Deadline: 5-Mar-25
The AARP Community Challenge is accepting applications across three different grant opportunities to make communities more livable for people of all ages.
Focus Areas
- AARP will evaluate each project based on its consistency with the AARP mission to serve the needs of people age 50-plus:
- Permanent physical improvements in the community
- Temporary demonstrations that lead to long-term change
- New, innovative programming pilots or services
Types of Grants
- Flagship Grants
- Flagship AARP Community Challenge grants have ranged from several hundred dollars for smaller, short-term activities to tens of thousands of dollars for larger projects.
- They are accepting applications for projects that benefit residents — especially those age 50 and older in the following categories:
- Creating vibrant public places that improve open spaces, parks and access to other amenities.
- Delivering a range of transportation and mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability and access to public and private transit
- Supporting a range of housing options that increases the availability of accessible and affordable choices
- Increasing digital connections and enhancing digital literacy skills of residents
- Supporting community resilience through investments that improve disaster management, preparedness and mitigation for residents
- Capacity-Building Microgrants
- This grant opportunity will accept applications for projects that benefit residents especially those age 50 and older in the following categories:
- Disaster Preparedness Training: Implement disaster preparedness training programs and resources for residents, especially those age 50-plus, with support from SBP and using the AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit.
- Walk Audits: Implement walk audit assessments to enhance safety and walkability in communities, especially for people age 50-plus, with support from America Walks and using the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit.
- Bike Audits: Implement bike audits to enhance safety and bikeability in communities, especially for people age 50-plus, with support from The League of American Bicyclists and using the AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit.
- HomeFit Guide Modifications: Implement education, simple home modifications and accessible safety solutions to create and maintain “lifelong homes,” especially for people age 50-plus, with support from the RL Mace Universal Design Institute and using the AARP HomeFit Guide.
- This grant opportunity will accept applications for projects that benefit residents especially those age 50 and older in the following categories:
- Demonstration Grants
- This opportunity funds projects that encourage the replication of promising local efforts.
- The demonstration grant opportunity will accept applications for projects that benefit residents, especially those age 50 and older, in the following categories:
- Enhancing pedestrian safety by creating safer streets and sidewalks, with a focus on people age 50-plus, with funding support from Toyota Motor North America.
- Expanding high-speed internet (broadband) access and adoption, with a focus on people age 50-plus, with funding support from Microsoft.
- Reconnecting communities divided by infrastructure, with a focus on people age 50-plus, as highlighted in the award-winning AARP Livable Communities article series Before the Highway.
- Implementing housing design competitions that increase community understanding and encourage policies that enable greater choice in housing, with a focus on people age 50-plus, by using the AARP Housing Design Competition Tool Kit.
Funding Information
- Flagship Grants
- Grants will not exceed $25,000.
- Capacity-Building Microgrants
- Combining $2,500 grants with additional resources (such as webinars, cohort learning opportunities, up to 2 hours of one-on-one coaching with leading national nonprofit organizations and AARP publications).
- Demonstration Grants
- Grants tend to fall between $10,000 and $20,000 and will not exceed $25,000.
Ineligible Projects
- Projects that are not eligible for funding:
- Partisan, political or election-related activities
- Planning activities and assessments and surveys of communities without tangible engagement
- Studies with no follow-up action
- Publication of books or reports
- Acquisition of land and/or buildings
- Purchase of a vehicle or mechanical equipment (such as a car, truck, bus, snow mobile, snow grooming machine or tractor)
- Sponsorships of other organizations’ events or activities
- Research and development for a nonprofit endeavor
- Research and development for a for-profit endeavor
- The promotion of a for-profit entity and/or its products and services
Eligibility Criteria
- To be eligible:
- Organization Type: The program is open to the following types of organizations:
- 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and 501(c)(6). Nonprofit organizations must be recognized by the IRS to receive funds.
- Government entities
- Other types of organizations considered on a case-by-case basis
- Organization Type: The program is open to the following types of organizations:
- Funds will not be provided to any for-profit company, nor individuals. However, AARP does allow for IRS recognized tax-exempt nonprofit organizations or government entities to serve as fiscal sponsors of grants.
For more information, visit AARP Foundation.