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 Alzheimer's 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.
The Washington State Department of Health (DOH), with support from the Washington State Dementia Action Collaborative (DAC), is offering grants to community or faith-based organizations in our state that aim to help communities:
- Promote brain health and increase awareness of dementia
- Connect people with the information and resources they need
- Encourage partnerships and collaboration to address brain health and dementia
Grant Overview
The grant requirements and amount are flexible to meet the needs of different organizational capacities and communities. The minimum grant amount of $5,000 is available to provide information and educational opportunities about brain health and dementia and encourage communities to take action to reduce the risk of dementia. Organizations can also choose an additional activity that promotes actionable and sustainable changes regarding brain health and dementia. After completing that activity, they will receive $2,500 of grant funds.
Each organization can receive a maximum amount of $7,500 in funds. DOH will provide support and resources to assist organizations in accomplishing their deliverables throughout the grant term.
Minimum Grant Requirements
$5,000 to Complete the Following Activities and Deliverables
- Participate in an initial awardee conference call (date to be determined) with DOH.
- Deliverable: Nothing to submit. DOH will record attendance.
- Identify 1-2 trusted messengers (PDF) from your community. We want trusted messengers with strong connections to the people they serve within their organization or community to provide education about brain health and dementia.
- Deliverable: Send the trusted messengers’ contact information to DOH.
- Trusted messengers will attend a full day in-person facilitator training for the Brain Health and Dementia Awareness in our Communities (BDAC) curriculum. We will determine the date and location after choosing awardees. We intend to make these trainings convenient for awardees to attend with minimal travel expenses and time.
- Deliverable: Trusted messengers must attend one of the facilitator training courses. No submission required. DOH will document attendance.
- Trusted messenger will host at least 2 educational sessions (each approximately 2 hours in length) using the BDAC curriculum (PDF) for the community they serve. You will help BDAC participants complete an online evaluation survey or input paper copy evaluation data into the online survey link.
- Deliverable: DOH must receive online survey results and a scanned copy of the sign-in sheet for each training.
- Share information and data about brain health, dementia, and modifiable risk factors on your organization’s communication platforms and with community partners. DOH will provide types of data and information available to share. Examples of ways to share information may include brochure holders, websites, newsletters, bulletin boards, social media platforms, presentations, meetings, and more.
- Deliverable: Fill out a DOH online activity report summarizing the information shared and how you shared it.
- Submit a final narrative report summarizing grant activities and any outcomes, insights, results, and reflections to DOH.
- Deliverable: Submit online report provided by DOH.
- Complete project evaluation survey sent by DOH.
Optional Grant Activities
$2,500 to Complete One of These Activities During the Grant Period
Awardees may choose one of the following activities to address Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) in the community they serve. DOH will provide information, resources, and support as needed to grantees to implement the chosen activity.
Deliverable (all optional activities): Organizations must submit a DOH online activity report after completing activity. This report will include a summary of the activity, number of participants, and outcomes or results.
- Promote brain health: In partnership with subject matter experts in your community, host a brain health event providing information, available screenings, and follow-up information on the potentially modifiable factors to reduce the risk of dementia (PDF). Screenings could include those for risk factors like depression, diabetes, hearing loss, and high blood pressure, as well as risk factors for traumatic brain injury (PDF), such as falls, home safety, and vision problems.
- Promote brain health: Host 3 additional Brain Health and Dementia Awareness (BDAC) educational sessions and submit sign-in sheets to DOH. Assist BDAC participants with completing an online evaluation survey or input paper copy evaluation data into the online survey. Promote using the Brain Health Habit Builder program.
- Encourage partnerships: Connect with the Area Agencies on Aging, the Alzheimer’s Association, the public health agency, and other partner organizations in your community to identify the resources that exist in your community. Build and promote a resource library online or within the community that identifies resources, such as activities that promote brain health or address the modifiable factors to reduce dementia risk, cognitive screening locations, support groups, memory cafes, respite care services, gerontology services, care partner support services, etc.
- Encourage partnerships: In partnership with trained providers, host a cognitive screening event in your community. Offer presentations and resources about the importance of early detection and diagnosis and encourage participants to talk to their doctor and to schedule their Medicare Annual Wellness Visit, including a cognition screening.
- Increase awareness of dementia: Organize and host a Dementia Friends information session. Identify an organization member or community member to take the next steps in becoming a Dementia Friends Champion to deliver the program themselves.
- Increase awareness of dementia: Choose one of the following options:
- Develop a program that creates sector-specific plans with community partners to help people with dementia and care partners. Local sectors might include arts and recreation programs, libraries, or local government.
- Implement a faith-based dementia friendly program such as Memory Sunday or Purple Sunday (PDF), or implement the Dementia Friendly America guide (PDF) to make your worship services more dementia friendly.
- Connect people with information and resources: Organize and implement a program such as a Memory Café (PDF) or Alzheimer’s Café (PDF) or create a support group for people living with dementia and their care partners.
- Connect people with information and resources: Implement a program to provide caregivers with resources such as the Community Living Connections website or the Washington Family Caregiver Learning Portal. Other resources to share or activities to implement might include:
Operational Requirements
- Awardee organizations must be physically located in the state of Washington.
- Applicants who are accepted to receive a grant award will be required to enter into a contract with DOH and must provide a Federal Tax ID number, a WA UBI number, and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and register in the Statewide Payee Registration System to have a SWV number before creating an agreement with DOH and receiving payment.
- Contracts are expected to be in place no later than March 2026. All activities will need to be completed by the end of the federal grant period, September 29, 2026.
Funding Details
- This initiative is made possible with funding from the Centers for Disease Control & 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 deliverables completed and invoices submitted.
- We recommend submitting invoices monthly as activities are completed, but at least once a quarter.
- Grant funds may be used for project staff/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, the purchase of food or incentives. Grant funds must be used in accordance with federal funding guidelines as outlined in the agreement.
- 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 | December 2025 |
|
Drop-in Office hours for applicant questions: December 30, 3-4 p.m.
January 12, 10-11 a.m. |
DOH and interested applicants |
3-4 p.m. December 30, 2025 10-11 a.m. January 12, 2026 |
| Application submission deadline | Interested applicants | 11:59 p.m. January 16, 2026 |
| Announcement of awards | DOH | January 30, 2026 |
| Establish funding agreements | DOH and awardees | February 2026 |
| Initial awardee call |
DOH and awardees |
To be determined |
| Trusted Messenger In-Person Brain Health and Dementia Awareness Training (about 7-8 hours). Location to be announced. |
All awardees' trusted messengers must attend one of these sessions |
March 24, 9 a.m.-5p.m. in Bothell April 16, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., location to be determined April 21, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., location to be determined |
| Final report and activities due | All awardees | September 29, 2026 |