Grants Fund Improvements in Arizona Communities

In the historic mining town of Superior, Veto Cervantes is helping bring new life to the neighborhood where he was born 80 years ago.

He and other volunteers are working to transform a dilapidated vacant lot into a vibrant community garden rooted in history, food and community. The lot is home to Erickson-Hall Microfarm, an expanding community garden operated by the nonprofit Regenerating Sonora. The organization recently received a $14,500 AARP Community Challenge grant to expand and improve the space for residents of all ages.

Cervantes now spends many mornings there with his daughter, who has special needs, cleaning, watering and doing whatever it takes to spruce it up. “It’s a work in progress,” he says.

The residents of Superior, a rural town an hour east of Phoenix, face high poverty rates and economic vulnerability, according to Regenerating Sonora.

Many families have deep roots in the community, says Chris Casillas, the organization’s founder and executive director. Casillas notes that his own family has lived there for more than 100 years. “That’s what really binds us together — and gives us a lot of the power that we have to even pull off this work,” he says.

The nonprofit is one of eight Arizona recipients of 2025 AARP Community Challenge grants, totaling $105,500. The grants fund projects focused on improving public spaces, transportation, housing and other areas.

The Arizona grantees range from small rural nonprofits to large cities. A common thread is deep community involvement and a vision for long-term impact.

In Superior, the grant funded construction of a shade pavilion to make the space more accessible during the intense summer heat. The money is also being used to purchase equipment for maintenance and upkeep and for solar lights, misters and fans.



EXPANDING HOUSING OPTIONS

In Tempe, a $20,000 AARP grant supported a design competition focused on creating accessory dwelling units.

ADUs are independent living spaces — such as an above-garage apartment or backyard cottage — located on the same property as a single-family home. The goal of the grant: generate a library of pre-approved ADU plans that can be used to create more housing options for older adults.

The design competition resulted in a set of construction-ready plans that are focused on affordability but also tailored to Tempe’s building codes — removing one of the most expensive and confusing steps in the process.

“Paying an architect to draft something up runs you sometimes tens of thousands of dollars,” says Jacob Payne, the city of Tempe’s principal planner. “This is our way of trying to shift that cost burden off of the property owner.”

The effort aligned with Tempe’s broader push to expand age-friendly housing.

In Mesa, a $15,000 AARP Community Challenge grant was used to install a new crosswalk in a historic neighborhood near a popular park.

The Retail, Arts, Innovation & Livability Community Development Corporation had previously identified the need when it worked with local residents to do a walk audit in the area. The project brought together local artists and residents to design a vibrant mural-style crosswalk that reflects the culture and history of the surrounding community.

The city also committed to updating nearby curbs to help improve accessibility for residents with mobility challenges and to exploring ways to slow traffic.

The local community didn’t just help identify the problem but also played a role in addressing it, says Laura Flannigan, a program analyst with AARP Arizona. “Not only is it going to impact the community,” Flannigan says, “but they really feel ownership in that project.”

Other 2025 Arizona grant recipients include:

• Native American Advancement Foundation, $11,000, to provide portable wheelchair ramps to increase mobility and independence for older adults in the GuVo district of the Tohono O’odham Nation in the southern part of the state.
• Pima Council on Aging, $2,500, to hold in-person heat-resilience training for older adults and distribute safety kits in Tucson.
• Huachuca City, $15,000, to install outdoor fitness stations in the town’s two parks to promote health and mobility.
• United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, $2,500, to conduct public education promoting the AARP HomeFit Guide and age-friendly housing.
• Urban Phoenix Project, $25,000, with funding support from Toyota Motor North America Inc., to create GIS mapping to identify shaded walking routes and boost access to services.

The AARP Community Challenge grant program is part of the organization’s Livable Communities initiative. Go to aarp.org/communitychallenge for more information.

Stacey Shepard writes about health care, the environment, livability and other issues.


MORE ON LIVABILITY

• Explore the AARP Livability Index
• Learn About the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities
• Download a Free AARP Walk Audit Toolkit