What if aging were no longer treated as a problem, but funded as a priority? That was the central question in a recent presentation by Lindsay Goldman, CEO of Grantmakers in Aging (GIA), during the George Washington University Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities’ Age-Friendly Ecosystem Summit series. Her talk, Aging is Living: The Case for Investing in Aging, explored why philanthropy and policy must integrate aging into every funding priority.

GIA has worked for more than 40 years to mobilize both money and ideas in support of aging. The organization helps funders who already support aging initiatives become more strategic and encourages others to recognize how aging intersects with health, housing, transportation, caregiving, and other priorities. Its work includes convening funders, providing technical assistance, serving as a fiscal agent, and advocating for aging to be included in all investments and policies.

One of GIA’s most influential initiatives was the Community Agenda project, which from 2012 to 2015 supported age-friendly community efforts in five U.S. localities. This project provided funding, technical assistance, and resources, while also convening a community of funders interested in age-friendly work. While these initiatives gained traction quickly, questions of sustainability persisted. GIA responded by developing toolkits and metrics that communities could use to measure progress and strengthen long-term planning.

Goldman emphasized that aging is not a discrete category of philanthropy. Data from Giving USA shows that in 2023, $557 billion was donated to charitable causes, yet it is difficult to quantify how much was dedicated to aging because aging cuts across all funding areas. GIA’s strategy has been to help funders identify these intersections and embed aging into their work. Its new guide, Better With Age, was created to further these connections.

The presentation also highlighted the growing role of multi-sector plans for aging (MPAs). Building on age-friendly community models, MPAs allow public and private sector funders to collaborate, reduce redundancies, and ensure sustainability. GIA has extended membership to public sector funders and engaged federal agency liaisons, while also advancing a national policy agenda. Current priorities include reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, implementation of the RAISE Family Caregiving Act, and passage of the Strategic Plan for Aging Act.

Finally, Goldman discussed shifts in philanthropic practice, including the adoption of trust-based philanthropy and impact investing. Trust-based philanthropy encourages multi-year, unrestricted funding and greater transparency, while impact investing channels larger, recyclable capital toward structural change. Both approaches position communities to lead in designing solutions and ensure that aging initiatives can be sustained over time. Her closing message was clear: aging is not a niche issue—it is central to the human experience, and funding aging initiatives means funding the future shared by all. To continue engaging with these ideas and stay connected, you can join the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities’ email list or Facebook group, Building Age-Friendly Ecosystems. If you found this helpful, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel, Melissa B PhD, for more insights on dementia care and aging.