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Community Challenge Grants in Nevada
How AARP Community Challenge grants fund quick-action projects that make Nevada communities more livable for people of all ages
Original photo taken by AARP Nevada staff at Paradise Park in Reno on June 24, 2026, during a site tour on the day the 2026 AARP Community Challenge grantees were announced. Reno Food Systems received a 2026 grant to add fruit trees and fencing at the Paradise Park Community Orchard, adjacent to the community garden shown.
Across Nevada, local projects are changing how people live, move, and stay connected in their neighborhoods. Through the AARP Community Challenge, AARP funds quick-action projects that help make communities more livable for people of all ages, especially those 50 and older. Nevada has taken part in the program since 2017, and every year local organizations turn practical ideas into real improvements you can see and use.
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What the Community Challenge is
The AARP Community Challenge is an annual grant program that funds tangible, quick-action projects to make communities more livable. Grants support work such as new and improved public spaces, safer streets and sidewalks, better transportation and mobility options, more housing choices, and stronger connections between neighbors. In 2026, AARP doubled its national investment, committing $8.3 million to fund 750 projects across the country.
Local governments, nonprofit organizations, and other community partners are eligible to apply. You can learn about the program and apply at https://www.aarp.org/communitychallenge
Nevada's 2026 grants
In 2026, AARP awarded $96,668 to nine projects across Nevada, the largest single-year total in the state's history with the program. The funded projects span housing, transportation, food security, fall prevention, legal access, outdoor recreation, and community infrastructure.
Southern Nevada
$55,000 across four projects:
- City of Henderson: an ADA-accessible patio renovation with a butterfly garden and game tables at the Heritage Park Senior Facility.
- City of Henderson, Demonstration Grant: a housing design challenge to create mixed-use, transit-oriented concepts for city-owned land, showing how age-friendly housing can support aging in place, walkability, transit access, and community connection.
- United Way of Southern Nevada: coordinated transportation to summer resource expos during extreme heat.
- Southern Nevada Senior Law Program: free transportation to legal appointments and on-site attorney visits.
Northern Nevada
$41,668 across five projects:
- Center for Healthy Aging, Reno: a home-sharing pilot program that matches older adults who have spare rooms with renters seeking affordable housing.
- Reno Food Systems: a Paradise Park Community Orchard expansion, adding fruit trees and fencing next to an existing community garden.
- City of Reno: Parks and Recreation Senior Walks, guided group walks for adults 50 and older along the Truckee River.
- Washoe County Human Services Agency: a concrete pad with bike parking at the Senior Center to keep walkways clear and reduce fall risks.
- Northern Nevada Public Health: fall prevention education and home safety installations for older adults.
“Safe places to walk, affordable ways to stay in their homes, and age-friendly improvements to public spaces used every day are exactly the kinds of projects older Nevadans tell us they need,” said Tod Story, AARP Nevada State Director. “Every one of these projects came from local people who saw something their neighbors needed and built a plan to deliver it.”
A decade of projects in Nevada
Since 2017, the AARP Community Challenge has funded livability projects in communities from Winnemucca to Henderson. Past projects include all-terrain wheelchairs that improved trail accessibility in Reno, digital literacy training for older job seekers in Las Vegas, community garden revitalization in North Las Vegas, and intergenerational gathering spaces in tribal communities.
These grants build on one another. In 2024, a Community Challenge grant helped create the Paradise Park Community Garden in Reno. It is the same site where Reno Food Systems will expand the community orchard with 2026 funding, a reminder that a single quick-action project can grow into something a neighborhood keeps using for years.
How to apply or learn more
Local governments, nonprofit organizations, and community partners can find program details, eligibility, and the application at https://www.aarp.org/communitychallenge
To see how AARP supports livable communities across the country, visit https://www.aarp.org/livable
AARP Nevada advocates for the health, financial security, and well-being of Nevadans 50 and older, serving more than 340,000 members statewide.
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