We have accomplished great things together.
For all that you have done and given to move our mission forward, I am profoundly grateful.
Lisa Marsh Ryerson
AARP Foundation President
2013-2022
As AARP Foundation celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021, we generated nearly half a billion dollars for vulnerable older adults.
Dear Friends,
As AARP Foundation celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021, we redoubled our commitment to create a more equitable, prosperous, and hopeful future for vulnerable older adults.
To achieve that goal, we adopted a new, six-year strategic plan to put more money in the pockets of older adults living with low income and to increase equitable outcomes for populations who have experienced systemic racism and discrimination. To help them not just survive but thrive.
By all accounts, we succeeded — generating almost half a billion dollars for vulnerable older adults last year.
Producing that amount of money for older adults in some sense speaks for itself. Yet it is only by considering how those funds transformed the lives of older adults living on the margins that the true scope of the achievement comes into clear focus.
Even during the pandemic’s darkest days, AARP Foundation’s workforce programs helped older adults gain the skills and confidence to find fulfilling work, earn higher wages, or start their own businesses, bringing dignity, purpose, and joy to their daily lives. They were able to put food on the table because we enabled them to access Supplemental Nutritional Assistance (SNAP) benefits, many for the very first time. We helped them enroll in the Medicare Savings Program, where they received financial assistance to pay their health care premiums and extra help to afford lifesaving prescription drugs. They found relief from crippling student loan debt by using our Student Loan Repayment Tool to enroll in income-driven repayment plans that count toward student loan forgiveness. AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide and Property Tax-Aide programs put hundreds of millions in refunds and credits into their hands, helping them secure the essentials and remain in their cherished family homes by reducing their costs to do so.
AARP Foundation's Experience Corps program helped older adults build strong social connections to their community and give back to the next generation by tutoring students in reading, which improved not only their health but also their ability to live independently longer.
AARP Foundation also worked for long-term, systemic change for older adults often unable to speak up for themselves. Last year, we fought in the Supreme Court to preserve access to quality health care and to bar vulnerable older adults from being dumped from nursing facilities against their will. We also litigated to restore the requirement that the government must impose strict penalties on nursing facilities that expose residents to dangerous conditions.
We have accomplished great things together over the last year. Together. For we could not have done it without you — our generous donors, our committed volunteers, our passionate board, and our hardworking staff. For all that you have done and given to move our mission forward, I am profoundly grateful. Here’s to next year — and to the next 60.
With deepest gratitude,
Lisa Marsh Ryerson
PRESIDENT, AARP FOUNDATION
2013-2022
