AARP Community Challenge Impact Stories
Articles and videos about projects and programs funded by AARP quick-action grants
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.
Videos by Subject
- Project Videos: Housing
- Project Videos: Transportation
- Project Videos: Public Spaces
- Project Videos: Other Categories
Learn more by viewing or downloading AARP Community Challenge Stats and Facts
New articles and videos will be added to the year folders below as they're created.
FLORIDA
GEORGIA
HAWAII
- Hau'ula: Community Trail (state video)
- Kaunakakai: Digital Literacy (state video)
- Lihu'e: Community Garden (state video) and Murals (state video)
IDAHO
OHIO
RHODE ISLAND
- Central Falls Community Garden (state video)
- Providence Temporary Bike Lane (state video)
- Providence Legacy Cook Book (state video)
- Woonsocket Aging Well Community Center (state video)
CONNECTICUT
- Bridgeport: Hitting the Ground Walking (video)
FLORIDA
HAWAII
IDAHO
- Ada County: Commuteride Mobility Pilot Program (state video)
- Blaine County: Wood River Valley Daffodil Festival (state video)
- Hidden Springs: Treasure Valley Trail (state video)
- Lincoln County: "Lincoln Loop" Indoor Fitness (state video)
- Pocatello: Families Grow Gardens (state video)
KENTUCKY
- Louisville: Increasing ADU Awareness in Louisville (video)
OREGON
RHODE ISLAND
DELAWARE
- New Castle County: Connecting Neighbors to COVID Resources (video)
IDAHO
- Glenns Ferry: Glenns Ferry Park (state video)
- West Gooding: Gooding Public Library (state video)
MAINE
- Millinocket: Age-Friendly Winter Event Brings Joy (video)
NEW YORK
NORTH CAROLINA
- Chatham County: A Community Center Goes Virtual (video)
SOUTH CAROLINA
- Myrtle Beach: Using Art to Inform About Street Safety and More (video)
TEXAS
CALIFORNIA
- Los Angeles: Golden Age Park + video
DELAWARE
IDAHO
INDIANA
- Fort Wayne: Mount Vernon Park Improvements
KANSAS
MASSACHUSETTS
MICHIGAN
MISSISSIPPI
OKLAHOMA
PENNSYLVANIA
- Philadelphia: Helping Mediate Landlord-Tenant Disputes (video)
VERMONT
VIRGIN ISLANDS
- Christiansted: Installing a Connected Bike Trail Around Town (video)
ARIZONA
CALIFORNIA
- West Sacramento: Offering More Ways for Older Adults to Get Around (video)
FLORIDA
GEORGIA
HAWAII
- Honolulu: Promoting Paths to Parks (video)
IOWA
KENTUCKY
- Lexington: Advancing a Policy to Support Accessory Dwelling Units
- Louisville: Creating Safer Streets and Spots to Sit (video)
LOUISIANA
- Baton Rouge: Connecting Neighbors to a Nearby Park (video)
MAINE
MISSOURI
NEBRASKA
NEW HAMPSHIRE
- Manchester: Furnishing a Waterfront Park (video)
NORTH CAROLINA
- Charlotte: Making it Fun to Wait for a Bus (video)
OHIO
PENNSYLVANIA
- Philadelphia: Elders' Story Cafe + (video)
SOUTH CAROLINA
- Charleston: Creating Colorful Crosswalks (video)
TENNESSEE
CALIFORNIA
- San Diego: 10 Questions from the Age-Friendly Game 'Boomer.rology'
- Santa Cruz: Helping Build an ADA-compliant ADU (video)
CONNECTICUT
- Hartford: Raised-Bed Gardening
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
- Washington, DC: How a Party in the Streets Can Create a Community
GEORGIA
- Macon-Bibb: How Chess Can Reconnect a Community & (video)
HAWAII
IDAHO
INDIANA
- Fort Wayne: See an Example of a Complete Street & (video)
KANSAS
KENTUCKY
- Lexington: Adding Planters and Places to Sit (video)
LOUISIANA
- New Orleans: Helping Older Adults Get and Stay Fit (video)
MAINE
- Bowdoinham: Raised-Bed Gardening
MICHIGAN
MISSISSIPPI
NEW HAMPSHIRE
- Statewide: New Hampshire Says Yes to ADUs
NEW YORK
NORTH DAKOTA
- Bismarck: Installing a Walk-Bike Trail (video)
PENNSYLVANIA
- Harrisburg: Transforming Abandoned Plots into Community Places (video)
- Philadelphia: Encouraging Neighbors to Meet and Mingle (video)
RHODE ISLAND
- Jamestown: Growing Food So a Neighbor Can Eat
SOUTH CAROLINA
- Camden: Activating an Alleyway & (video)
TENNESSEE
TEXAS
- Fort Worth: Improving Driver and Pedestrian Safety on a Residential Roadway (video)
- Fort Worth: Neighbors Provide Many Helping Hands
UTAH
- Salt Lake City: A Walking Path Connects a Community
VIRGINIA
- Farmville: Repairing Homes in Disrepair (video)
WASHINGTON
WEST VIRGINIA
- Charleston/Kanawha Valley: Neighbors Provide Many Helping Hands (video)
Video: About the AARP Community Challenge
Stay Informed — For Free!
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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