agencies, who will each receive $10,000 to implement the following tasks and deliverables:
Data Sharing
The agency will share Washington State Department of Health (DOH)-provided national and county-specific data and information about dementia with agency staff and leadership to increase awareness of dementia as a public health issue.
Deliverable: Complete the activity report provided by DOH that summarizes who you shared the information and data with and how you shared it.
Due date: June 30, 2026
Award amount: $1,000
Online Curriculum
The agency will facilitate the completion of A Public Health Approach to Dementia online curriculum for staff identified from the suggested list. Suggested roles include:
- Staff working on older adult topics, chronic disease, or falls or injury prevention
- Program leadership
- Worksite wellness coordinators
- Strategic planners
- Agency leadership
- Evaluation staff
- Health educators
- Community health workers
- Nurses
Curriculum can be completed in a group or individually. Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) continuing education credits are available for each module. This curriculum consists of the following modules:
- Public Health and Dementia Part 1: 60 minutes
- Public Health and Dementia Part 2: 60 minutes
- Health Equity in Dementia: 90 minutes
- Public Health and Dementia Risk Reduction: 60 minutes
Staff can complete 2 additional optional training courses in the curriculum for additional knowledge and awareness of public health’s role. These include:
- Public Health and Early Detection of Dementia: 60 minutes
- Public Health and Dementia Caregiving: 90 minutes
Deliverable: Complete the activity report provided identifying the number/role of staff in the agency who completed each module.
Due date: August 31, 2026
Award amount: $3,000
Awardee Cohort Calls
An agency representative will attend approximately 5 awardee cohort calls (days and times to be determined) covering various topics and resources related to brain health and dementia. These calls will last for 1 hour and provide an opportunity to share activities, successes, and challenges with other awardees.
Deliverable: None required. DOH will track participation.
Due date: August 31, 2026
Award amount: $1,000
Regional Resources Research
Agency representatives will connect with their regional area agency on aging staff who work on issues related to dementia and family caregiving and their regional Alzheimer’s Association staff to understand regional resources and services available. Contact information will be provided.
Deliverable: Complete the activity report provided with a summary of efforts and learnings.
Due date: August 31, 2026
Award amount: $1,000
Identify Action Item
Identify 1 action item from this suggested list for your agency to implement in the next 6-12 months:
- Collaborate with community partner staff to provide brain health and dementia awareness training for your community. This training could include hosting a seminar or webinar, promoting information and resources at health fairs, etc.
- Develop and implement a communication plan that focuses on providing brain health and dementia education and resources. This plan may include webpage updates and social media posts.
- Identify and implement a process within your agency to incorporate brain health and dementia awareness messaging with other public health programs and messaging. You can use the Implementing the Healthy Brain Initiative Road Map Toolkit (PDF) as a guide.
- Develop and share a list of community resources that promote brain health and dementia awareness with agency staff and the public.
- Provide information and resources to educate community health care providers about the dementia risk factors that can be modified, dementia screening, and dementia diagnosis.
- Facilitate process to become an Age-Friendly Public Health System. Or organize and host a Dementia-Friends information session and identify an organization member or community member to take next steps in becoming a Dementia Friends Champion who can deliver the program themselves.
- Select an activity of your choice that promotes brain health and dementia awareness in your agency and community.
DOH or partners will provide information and resources for each activity.
Deliverable: Complete the provided activity report with your choice of activity and summary plan of how you will implement it and when.
Due date: August 31, 2026
Award amount: $3,000
Summary Report and Evaluation Survey
Grant administration and completion will include contract administration and invoicing and submission of a final short project evaluation survey. It will also include completion of an activity report that summarizes activities, successes and challenges, and outcomes.
Deliverable: Complete provided evaluation survey and summary narrative report
Due date: September 15, 2026
Award amount: $1,000.00
Funding Details
This initiative is made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act Grant and therefore must abide by all federal grant requirements.
Funds will be reimbursed for each of the contract task deliverables completed and invoices submitted. We recommend submitting monthly as activities are completed, but at least once a quarter. Invoices should be sent on an agency A-19 template, which we will provide, and emailed to cbp.invoices@doh.wa.gov.
Grant funds may be used for project staff and volunteer salaries or stipends, supplies, local project-related travel, subcontracts, community convenings, and other direct expenses as they relate to the contract deliverables.
Grant funds may not be used to substitute for or replace funds already allocated or spent for the same activity. They may not be used for equipment, construction or renovation of facilities, lobbying, travel unrelated to the project, or as a substitute for funds currently being used to support similar activities. Grant funds must be used in accordance with federal funding guidelines as outlined in the agreement, which include restrictions on purchasing food or incentives like gift cards.
DOH will host 2 drop-in office hour meetings for any potential applicants to ask questions about the grant or requirements.
Key Dates
Dates are subject to change if the process requires it.
| Activities | Responsible Party | Estimated Time |
|---|---|---|
| Application release | DOH | January 2026 |
|
Drop-in Office hours for applicant questions January 22 12:30-1 p.m. January 27 2-3 p.m. |
DOH and interested applicants |
12:30-1:30 p.m. January 22 2-3 p.m. January 27 |
| Application submission deadline | Interested applicants | 11:59 p.m. January 30, 2026 |
| Announcement of awards | DOH | February 6, 2026 |
| Establish funding agreements | DOH and awardees | February-March 2026 |
| Initial awardee call |
DOH and awardees |
To be determined |
| Grant activities implemented |
All awardees | March-September 2026 |
| Final report and activities due | All awardees | September 15, 2026 |
Background
This initiative is made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer’s Act Grant. This act is intended to strengthen public health infrastructure to reduce the risk of dementia. The foundational document of this work is the Healthy Brain Initiative: State and Local Road Map for Public Health, 2023–2027. This guidebook identifies 24 actions that state and local public health agencies can take to quickly and strategically address the Alzheimer's disease crisis.
The Alzheimer’s Association Facts and Figures for Washington (PDF) reports that over 126,000 people in Washington live with dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, and dementia is the 4th leading cause of death in our state.
These numbers are expected to rise dramatically over the next 20 years due to a shortage of health care and caregiver support resources. Communities most affected by dementia include Black and African American communities, American Indian and Alaska Native communities, Hispanic communities, and many rural communities. Members of these communities are diagnosed with dementia at higher rates.