Key Takeaways

  • Funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center aims to support senior centers to meet the current and future needs of diverse older adults.

  • A scan of the nation's senior centers gave the center a roadmap for what to focus on to make the biggest difference for senior centers across the country. 

  • The resource center's impact so far has included events, a clearinghouse of Programs of Excellence, Senior Center Spotlights, and more.

The Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center, funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL), supports the continued evolution of the nation’s senior centers. 

The center's mission: Ensure senior centers have the capacity, tools, and resources to develop implement programs and services that meet the current and future needs of diverse older adults.

The resource center serves ALL senior centers, including the 2,000+ affiliates of the NCOA National Institute of Senior Centers (NISC).

U.S. map showing NISC affiliates

The state of today's senior centers

One resource guiding the work of the Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center: an exploration of the experiences and perspectives of senior center professionals and stakeholders. That scan of 310 people who participated in 42 focus groups found the challenges facing senior centers include:

  • Population growth and changing demographics
  • Ageism and stigma
  • Need for new leaders
  • Small and limited funding
  • Unavailable impact data
  • Lack of technology

The Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center took the results as a call to:

  • Collect robust information about the senior center network
  • Establish modern indicators of successful senior centers
  • Provide technical assistance around emerging issues (particularly technology)
  • Build collaboration and partnerships

What are some Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center accomplishments?

The Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center has:

Check out the highlights report for an overview of the Modernizing Senior Centers Resource Center's impact as of September 2023.