2025 AARP Community Challenge Grantees

Now in its ninth year, the AARP Community Challenge is awarding its largest number of grants ever.

The 2025 AARP Community Challenge is supporting 383 projects, with a focus on meeting the needs of adults age 50 or older, through $4.2 million in quick-action grants.

Since its launch in 2017, the AARP Community Challenge has funded 2,100 grants, investing $24.3 million in 45,000 tangible improvements (such as park benches, crosswalks, bike racks) and more than 8,000 community-based programs, including digital skills training and transit education for older adults.

Grants help improve public places, transportation, housing, digital connectivity and more — with an emphasis on the needs of adults age 50 and older — in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In 2025, the AARP Community Challenge accepted applications for three different grant opportunities:

1. Flagship Grants

• 2025 Flagship Grants

Communities could submit applications for local improvement projects — such as those related to public places, digital connections, housing, and transportation — that benefit residents, especially those age 50 and older.

2. Demonstration Grants

• 2025 Demonstration Grants

With the goal of encouraging the replication of promising projects, applications were accepted 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. 

• 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. 

• 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. 

3. Capacity Building Microgrants

• 2025 Capacity Building Microgrants

By combining $2,500 grants with additional resources (such as webinars, cohort learning opportunities, AARP publications, and up to two hours of direct coaching with leading national nonprofit organizations), this grant opportunity accepted applications for projects that benefit residents — especially those age 50 and older — in the following categories: 

• 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 by using the AARP Bike Audit 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 by using the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit.  

• Disaster Preparedness Training: Implement disaster preparedness training programs and resources for residents, especially those age 50-plus, with support from SBP and by using the AARP Disaster Resilience 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 by using the AARP HomeFit Guide.