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AARP Community Challenge Impact Stories

Articles and videos about projects and programs funded by AARP quick-action grants

AARP Livable Communities

ARTICLES AND VIDEOS

The articles and videos listed below are about programs and projects that were funded by the annual AARP Community Challenge, a "quick-action" grant program to make communities more livable for people of all ages. 

Three older adults pose with a new wooden bench installed in an Idaho forest

Photo Albums

See what's been achieved!

A streetscape with labels identifying the types of projects funded by the AARP Community Challenge

Stats and Facts

Check out these numbers!

Videos by Subject

New articles and videos will be added to the year folders below as they're created.

CALIFORNIA

CONNECTICUT

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

GEORGIA

HAWAII

IDAHO

INDIANA

KANSAS

KENTUCKY

LOUISIANA

MAINE

MICHIGAN

MISSISSIPPI

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NEW YORK

NORTH DAKOTA

PENNSYLVANIA

RHODE ISLAND

SOUTH CAROLINA

TENNESSEE

TEXAS

UTAH

VIRGINIA

WASHINGTON

WEST VIRGINIA

Video: About the AARP Community Challenge

Stay Informed — For Free!

The weekly, award-winning AARP Livable Communities e-Newsletter provides local leaders with information and inspiration for making their town, city or neighborhood more livable for older adults and people of all ages. Subscribe today!

AARP Livable Communities e-Newsletter

IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES

Grantees have delivered a range of positive results and outcomes following the award of an AARP Community Challenge grant. Since the grant debuted in 2017:

New Funding is Being Leveraged

45% of grantees have demonstrated that their AARP Community Challenge project helped them leverage additional funds and support from public, private and philanthropic partners and funders, including:

  • Proving a concept that leads the private or public sector to invest additional funds directly into the project, or surrounding area, to expand it

  • Testing an idea that leads to the public sector replicating the project or investing municipal funding into replicating the project

  • Funding a discrete portion of an effort in which several of other funders have contributed over a period of time

Barriers Are Overcome

81% of grantees have demonstrated that their project helped them advance change and overcome policy barriers, including:

  • Giving an organization the data, information and feedback needed to successfully advocate for a policy change within local government, including everything from a Complete Streets ordinance, to a streamlined permitting process for tactical urbanism projects

  • Demonstrating the validity or need for changes and improvements to a specific area of the community — such as through updated master plans or a community redirecting resources to address an existing issue

  • Showing the community a “first of its kind” change that helps lead to replication or additional energy

Greater Engagement is Achieved

100% of grantees have demonstrated that the grant led to greater awareness, community engagement, and new partners, including:

  • Leading to an increased awareness of the larger effort

  • Increasing engagement (users, volunteers, etc.) with a larger effort and/or organization

  • Bringing new partners to the larger effort
 

AARP.org/Livable

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