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: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Project Videos: Other Categories
New articles and videos will be added to the year folders below as they're created.
CALIFORNIA
- San Francisco: “Pop-up” Events Help Older Adults Get Online (video)
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
KENTUCKY
MONTANA
- Cut Bank: A Paw Park on the Prairie (article)
NEW JERSEY
- Jersey City: Closing the Digital Divide, Together (article)
OHIO
- Cleveland: Repairs to Age in Place (state video)
PENNSYLVANIA
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)
NORTH CAROLINA
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)
MINNESOTA
- Falcon Heights: A Place of Peace for Community Healing (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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