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AARP Michigan Awards $25,000 to Support Age-Friendly Communities
AARP Michigan is proud to announce the 2026 recipients of its Michigan Age-Friendly Communities Grant Program, investing $25,000 to support projects that make communities more livable for people of all ages.
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This new grant program supports community-driven solutions that advance one or more of AARP’s Eight Domains of Livability: housing, transportation, outdoor spaces and buildings, social participation, respect and social inclusion, work and civic engagement, communication and information, and community and health services.
“We are proud to support communities across Michigan in building places where people of all ages can thrive,” said Ramón Harris, Associate State Director for Community Outreach at AARP Michigan. “This year, we more than doubled our investment in communities, increasing grant funding from $10,000 in our inaugural year to $25,000.”
The grant recipients for 2026 include:
City of Clawson
Supportive Seats for Active Aging - $3,256.00
Improving safety, accessibility and sustainability of chair-assisted fitness programs for older adults in Clawson by replacing outdated exercise equipment with new chairs.
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Downtown Cadillac
Cadillac Community Mosaic Mural Project - $5,244.00
Transforming Downtown Cadillac’s alleyway between Harris and Cass Street into a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly Art Alley while ensuring older adults participate in creating a permanent Unity Tree Community Mosaic that promotes social connection, accessibility and civic pride.
City of East Lansing
Inspiring Lifelong Discovery - $5,000.00
Fostering routine social interaction, peer connection and cognitive engagement among older adults by providing accessible lifelong learning opportunities through East Lansing Prime Time’s Continuous Learning Collaborative.
Village of Brooklyn
Town Square Gazebo Project - $4,000.00
Replacing Brooklyn’s aging Town Square Gazebo with a safe, durable and ADA-accessible community gathering space that welcomes residents and visitors of all ages and abilities.
City of Traverse City
Grand Traverse County HomeShare Network - $5,000.00
Supporting the launch and implementation of the Grand Traverse County HomeShare Network, helping older adults remain safely housed while expanding affordable housing opportunities and social connections through a structured home-sharing program.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. – Rho Delta Zeta Chapter
Golden Connections: Building Hope Through Health Aging - $2,500.00
Improving the quality of life for older adults in Washtenaw County by reducing social isolation, promoting healthy aging, increasing access to community resources and strengthening social connections through education, wellness programming and community engagement.
“These projects represent forward-thinking, practical solutions that will create lasting improvements, especially for older Michiganders,” said Harris.
Launched in 2025, AARP Michigan’s Age-Friendly Communities Grant Program provides funding to nonprofits, local governments, tribal entities, and community organizations that are developing innovative projects to improve livability for residents of all ages.
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