Shore Launches Ready-to-deploy Nonprofit Chapter Model For Senior Living

An organization started by Integral Senior Living Founder Sue Farrow has launched a “first of its kind” nonprofit chapter model meant to help senior living operators with their own philanthropic initiatives.

The nonprofit, Senior Housing Relief for Elders (SHORE), earlier this month publicized its new effort to help senior living operators and service providers navigate the complexities of nonprofit status and charitable giving.

Farrow, who founded Integral Senior Living (ISL) and Solstice Senior Living, is behind the organization, which aims to help older adults thrive in affordable, supportive communities. To date, it has provided micro-grants and other benefits to help more than 100 older adults and senior veterans overcome financial barriers and move into senior housing.

The newly launched initiative calls for senior living operators and service providers to establish nonprofits under SHORE’s umbrella. Under the arrangement, a company would pay SHORE a relatively small fee each month and receive help overcoming the legal, financial, and operational hurdles of launching a nonprofit.

SHORE’s leader noted the organization can help operators and service providers set up organizations that range in scope, from providing financial assistance and grants to residents and employees, start tax-deductible hardship assistance programs, expand fundraising through donor engagement and other goodwill efforts.

“It is branded to their name, but managed, housed, supported, facilitated by us,” said SHORE Executive Director Jennifer Prado.

Operators can use the nonprofit chapter model to do everything from launch caregiver staffing agencies and create financial relief funds for workers to offering small grants to help prospects move in, funding digital literacy programs for older adults, sponsoring meal programs for low-income seniors in housing communities and providing grants for medical equipment.

Along the way, SHORE could on behalf of a senior living operator solicit and manage donations, plan fundraisers and allocate the money to projects or people – whatever it takes to keep the nonprofit humming along.

Charitable giving is not uncommon in senior living, and operators often set up employee assistance funds and philanthropic giving arms. But while many operators told Farrow they wanted to expand their philanthropic reach for residents and employees, the complexities of doing so represented an insurmountable barrier, she said. By launching the new chapter program, Farrow and SHORE hope to help bridge that gap for more companies.

“It’s amazing how many operators … say, ‘We have always wanted to form a nonprofit. We love this idea, but the thought of stopping what we’re doing and figuring out how to create a 501(c) … just seemed like too much of a lift,” Farrow said.

Already, the organization has a potential senior living operator partner interested in deploying the model. Initially, SHORE is targeting working with small- and mid-sized operators. But looking long-term, Farrow sees opportunities to do things like helping operators better align with state Medicaid waiver programs.

“There are just so many different directions this could go,” she said.

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