ACL Announces New Award to Expand National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care

ACL is announcing a three-year cooperative agreement, totaling nearly $1.26 million over three years, with Families and Communities Rising, Inc. to operate the Lifespan Respite Care Program's Technical Assistance and Resource Center (TARC). The center will provide training, technical assistance, and resources to State Lifespan Respite Care Program grantees, their partners, caregivers, and the broader respite care network.

The center will strengthen respite care nationwide by building program capacity, improving resource and best-practice sharing, strengthening the respite workforce, supporting evaluation and quality improvement, expanding partnerships and emergency preparedness, and increasing access to respite care for underserved caregivers. With experience in national respite databases, training programs, research, and caregiver-focused partnerships, the center will help advance program quality, workforce and caregiver outcomes, and the long-term sustainability of respite services.

For questions about the award or the program, contact [email protected].

See Notice of Funding Opportunity: HHS-2026-ACL-AOA-LRLT-0056,"Lifespan Respite National Technical Assistance and Resource Center (TARC)," posted June 26, 2026.

The Lifespan Respite Care Program, authorized under the Lifespan Respite Care Act, supports states in developing, enhancing, and coordinating accessible, community-based respite care systems for caregivers. Respite provides temporary relief that supports caregiver health and well-being while strengthening sustainable caregiving nationwide. The Act also authorizes the establishment of a National Resource Center on Lifespan Respite Care to provide resources, training, and technical assistance to support these efforts.