National Council on Aging
See our GiftsOverview
Our core values: social and economic justice; respect and caring; a passion for innovation; integrity and excellence.
Our core competencies: fostering and diffusing innovations; being a powerful national voice and advocate; creating and leading strategic alliances and partnerships; developing and managing a nationwide network of collaborative organizations and leaders.
Mission
Founded in 1950, the National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a charitable organization dedicated to improving the health and independence of older persons and increasing their continuing contributions to communities, society, and future generations. NCOA improves the lives of older Americans through innovation, advocacy and community services.
Program
Our programs help older people remain healthy, find jobs, discover new ways to continue contributing to society after retirement, and take advantage of government and private benefits programs that can improve the quality of their lives. NCOA is also a national voice for both older Americans and community organizations, leading advocacy efforts on important national issues affecting seniors.
At the heart of NCOA is a national network of more than 14,000 organizations and leaders that work with us to achieve our mission. NCOA’s members include senior centers, area agencies on aging, adult day service centers, and faith-based service organizations, senior housing facilities, employment services, consumer groups and leaders from academia, business and labor.
Impact
Each year, NCOA programs help find jobs for some 4,000 people. More than 1.8 million have used BenefitsCheckUp, our Web-based service, to find out about federal, state and private benefits programs they may have missed. Family Friends volunteers are working in 26 communities nationwide, matching older people with younger persons with disabilities and chronic conditions. NCOA helped more than 200,000 people learn about Medicare Prescription Drug coverage in 2006. NCOA, in conjunction with local non-profit groups, is locating an enrolling elderly Katrina disaster victims in needed federal, state and local benefits.
CEO
James P. Firman, Ed.D
For more than 25 years, Dr. Firman has been a leading force for innovation in services and programs for older persons. Under his leadership, NCOA has developed many nationally-acclaimed programs to improve the health, independence and continuing contributions of older adults. He has also directed NCOA’s development of world-class core competencies in expert systems, diffusion of innovation, public-private partnerships and advocacy.
Dr. Firman has served in several national leadership roles including Chair of the Leadership Council of Aging Organizations (twice), Chair of the Access to Benefits Coalition and Board Member of Generations of United and the National Human Services Assembly.
Prior to joining NCOA as president and CEO in January 1995, Dr. Firman was, for 10 years, founder and CEO of the United Seniors Health Cooperative (USHC), a nonprofit consumer organization. At USHC, he directed the development of the nation’s first line-of-credit reverse mortgages, the Cooperative Caring Network, a major community-wide volunteer service-credit program that helps frail and disabled persons remain at home. He also helped develop the early versions of BenefitsCheckUp, now one of NCOA’s core bodies of work.
From 1981 to 1984, Dr. Firman served as a senior program officer at The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where he helped develop initiatives in aging and healthcare finance, as well as the model Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers program. He is a co-founder of Grantmakers in Aging.
Dr. Firman earned his M.B.A. and his Ed.D from Columbia University.
Countries
United States
Contact
1901 L Street, NW
4th Floor
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 479-1200
www.ncoa.org
EIN: 13-1932384
Community
Regular price $4000 $40.00
Your gift will connect a disabled child with the love and caring support of a senior volunteer A stipend of $40 will enable a Family Friends volunteer to visit a family weekly for three months, including the volunteer's transportation, support and training costs. The Family Friends Program taps the experience, skills, caring and wisdom of older adults to benefit families who have children with disabilities...
Regular price $2500 $25.00
BenefitsCheckUp.org helps seniors & their families learn about and sign up for valuable public and private programs that can pay health care, medicines and other basic needs. These include new Medicare benefits, prescription drug programs, in-home services, financial assistance, legal services, housing assistance, property tax programs, job training, nutrition and education programs and more. BenefitsCheckUp.org is the first of its kind Web-based service designed to...
Regular price $500 $5.00
Your $5.00 gift will help provide one NCOA conference attendee a full day of refreshing water, juice or coffee between sessions. Our annual conference includes lectures, workshops and special programs that offer an array of learning and networking opportunities that may begin as early as 8:00 a.m., and run until 8:00 p.m. Breaks with refreshments are really appreciated by those working with and on behalf...
Regular price $20000 $200.00
Your gift supports NCOA’s Center for Healthy Aging, which is dedicated to promoting aging with dignity, independence, and health. We support critical leadership in healthy aging; including: research, writing, education, publishing, technical assistance, training and development of best practices.
Regular price $2500 $25.00
NCOA is building a network of involved and concerned Americans across the country committed to interacting with Congress about important legislation. Through periodic updates and timely action alerts we inform the public about bills that are in Congress, and how you can help. NCOA has even developed a list of questions you can ask candidates to determine how they may vote on issues that affect...
Regular price $10000 $100.00
Your gift will allow us to provide an elderly victim of Hurricane Katrina with at least $10,000 in needed benefits. NCOA is working with local non-profit organizations throughout the Gulf region to find these elderly victims and help them learn about and enroll in key public benefits that will help pay for health care, prescription drugs, housing and other basic needs. Most of the funds...
Regular price $19500 $195.00
Your gift will help the growth, development and expansion of senior centers across the country through membership in NISC. Senior Centers can be utilized for socialization, exercise, cultural and wellness programs, health screenings, nutrition classes, and a variety of significant programs important to an aging society. Your support will promote the growth, development and expansion of senior centers and their programs across the country. You...