The global age-friendly communities movement has long centered public sector involvement—as leaders, incubators, funders, and champions for age-friendly efforts. In fact, for communities to join prominent age-friendly networks, such as the World Health Organization's Network of Age-Friendly Cities and Communities and the AARP National Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, a formal commitment of public sector support is required. Our work at the Hub aims to explore and encourage innovative efforts in the public sector—particularly within state government in the U.S.—to advance age-friendly work at all levels. The Hub's focus on policy innovation and age-friendly communities encompasses research, evaluation, consultation, and community partnerships. Check out the publications and projects below to learn more.
Explore our research on age-friendly innovation within and stemming from the public sector. This work explores the diverse ways in which social policy innovation on age-friendly communities can occur with respect to the public sector, including advocacy to influence the public sector, the public sector as a source of age-friendly innovation, and cross-sectoral actions on aging.
What exactly does public sector involvement entail in age-friendly community efforts? Based on a review of 67 papers about initiatives in the US and Canada, this publication offers a framework for making sense of the various ways the public sector engages in age-friendly work. Findings highlight the degree to which the sector is responsible for age-friendly implementation and the extent to which the sector is the target for change.
Stay tuned! Our team has several forthcoming publications related to state-level leadership for age-friendly communities. Follow us on LinkedIn and join our e-newsletter to receive updates.
Evaluation and Technical Assistance
The Hub for Aging Collaboration is evaluating New Jersey's Age-Friendly Grants Program led by the Department of Human Services. Launched in 2025, this grants program provides seed funding to catalyze and expand local-level age-friendly community planning efforts and support specific projects advancing age-friendly goals in 38 communities across New Jersey. The Hub research team is using various methods, including focus groups, surveys, and administrative records, to document and evaluate the implementation of the grants program and to understand its implications for future public-private partnerships in support of age-friendly progress in the Garden State.
Leadership Team and Advocacy Support
A Multisector Plan for Aging (MPA) is a comprehensive, long-term, cross-sectoral plan to coordinate policies, programs, partnerships, and resources across sectors and within all units of state government to promote health and quality of life as we age. More than a dozen states have MPAs in place, and many others are developing them. Lifelong Strong NJ is an advocacy campaign to encourage the State of New Jersey to initiate and develop an MPA of its own. The Rutgers Hub for Aging Collaboration contributes to Lifelong Strong NJ by serving on its Steering Committee.
Evaluation Consultation and Support
As part of its Master Plan for Aging, the California Department for Aging (CDA) launched a pioneering grant program to support municipal and county governments on age- and disability-friendly planning and action. Researchers at the Hub supported colleagues at the University of California, Davis, in their capacity as the lead technical assistance and evaluation partners to CDA on this work from 2023-2025. The Hub researchers shared their expertise in evaluating grant-funded age-friendly community initiatives, drawing on their prior years of experience in this role in partnership with private philanthropy in New Jersey. They also shared resources on cultivating a community of practice among age-friendly community grantees, fostering an intentional network for mutual learning and deepening social impact.
