PROVIDENCE, RI – U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, along with U.S. Representatives Seth Magaziner (RI-02) and Gabe Amo (RI-01), are calling on the Office of Management and Budget to immediately release Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 grants for AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions programs in Rhode Island. Despite these funds being appropriated by Congress and signed into law by the President, organizations in Rhode Island have not received the over $1 million dollars in funds awarded to them.
The funding supports programs that allow older adults to provide one-on-one mentoring, tutoring, and emotional support to children including those with special needs, as well as recruit volunteers to assist other seniors who need daily support through companionship, help with errands, transportation, and more.
“Delays in disbursing these funds create confusion, uncertainty, and hardship for service providers,”wrote the lawmakers. “Our local partners need timely access to the resources Congress has already appropriated.”
Read the full text of the letter here and below.
Dear Director Vought,
We write to request the immediate release of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 grants for AmeriCorps Seniors Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions programs in Rhode Island. Despite the fact that funds have been appropriated under the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act that was signed into law by President Trump and that grant award notices were issued on June 15, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has not yet released the allocated dollars to grantees, putting this critical program for older adults and children at risk.
Four Rhode Island organizations—Federal Hill House Association Inc., West Warwick Senior Center, the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging (OHA), and East Bay Community Action Program—were awarded a total of $1,419,257 under this grant program. However, we have heard from recipients that funding has not been released for their grant renewals, disrupting their ability to continue operations.
The Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions programs provide essential services to vulnerable Rhode Islanders, including isolated seniors and children with special needs, and offer older adults meaningful opportunities to stay engaged and active in their communities. Withholding funding that has already been appropriated by Congress undermines this mission and jeopardizes the continuity of service that seniors rely on.
This is not a new program; these are longstanding grant renewals, consistently funded by Congress with bipartisan support. Delays in disbursing these funds create confusion, uncertainty, and hardship for service providers. Our local partners need timely access to the resources Congress has already appropriated.
We are particularly concerned that, if no funds are released by September 30, the renewal applications will expire and these grantees will miss out entirely on their FY2025 allocations. This would have a devastating impact on both the older adults who rely on these services and the community infrastructure that supports them.
OMB must release the appropriated FY2025 funds for the AmeriCorps Seniors programs immediately so that our local partners can continue their work without interruption.
