Member Organizations
The members of The Grandmother Collective span diverse geographies, issue areas, demographics, and ideologies, demonstrating that the power of older women to drive positive change knows no boundaries. We believe that the meaningful contributions of grandmothers and older women can be felt both at the grassroots level and on the international stage. Members of The Grandmother Collective highlight the myriad ways these women advocate for and advance positive development, fostering a world where the greatest number of people can thrive and lead meaningful, connected, and purpose-filled lives.
We bring together grandmother-centered organizations for peer support, new ideas, networking, and mutual collaboration and learning. This includes our Monthly Coffee Chats, in which we host events for organizations to learn about each others work and find ways to support.
Interested in joining us? Send us an email.
Zambia
AfriHER is a youth-led non-governement Organisation in Zambia, Africa that has been working to empower Africa's most valuable resources: her young people and most vulnerable adolescent girls and young women, through education, health and enterprise.
BadAss Grandmas - Democracy for our Grandchildren is a non-partisan movement of people who remember better government before moneyed special interests overwhelmed the voices of citizens. Future generations deserve a government that works for all, not just the wealthy and powerful. BadAss Grandmas was born in North Dakota but now has a nationwide reach through monthly meetings held via Zoom, on the third Wednesday of each month. Our meetings feature speakers who share our passion to preserve and protect our democracy and we learn about actions and organizations we can support. Our movement is about supporting each other as we do what we can, whenever we can, however we can to save our democracy.
India, Guatemala & Worldwide
Barefoot College International aspires to increase economic mobility by making vocational and educational opportunities accessible to women and girls from the most marginalized communities around the world. They train grandmothers to become engineers who build solar energy grids to power and empower their home communities all over the world.
India
Caregiver Saathi™️ aims to empower family caregivers by creating an ecosystem of well-being and healing for the primary caregiver as well as for the care receiver. They provide the necessary guidance through educational content, tools, access to a community, support groups, and professional home-care services that can help them lead a fuller life. Caregiver Saathi also partners with professional caregivers, healthcare practitioners, care-service providers, employers, and well-wishers to build a supportive community to enable effective care.
El-Aged Care
Nigeria
El-Aged Care Ltd/Gte is a non-for-profit organization (NGO), registered in Nigeria with a mission to deliver an alternative model of community care support services that incorporates medical, social, recreational rehabilitation, and social work supportive care to older persons who reside in rural communities in Nigeria.
Our solution is helping rural communities to reimagine the lives of older persons by designing new standards of care, developing innovative care models, and engaging local communities in deploying more effectively the services needed to improve the functional and social abilities of the older persons to live dignified, independent lives and contribute to communities, and society.
The mission of Elders Climate Action is to mobilize elders throughout the United States to address climate change while there is still time to protect the well-being of our grandchildren and future generations. We are dedicated to using the power of our caring, our wisdom and our numbers to push for strong policies and practices that will reduce greenhouse gases in our atmosphere to a level consistent with life thriving on our planet. We are the elders, including grandparents, great aunts and great uncles, and folks who care deeply about the future for all life on our planet. We work to inform, inspire, and engage others across generations to take action on the climate crisis at the local, state and national level. ECA is elder centered and volunteer driven, learn more or get involved at eldersclimateaction.org.
USA
For All Ages is Connecticut’s only nonprofit organization dedicated to connecting the generations and inspiring action to end loneliness, reduce ageism, and improve health and well-being. Through evidence-informed programs and events, For All Ages creates positive, collaborative experiences between the generations that showcase the wisdom and vibrancy of older adults while countering the loneliness and isolation that are at epidemic levels across all age groups.
Zimbabwe
Friennship Bench works to make mental healthcare widely available and accessible throughout Zimbabwe. Grandmothers are trained in therapy methods and provide free counseling in community safe spaces like parks to anyone in need. Friendship Bench partners with entities like the Government of Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care and the World Health Organization, and their project has helped to close a massive gap in the country's healthcare system and during times of crisis.
Spain
Grandma Sita is a food education organization that is centered around a cute puppet handmade from recycled materials. She is the heart of a food education start-up aligned with the SDGs that inspire you to live your best life with less waste effectively and sustainably. It’s also a tribute to our grandmothers because this generation valued their resources and food.
North America
Grandmas for Love arose out of conversations among a small group of women concerned about a possible takeover of the local school board in their small town. They banded together to educate themselves and others about possible book banning, intimidation of teachers and administrators, and the influence of national right-wing organizations such as Moms for Liberty. The name Grandmas For Love focuses on the role of elders in helping to protect the rights of the most vulnerable and speaks to the deepest values, and motivation, of the group.
USA
Grandmas2Go-Family Coaches connects trained and trusted "women of wisdom and experience" with struggling new families to mentor, nurture and support parents, infants and toddlers during the critical early years of brain growth, from pregnancy to preschool.
Grandmother Project’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of women, children and families in countries in the Global South by empowering communities to drive their own development by building on their own experience, resources and cultural realities. Grandmothers are the key to this work, serving as the community leaders who implement GMP's on-the-ground work.
Grandmothers Advocacy Network (GRAN) is a non-partisan network of volunteers working together across Canada to advocate at local, national and international levels to influence national and global policymakers. Our vision is a world where the human rights of older women, children, youth and gender diverse persons are recognized and protected so they can achieve their full potential. Our passion for this vision is a deep concern for the well-being and human rights of grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa and the children and youth in their care, as well as those of vulnerable and marginalized women in communities of the Global South.
Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights
USA
GRR! was founded by women who grew up in the 50s, 60s, and early 70s, a time when women in this country had little or no access to birth control, abortion was illegal, and many women lost their lives to unsafe procedures. Recognizing the power of grandmothers, these women knew they had to take action. Fueled by their anger, they formed a group called Grandmothers for Reproductive Rights, known as GRR!.
GRR! includes grandmothers in the traditional sense, as well as elders of all identities who are committed to nurturing a more just society for present and future generations.
United Kingdom
GrandNanny researches and co-creates a local childcare model that supports midlife and older neighbours into rewarding childcare jobs with local families. Their mission is to build age-integrated communities, champion the underemployed, and offer reliable childcare for working families. GrandNanny partners with Job Centres, re-employment organisations and charities to support over 50s into rewarding jobs with local families. Long term, they want to see GrandNannies at every school gate in the UK, and beyond.
The Granny Peace Brigade Philadelphia stands for peace and human rights, with economic and social justice for all people. The Brigrade empowers older women to take part in collective efforts to demonstrate and protest against war, occupation, torture, and the violence of poverty, racism and environmental degradation.
Grandparents On The Move, Inc. a non-profit located in Detroit, Michigan, supports grandparents who are the sole guardians of their grandchildren. GOTMO has provided services to grandparents and their children in the Metro Detroit area since 2003, including supportive services, after-school life skills classes, physical and mental wellness classes, food, clothing, nutrition classes, financial management, workshops, and more, free to all grandparents and the children they care for.
HelpAge USA
USA
HelpAge USA advances the dignity and potential of older people through research, advocacy, and programs. We work in the U.S. and with our HelpAge Global Network partners in 90 countries to improve lives in the world's poorest communities and ensure that older people’s voices are heard, their needs are met, and their rights are upheld.
Hemphill Community Center is a gathering place for families, friends, and neighbors. A place where mountain traditions such as quilt making, traditional music, and hospitality abound. Weekly music, dance, and food takes place every Friday evening at the Friday Nite Pickin’ music event. Other activities include survival skill training, instruction in shape note singing, quilting, cooking, woodworking, beekeeping, canning and preserving food, and traditional music, etc. The Mamaw Mentors program was started in 2024, focused on co-generational support between elders and teens in the region.
Hey Auntie!
USA
We are a digital relationship-building service and community connecting Black women across ages and life stages to learn the rules, gain the tools, and build networks to thrive at home, work, and everywhere in between.
Inspired by the heritage and legacy of our Black aunties, we are on a mission to close the racial health and wealth gap by building an intergenerational ecosystem of Black women who are flourishing in life…. together.
The mission of the Juvenile Protective Association is to improve the social and emotional well-being and functioning of vulnerable children so they can reach their fullest potential at home, in school, and in our communities. This is accomplished by providing therapeutic counseling services to at-risk children and families, conducting research, sharing knowledge, and providing expert consultation and guidance to others serving them.
Mama Beka Ntsanwisi Foundation
South Africa
Founded by the inspiring Mama Beka Ntsanwisi, the foundation addresses the pressing needs of disadvantaged communities in South Africa, focusing on education, health, and empowerment. Our award-winning initiatives, such as the Vakhegula Soccer Program and The Granny World Cup, empower elderly women and foster community building. Through these dedicated programs, we strive to create lasting change and inspire a brighter future.
Malta
The Grandparents Foundation was created primarily to encourage grandchildren to keep caring for their parents and their grandparents, in appreciation and cherishing the love and wisdom they received from their grandparents.
Uganda
Nyaka educates, empowers, and transforms vulnerable and impoverished communities in Uganda, ensuring that everyone has the chance to learn, grow, and thrive. As part of their programming, Nyaka empowers grandmothers with training, resources, and microfinancing for businesses and for their care of grandchildren at home.
Zambia & India
The Power of Love Foundation funds and runs projects in Zambia and India. Their mission is to build strong and vibrant communities by ensuring no child is born with HIV and to care for HIV-positive infants and children so they can live productive lives. Their work empowers women, often grandmothers, and helps them take steps toward self-reliance.
Silver Talkies
India
Silver Talkies is a social impact organization that has been working in the area of promoting holistic well-being of older adults, including social and emotional well-being beyond the traditional focus on physical well-being, in line with WHO guidelines for healthy aging. They have been working towards making active aging a viable goal for older adults through a community-based model and peer-based approach. Silver Talkies Club is a vibrant community of older adults (youngest member being 52 and oldest 96) who are tied together through an innate desire to age well. They are all thriving because of flourishing social connections and continued learning and engagement. With city chapters in six cities, they keep their members engaged and active through online and offline programs, meet-ups and weekly classes, group travel, digital magazine, provide them with support and assistance, and take care of their different needs through their service partners.
Tap Elderly Women's Wisdom for Youth (TEWWY) envisions a Tanzania where integrated mental health care reduces and prevents suicides. Their mission is to bridge the intergenerational and mental health treatment gaps. They train elderly women in WHO’s mental health Gap Action Program, which they've adapted to Tanzania's cultural and contextual relevance. The elderly women provide free mental health care, psychosocial support, and psychoeducation resources in under-resourced and marginalized communities.
Netherlands & Worldwide
Together Old and Young (TOY) is an international programme that promotes intergenerational learning. The TOY approach to intergenerational learning brings young children (0-8) and older adults together to share experiences, have fun, learn from each other, and develop meaningful relationships. Intergenerational Learning activities in TOY are friendly and informal social encounters, where children and adults can equally partake as the learner and the teacher. TOY is an international community of practice and supports intergenerational activities worldwide through professional development, quality assessment and improvement. The TOY project was initiated and is promoted by International Child Development Initiatives - ICDI (www.icdi.nl).
Jordan & Worldwide
We Love Reading inspires children to read for fun through our research-backed read-aloud program, training local volunteers to read to children in their neighborhoods changing mindsets through reading to create changemakers. We Love Reading has spread to more than 60 countries around the world, where thousands of We Love Reading libraries have been established.
Wisdom records, preserves, and shares oral history, cultural arts, language concepts, and traditional ecological knowledge of exemplary Native American elders, storytellers, and scientists in collaboration with diverse institutions, agencies, and organizations. Our vision: Native American cultural sustainability, multimedia education, and cultural reconciliation.