AARP Invests in Communities Across California Through Nationwide Grant Program!

AARP is working in partnership with local leaders, organizations, and communities to help make our state more livable for residents of all ages. 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 all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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.

This year, AARP is also bolstering its investment in rural communities, mobility innovation, transportation options, and health and food access. 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.

AARP California is incredibly proud to have 11 grantees right here in our state. Our goal is to support their efforts to create great places for people of all backgrounds, ages, and abilities. As local leaders seek to better their communities for the future, this becomes even more critical.

Here in California the following projects were funded:

1. Civic Thread (Sacramento, CA)
Flagship Grant of $16,573
This project will transform a park by staging a vibrant pop-up community celebration and organizing workshops where older adults can become involved in decisions about how to improve their community.

2. Farm to Pantry (Healdsburg, CA)
Flagship Grant of $15,000
This project will provide 10 "Farm-acy" Carts that will deliver food to low-income senior housing communities and medical facilities. Older adults will be able to take home top-quality, fresh, immunity-boosting, nutritious and locally grown produce at no cost.

3. Gold Coast Transit District (Oxnard, CA)
Flagship Grant of $16,999
This project will benefit residents who use public transportation by providing seating and lighting at bus stops in neighborhoods with large older adult populations.

4. Gualala Community Center (Gualala, CA)
Flagship Grant of $2,000
This project will provide mobile solar chargers to older residents and others in need. The devices are especially important during wildfires, earthquakes, and weather-related electrical outages in the rural, hard-to-access area.

5. Highlanders Boxing Club (Highland, CA)
Capacity-Building Microgrant of $2,500
This safe street project will improve walkability for older residents and identify ways to reduce traffic-related fatalities and injuries in the area.

6. Rural Communities Resource Center (Orosi, CA)
Capacity-Building Microgrant of $2,500
This project will recruit volunteers ages 50-plus to conduct six walk audits along two busy traffic corridors. The organization will host two community meetings to discuss how to use the data to increase street safety.

7. Webster Heights Community Development Corporation Inc. (San Diego, CA)
Capacity-Building Microgrant of $2,500
This project will recruit older volunteers to conduct five walk audits in residential areas to identify potential locations for sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.

8. Arcata House Partnership (Arcata, CA)
Capacity-Building Microgrant of $2,500
This project will support a community garden for a 60-unit apartment complex serving previously unhoused people to improve their nutrition and provide opportunities to socialize. It will include raised garden beds and accessible paths to accommodate residents who have limited mobility. 

9. Asian Americans for Housing and Environmental Justice (Los Angeles, CA)
Demonstration Grant of $50,000
This project will increase public transportation use and mobility for older Asian American Pacific Islanders by reducing language, cultural and technological barriers to access.

10. Healthy Aging Center (Long Beach, CA)
Demonstration Grant of $30,000
This program will provide rides for adults ages 55 and older who lack other means of transportation to essential services needed for their health and well-being.

11. USGBC Central California (Fresno, CA)
Demonstration Grant of $15,000
This project will result in a design competition where local students and the design, construction, and engineering community will be invited to create a sustainable accessory dwelling unit that can be used in a multigenerational setting.

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. We believe that communities should provide safe, walkable streets; affordable and accessible housing and transportation options; access to needed services; and opportunities for residents to participate in community life.

To learn more about the work being funded by the AARP Community Challenge both here in California as well as across the nation, visit aarp.org/CommunityChallenge. You can also view an interactive map of all of the Community Challenge projects and AARP California’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.