The National Center to Reframe Aging

What The National Center to Reframe Aging does

The National Center to Reframe Aging (NCRA) is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit founded in 2019 and operated as a flagship program of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA). Its mandate is to counter ageism in U.S. public discourse by equipping organizations and individuals with evidence-based communication strategies. NCRA's core technology consists of research-validated narrative frameworks co-developed with the FrameWorks Institute—including a Quick Start Guide, Communication Best Practices Guide, Changing the Conversation Toolkit, Advocacy Toolkit, and specialized toolkits for nursing home care, Ageism Awareness Day, Older Americans Month, and election coverage. These assets are delivered through a Learning Center (an online learning management system at learning.reframingaging.org) and NCRA Connect, a members-only social networking platform supporting a facilitator community. A bi-monthly newsletter called Caravan and a YouTube video series (Frame of Mind) round out the distribution surface.

The organization serves four primary customer segments—aging services organizations, healthcare systems and providers, advocates and policymakers, and state/local units on aging—and notable adopters include Northwell Health (across its 22-hospital collaborative), the University of Utah College of Nursing, Trust for America's Health, Pennsylvania Department of Aging, Maryland Department of Aging, and the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging. NCRA's content is primarily consumed for free, with monetization restricted to fee-based webinars (e.g., Advancing Aging Policy at $49.95 for non-members, Framing Our Lived Expertise at $25) and membership-program pricing for GSA/NCRA members. The bulk of operating support comes from philanthropic grants led by The John A. Hartford Foundation, with dissemination partnerships through LeadingAge, ASA, CHCS, and SAGE's National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging. NCRA maintains a 6-employee core staff and operates with no disclosed revenue figures or external funding rounds.

Name

The National Center to Reframe Aging

Legal name

The National Center to Reframe Aging

Website

https://reframingaging.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The National Center to Reframe Aging (NCRA) is a Washington, D.C. nonprofit and GSA flagship program that builds evidence-based communication frameworks to counter ageism, delivering toolkits, courses, webinars, and a facilitator community to aging services organizations, healthcare systems, advocates, and state aging departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Aging Services Communications and Advocacy

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Senior/Third-Age Lifelong Learning Institutes (EDAAAEAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Elder Services & Aging Support (BPAGAEAF), Online & Hybrid Senior Learning Platforms (EDAAAMAD)

Keywords

• Aging communication strategies
• Ageism awareness programs
• Aging services resources
• Advocacy toolkits
• Nonprofit education

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Educational Programs and Webinars: Revenue from paid webinars and courses offered through the Learning Center, including certificate programs and educational content on reframing aging.
2. Foundation Grants and Funding: Funding from philanthropy including The John A. Hartford Foundation and other partners to support specific programs and research initiatives.
3. Newsletter and Communications: The Caravan newsletter serves as a communication vehicle for the community, supporting engagement and awareness.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The National Center to Reframe Aging is a non-profit initiative that develops and disseminates evidence-based communication strategies, toolkits, courses, and a community platform to help organizations and individuals reframe public discourse on aging and counter ageism. It operates as a program of The Gerontological Society of America (GSA), funded primarily by foundation grants, and delivers its content through an online Learning Center, a members-only social community (NCRA Connect), webinars, downloadable guides, and a bi-monthly newsletter.

Product overview

The National Center to Reframe Aging operates a unified platform centered on its Learning Center (an online learning management system) and NCRA Connect (a members-only social networking community). The Learning Center serves as the primary content delivery system, providing access to toolkits (such as the Changing the Conversation Toolkit and Advocacy Toolkit), courses (including the Communicating About Nursing Homes course and Understanding Ageism course), webinars, and downloadable resources like the Quick Start Guide and Communication Best Practices Guide. NCRA Connect serves as the community hub for facilitators and members. Supporting products include the Frame of Mind Video Series, Ageism Awareness Day Toolkit, Older Americans Month Toolkit, and the Caravan Newsletter.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Learning Center An online learning management platform offering a library of learning resources including toolkits, courses, webinars, and podcasts related to reframing aging, for aging services professionals, healthcare providers, and advocates.
• NCRA Connect A members-only social networking platform designed for NCRA facilitators and members to interact, learn, and connect with other professionals, featuring discussion forums, email notifications, group resources, group events, and private messaging.
• Frame of Mind Video Series A video series featuring 2-minute educational videos explaining the principles to reframe aging for broad audience education.
• Communicating About Nursing Homes Course A free, on-demand training course for nursing home providers and advocates teaching research-based communication strategies to improve public perceptions of nursing home care.
• Understanding Ageism Course A four-module online course designed to help learners recognize ageism, rethink assumptions about aging, and build practical skills for communicating respectfully with people of all ages.
• Ageism Awareness Day Toolkit A toolkit with resources for spreading awareness of ageism impacts on Ageism Awareness Day and year-round.
• Older Americans Month Toolkit: Reframing to Flip the Script A toolkit featuring an on-demand webinar and resources to help reframe aging narratives in recognition of Older Americans Month.
• Advocacy Toolkit A toolkit providing research-informed strategies for advancing advocacy communications and messaging on aging issues.
• Changing the Conversation Toolkit A toolkit providing comprehensive strategies for changing conversations about aging.
• Caravan Newsletter The National Center to Reframe Aging's bi-monthly newsletter distributed to subscribers sharing information, ideas, and inspiration about reframing aging.

Quantifiable outcome

• University of Utah embedded reframing aging into faculty/staff champion program driving institutional culture change
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Pennsylvania Department of AgingmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership to explore research-based communication strategies to reframe conversation around Senior Community Centers across Pennsylvania as part of Aging Our Way, PA 10-year multisector plan.
• The Gerontological Society of America (GSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSA operates The National Center to Reframe Aging as its central hub for the long-term social change endeavor designed to improve public understanding of aging. The NCRA is the flagship initiative of GSA, with the copyright held by GSA and NCRA staff serving in GSA leadership roles.
• FrameWorks InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner conducting original framing research to understand gaps between expert and public views on aging issues. Conducted 2022 research on nursing home care perceptions. NCRA uses FrameWorks research as foundation for communication strategies.
• LeadingAgemajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDissemination partner working to disseminate nursing home care communication resources within their network of aging services providers.
• American Society on Aging (ASA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for Ageism Awareness Day initiatives. Jointly develops resources and webinars to spread awareness of impacts of ageism.
• SAGE's National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ AgingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Older Americans Month resource guide, providing resources that celebrate diversity as people age, particularly focusing on LGBTQ+ older adults.
• Center for Healthcare Strategies (CHCS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeads learning collaboratives for state units on aging, including the Multisector Plan for Aging Learning Collaborative. Collaborates with NCRA on webinars highlighting reframing aging in state MPAs.
• Maryland Department of AgingmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Multisector Plans on Aging initiatives, implementing Longevity Ready Maryland plan and applying principles to reframe aging.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FrameWorks Institute: Research partner that conducts the original framing research underpinning NCRA's communication strategies. Highly comparable as a social-issue framing research organization targeting narrative change on policy topics including aging.
• American Society on Aging: Collaborative partner on Ageism Awareness Day and produces Generations journal. Directly comparable as a national aging education and professional membership organization serving practitioners across the aging services field.
• National Council on Aging: Major national nonprofit advocating for older adults and providing evidence-based programs on healthy aging. Closely comparable as a national aging-services policy and program organization with similar advocacy and resource-dissemination functions.
• Grantmakers in Aging: Philanthropy-focused membership organization working to improve the experience of aging. Comparable as a small, mission-aligned nonprofit operating in the aging policy and funding ecosystem.
• Justice in Aging: National legal advocacy organization fighting senior poverty through policy and communications. Comparable as a focused nonprofit using strategic communication and policy advocacy to shift public and policymaker views on aging issues.
• The SCAN Foundation: Philanthropy focused on transforming care for older adults through policy, research, and communications. Comparable as a mission-driven aging funder that funds narrative-change and policy initiatives aligned with NCRA's goals.
• Generations United: National nonprofit focused on intergenerational collaboration and policies benefiting older and younger generations. Comparable as a small-mission-driven aging advocacy and education organization active in policy communications.

Broad incumbents

• LeadingAge: Dissemination partner for NCRA's nursing home communication resources. A larger trade association representing nonprofit aging services providers, with overlapping membership and parallel mission in aging services quality and policy.
• AARP: Largest US aging advocacy organization with vastly greater scale. Overlaps in policy advocacy, public-facing communication, and aging-services thought leadership, but operates as a broad incumbent rather than a focused reframing specialist.

Emerging players

• Milken Institute Center for the Future of Aging: Think-tank-style initiative producing research, convenings, and policy recommendations on aging. Comparable as a research-and-communications-driven organization shaping aging policy, though housed within a larger institute.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/reframingaging
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ReframingAging
• Facebookfacebook.com/NationalCentertoReframeAging
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-national-center-to-reframe-aging
• Instagraminstagram.com/reframeaging

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The National Center to Reframe Aging