To: Board of Supervisors
From: Marla Stuart, Employment and Human Services Director
Report Title: Apply for and Accept the American Association of Retired Persons Foundation Grant for WISE: Workforce Integration for Skilled Experience
Recommendation: Recommendation of the County Administrator
RECOMMENDATIONS:
APPROVE and AUTHORIZE the Employment and Human Services Director, or designee, to apply for and accept a grant, including any amendments or extensions thereof, pursuant to the grant guidelines, in an amount not to exceed $750,000 from the American Association of Retired Persons Foundation for older adults workforce services for the period January 1, 2027, to December 31, 2028.
FISCAL IMPACT:
If awarded, County will receive funds not to exceed $750,000 from the American Association of Retired Persons Foundation. This is 100% grant funding. No County match is required.
BACKGROUND:
The proposed project funded by this grant-the American Association of Retired Persons Foundation Grant for WISE: Workforce Integration for Skilled Experience-will address the unique needs of lower-income older adults at the system level. The Workforce Development Board of Contra Costa County (WDBCCC) has extensive experience in cross-sector workforce development and is engaging partners to form a steering committee and identify gaps in existing services. While employment and economic services are available, fragmentation among providers can make these resources difficult to access and navigate.
Using a human-centered design approach, WDBCCC will bring together public agencies, community-based organizations, employers, and older adults to identify barriers, strengthen referral pathways, improve information-sharing, and build a more accessible, age-inclusive workforce system. This work is especially important as grant-funded programs such as Senior Community Service Employment Program draw to a close.
Expected outcomes include improved interagency coordination and referral pathways; increased employer awareness of age-inclusive hiring practices; greater awareness among older workers of employment and supportive services; and increased partner capacity to address barriers to quality employment. The steering committee will also identify emerging needs, such as digital literacy, and develop coordinated responses.
Overall, the project will reduce service fragmentation, strengthen collaboration, expand equitable access to quality employment, promote age-inclusive hiring practices, and support greater financial resilience for older adults in Contra Costa County.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Should the proposed action not be approved by the Board of Supervisors, the County would not receive grant funding to implement programs designed to support greater financial resilience for older adults in Contra Costa County.