San Mateo County Aging and Adult Services Community Engagement RFP

San Mateo County Health (“County Health”) is soliciting proposals from qualified and interested providers to conduct a needs assessment and to design a plan to advance programs and activities that increase social connectedness and wellness through accessible educational, health and wellness, and social and recreational opportunities for older adults and adults with disabilities in San Mateo County. The work described in this RFP will later lead to the implementation of the plan, which will be funded through Measure K funds in the amount of $500,000 per year for approximately three years. This RFP is limited to the information gathering and planning phases of the program, which will be funded in an amount not to exceed $200,000. This solicitation will be devoted to the needs assessment and plan development. The target commencement date for the assessment and plan development services is early 2025, subject to contract negotiations.

San Mateo County (the “County” or “SMC”) covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula and is home to nearly 800,000 residents. The County provides for the health and welfare of all people within its borders, serves as the local government for the unincorporated areas, and partners with its 20 incorporated cities.

The American Community Survey 2022 – 1 year estimate data for SMC shows the population for older adults 60 and over at 182,196 (25% of the County population). The ethnic breakdown for older adults in the County is approximately 44% White, 26% Asian, 13% Hispanic or Latino, 3% Black or African American, 1% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 8% some other race or two or more races. The American Community Survey 2022 – 1 year estimate data for SMC shows the population of people who have reported living with disabilities at 74,469 (10% of the County population).

Increasing community and social engagement in the older adult population is a State and local goal, articulated in the California Master Plan for Aging, published in January 2021, and the San Mateo County Area Plan for Services for Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities, released in May 2024. The Master Plan for Aging (https://mpa.aging.ca.gov/Goals/3) highlights that employment and volunteer opportunities, particularly those offering intergenerational engagement, can provide a powerful sense of purpose and connection. The Area Plan allowed the County to identify its primary goals, one of which is to support programs and services to address social isolation and depression faced by older adults and adults with disabilities. In pursuit of this goal, the County is working to identify opportunities for older adults and adults with disabilities to improve their quality of life, maintain physical and cognitive function, and reduce social isolation by creating and expanding opportunities for community and social engagement.

Services funded through this RFP should not be duplicative of any existing programs or contracts, The funds provided through this RFP do not supplant existing federal, state, or local funds.