MetLife Foundation focuses on Alzheimer’s disease, mental fitness, civic involvement and public awareness of age-related issues today. 

Alzheimer's —  MetLife and MetLife Foundation have invested more than $15 million for Alzheimer's research and public information programs.  A pioneer in supporting Alzheimer's research, MetLife Foundation has provided over $11 million to scientists for groundbreaking research through its Awards for Medical Research in Alzheimer's disease. Selected grants include:

•  Awards for Medical Research — Since 1986, MetLife Foundation has awarded $11 million in grants through the Awards for Medical Research program to support scientists who have made contributions to the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and provide them with funds to pursue their research. Two of the awardees have gone on to win Nobel Prizes. The 2007 winners are Bart De Strooper, MD, PhD, Univeristy of Leuven, Belgium, and VIB-Institute; Robert Vassar, PhD, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, and Philip C. Wong, PhD, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.
  
  

• Alzheimer's  Association — MetLife Foundation has provided grants to the national Alzheimer’s Association for a variety of activities that advance research, enhance care and support, promote public awareness and expand diversity outreach. Grants have supported a public education video for use by caregivers and families of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and development of Spanish-language materials and outreach in collaboration with the National Council of La Raza and an outreach and education initiative through local chapters to develop innovative programs using the documentary, The Forgetting, in the community to build greater awareness of the disease. In addition, the Foundation made a major grant to promote  Safe Return, which provides assistance for people with Alzheimer's disease or related dementia who wander away from home.
  
  

• Alzheimer's  Disease National Education Initiative  —  The Foundation is supporting the development of a public education campaign on Alzheimer's  research and healthy brain aging at several of the the National Institute on Aging's Alzheimer's Disease Centers (ADC). A comprehensive education campaign, including videos, toolkit and public forums, will be developed jointly by experts from the ADC sites the the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, University of California, San Francisco, Washington University, St. Louis, and the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
  
  
• PBS Special & Outreach Initiative  — MetLife Foundation is the sole sponsor of The Forgetting, a groundbreaking primetime PBS documentary and educational outreach program created by Twin Cities Public Television. The Forgetting—which originally aired on PBS stations in 2004—is aimed at helping people better understand and cope with the disease and providing practical resources and increased access to services. The Emmy-award winning documentary, which has a Spanish track, was the centerpiece of a comprehensive $2.2 million project. An interactive Web site, www.pbs.org/theforgetting, provides continuing information on Alzheimer's.
  

Aging — In recent years, MetLife Foundation has expanded its focus to aging issues, including helping people remain physically and mentally fit and engaged in the community and deal with caregiving. Selected grants include:

• Harvard-MetLife Foundation Initiative — The Harvard School of Public Health’s Center for Health Communication  launched the Harvard-MetLife Foundation Initiative on Retirement and Civic Engagement to identify and promote strategies to expand the contributions of older people to civic life. The Initiative released a national report, Reinventing Aging: Baby Boomers and Civic Engagement, which distills insights of key thinkers on the implication of aging boomers on society and ways to channel their skills and interest to strengthen local communities. The Initiative has followed up on the report by launching a media campaign to promote healthy aging, reshape attitudes about aging and encourage boomers to share what they know with young people and communities.
  
  
• The Maturing of America – Getting Communities on Track for the Aging of the Baby Boomers —  The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) in partnership with the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, Partners for Livable Communities and International City/County Management Association, conducted this national survey to assess the readiness of cities to meet the needs of an aging population. The Maturing of America survey evaluates whether American communities are prepared to handle an aging population and identifies communities that are not only good places to grow up but also good places to grow old.

• A Blueprint for Action:   Developing Livable Communities for All Ages —   In response to findings in the Maturing of America survey, MetLife Foundation, n4a and Partners for Livable Communities developed  A Blueprint for Action.  This comprehensive toolkit is being used to facilitate community-wide discussion, assessment and action to help cities and counties plan to make for the future.  In addition, six Aging in Place forums are being held across the country to stimulate innovative action at the local level.

• Civic Ventures — Dedicated to expanding the contributions of older Americans to society, this nonprofit  conducted the MetLife Foundation/Civic Ventures New Face of Work Survey, which identifies opportunities for combining employment with community service among older adults. The national survey shows that 58 percent of adults in their 50s are interested in working in retirement to help improve the quality of life in their communities.  The survey was released in conjunction with the Boomer's Guide to Good Work, a publication designed to help boomers find meaningful work.
  
  
• National Council on Aging Wisdom Works Initiative  — Wisdom Works is designed to increase civic engagement by older people working in volunteer teams to address critical community needs. Included in the initiative are: focus groups to determine what worries older adults and the kind of volunteer projects they prefer; a competitive program of grants to organizations which utilize older adults; and a forum of key experts to recommend strategies for national replication.
  
  
• MetLife Foundation Older Adults Enrich Community Awards — The awards program celebrates the accomplishments of older adults who already volunteer and make significant contributions to their communities. The award winners span 55 to 90 years of age.
  
  
• Washington University George Warren Brown School of Social Work — To promote volunteering among older adults age 65+, Washington University is conducting research on the incentives and barriers to volunteering among this population. The school is also examining the benefits of volunteering to older adults and the people they serve.
  
  

• American Society on Aging(ASA)/MetLife Foundation Brain Health Awareness Study – With support from MetLife Foundation, ASA conducted the 2006 Attitudes and Awareness of Brain Health poll. The new survey takes the pulse of the American public regarding mental fitness and brain health.
  
  

• AARP Foundation/Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives — This initiative is designed to provide consumer information on the importance of maintaining good brain health and mental fitness. Though a series of live public forums in major cities across the country, panel discussions with leading neuroscientists will provide the lay public with clear and accurate information about how to preserve memory and other mental abilities during the aging process. The initiative will also include the update and distribution of a comprehensive series of guides in English and Spanish on Memory Loss and Aging, Quality of Life and Learning Throughout Life.
  

• MetLife Foundation MindAlert Program — To focus on the importance of mental fitness, MetLife Foundation and the American Society on Aging developed the MindAlert Program—based on the concept that the brain, like the rest of the body, can benefit from exercise and a healthy lifestyle. The MindAlert Awards recognize community-based programs that enhance the mental vitality of older adults. The program also includes a lecture series and monograph that disseminates the latest research findings on maintaining and enhancing cognitive fitness in later life.
  
  
• National Caregiver Survey of Older Adults — With support from MetLife Foundation, the National Alliance for Caregiving conducted the National Caregiver Survey of Older Adults, an update of the benchmark 1996 survey. The new survey, distributed nationally, touches on all aspects of caregiving, including the demographics of the caregiver and the care recipient, a national profile of the typical caregiver, problems of long-distance caregivers and impact of chronic illness on caregivers.
  
  
• National Family Caregiver Awards — With support from MetLife Foundation, the National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with the American Society on Aging is developing a new awards program for community-based organizations doing exemplary work to support family caregivers.
  
  
• The Amazing Feats of Aging — Organized by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, The Amazing Feats of Aging, a traveling exhibitlooks at the various aspects of aging.
  
  
• The  Museum of Science and Industry, Tampa  — The museum is developing a permanent exhibition that will explore the complex human body, including the aging process and Alzheimer's.
  
  
• Intergenerational Photography Contest/Exhibit — To celebrate intergenerational relationships, the Foundation supports Generations United’s Intergenerational Photography Contest, which honors pictures taken by younger or older amateur photographers of younger and older people together. The pictures convey the important roles that younger and older people play in each other’s lives.