AARP invests in communities across Alaska

AARP staff

Communities across Alaska are working to become more livable for residents of all ages.

AARP is working in partnership with local leaders, organizations and dedicated residents to help make that vision a reality. As part of that effort, AARP is excited to announce the largest investment of grant dollars to date through the Community Challenge grant program. More than $3.6 million in quick-action grants are being distributed to 310 organizations across the country.

Four Alaska nonprofits received grants through the national program. Our goal is to support their efforts to create great places for people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities.

The projects funded are:

• Alaska Municipal League – This project will collect and analyze ordinances regulating accessory dwelling units (ADUs) with the aim of creating a best practices toolkit and a model ordinance for communities.
  
• Camai Community Health Center – This project will convert an unused lot, situated in a central location next to a lake, into a community garden with raised beds and accessible benches to accommodate older residents.
  
• Special Olympics Alaska - This project will create new recreational and social opportunities for adults aged 50+ with intellectual and developmental disabilities by improving Special Olympics Alaska's sports and fitness facility.
  
• Rendezvous Senior Day Service – This project will add six raised beds to a garden plot and purchase plants to give older adults the opportunity to grow vegetables and flowers while receiving the physical and mental benefits of gardening.
  

The AARP Community Challenge funds innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as public places; housing; transportation; diversity, equity, and inclusion; digital connections; community resilience; and more.

The program accepted applications across three different grant opportunities, including existing flagship grants in addition to new capacity-building microgrants for improving walkability and community gardens. New demonstration grants will focus on improving transportation systems, with funding support provided by Toyota Motor North America, and housing choice design competitions.

The Community Challenge is part of AARP’s nationwide work on livable communities, which supports the efforts of neighborhoods, towns, cities and counties across the country to become great places for all residents.

To learn more about the work being funded by the AARP Community Challenge both here in Alaska and across the nation, visit aarp.org/CommunityChallenge. For more information on Alaska’s livable communities work, visit https://states.aarp.org/alaska/section/livable-communities.