Humana Foundation Expands National Efforts to Improve Seniors’ Emotional Health

Awards over $12 million in grants to scale proven interventions and research new data and technology solutions to alleviate issues affecting one in four seniors

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. (NYSE: HUM) for the past 44 years, today announced its ambition to become a national leader in addressing seniors’ emotional health. More than one in four seniors (29%) report being socially isolated, increasing their risk of dementia (by 50%) and self-harm. The Foundation’s 2025 program and research grants—totaling over $12 million—tackle loneliness, illness and other community and cultural drivers of poor emotional health with interventions tested regionally and deployed nationwide.

Humana Foundation Expands National Efforts to Improve Seniors’ Emotional Health

“We want every senior to feel seen, supported and connected—to live not just longer but better,” said Tiffany Benjamin, CEO of the Humana Foundation. “Too many of our nation’s seniors live alone and with depression, PTSD or chronic illness that limits their mobility and socialization. We’re expanding proven interventions and investing in data and technology solutions to help more people improve their lives.”

The Humana Foundation’s 2025 grants also support veterans’ emotional health and nutrition among school-aged children.

National Investments in Seniors’ Emotional Health

Three national grants address four proven interventions: screening, social engagement, community solutions, and narrative advancement. The National Council on Aging ($2.5M) will equip its network of senior centers to recognize and respond to signs of mental health struggles. Volunteers of America ($1.46M) will pilot a new program in affordable senior housing to assess and address depression and substance abuse issues. The Elizabeth Dole Foundation ($3M) will test a new Caregiver Mental Wellness Workshop for underserved veterans across generations.

“With this extraordinary $3 million grant, the Humana Foundation is demonstrating leadership in action,” said Steve Schwab, CEO, Elizabeth Dole Foundation. “Their commitment will strengthen and accelerate mental and emotional health support for military and veteran caregivers—ensuring these hidden heroes, and the loved ones they care for, are seen, supported, and never alone.”

Regional Investments in Emotional Health and Nutrition

In the Humana Foundation’s hometown of Louisville, where over 40,000 seniors live alone, the Louisville Orchestra ($750,000) will embark on a tour of senior and community centers in surrounding counties and measure its impact on emotional health. A similar effort by the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation ($200,000) will support elder musicians playing together and performing for their over 23,000 peers living in isolation in New Orleans.

Also in Louisville, the Muhammad Ali Museum and Education Center ($375,000) will measure the effects of self-compassion in combatting loneliness, with support from a new senior advisory committee.

In Florida, where about 1.1 million seniors live alone¹ and over 230,000 Humana Inc. members live with depression, Alliance for Aging ($270,000) will provide culturally tailored social engagement for underserved seniors in Miami-Dade County. Conversations to Remember will train college students as virtual companions to seniors across the state.

Texas is home to another 937,000 seniors living alone. National Volunteer Caregiving Network ($252,000) will deploy volunteers to engage homebound seniors in structured activities. Texas Native Health ($300,000) will offer programming for reducing depression and isolation and improving nutrition among Indigenous populations.

Regional grants focused on improving nutrition for seniors and school-aged children include:

• Emeril Lagasse Foundation’s Culinary Garden and Teaching Kitchen (Florida and Louisiana) will continue its nutritional literacy programming for K-12 students in Louisiana while also expanding to Florida.
• Dare to Care Food Bank (Kentucky) will strengthen its food distribution and nutrition education for seniors, piloting grocery memberships and frozen meals.
• Louisville Urban League (Kentucky) will design a new nutrition education curriculum for seniors.
• Legal Aid Society of Louisville (Kentucky) will advance its Food Justice Project, providing information and legal representation to seniors eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in Louisville.
• Sustainable Food Center (Texas) will continue to provide East Texas seniors with cooking and nutrition education.

Advancing Community Solutions to Emotional Health and Nutrition

Four research grants totaling $1.1 million will test the effectiveness of new solutions for improving seniors’ emotional health and nutrition, and enhance public understanding of related research:

• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Sean Sylvia, PhD and Tara Templin, PhD) will test a behavioral economics digital health tool for diabetes prevention among underserved seniors.
• University of Kentucky (James Ziliak, PhD) will generate—for the first time—county-level estimates of senior food insecurity.
• Harvard Medical School (Gezzer Ortega, MD, MPH) will evaluate a new AI platform for training medical students and residents to reduce implicit bias and increase emotional connection with senior patients as a collaboration between the Center for Surgery and Public Health (CSPH) and Medically Engineered Solutions in Healthcare (MESH) at Mass General Brigham.
• AcademyHealth will enhance understanding and uptake of fellow grantees’ research.

“Emotional health is a critical yet often overlooked factor in aging well,” said Soojin Conover, Principal Researcher at the Humana Foundation. “Through our strategic research funding we’re able to explore thoughtful, evidence-based solutions that can help seniors feel more connected—not just in clinical settings, but in their personal lives and within the communities they call home.”

The Humana Foundation reviews proposals on an ongoing basis as submitted through its granting portal. Organizations interested in discussing invitation-only research opportunities should visit HumanaFoundation.org and complete this form.

About The Humana Foundation

The Humana Foundation was established in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. and is focused on health equity, working to eliminate unjust, avoidable and unnecessary barriers in health and healthcare. The Foundation fosters evidence-based collaborations and investments that help people in underserved communities live connected, healthy lives. As a steward of good health, the Foundation creates healthy emotional connections for people and communities and is shaping a healthier approach to nutrition to support lifelong well-being. For more information, visit humanafoundation.org.

Humana Inc. and the Humana Foundation believe everyone should have access to the tools and support needed to have a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Our commitment to improving health outcomes for all—our members and patients, employees, the communities we serve, the healthcare system, and the environment—is the foundation of our Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) impact platform.

1	(U.S. Census Bureau, 2019–2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates)

 

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Marvin Hill

Humana Corporate Communications

502-580-3950

mhill1@humana.com

Source: Humana Inc.