AARP Delaware Accepting 2022 Community Challenge Grant Applications

AARP Delaware invites local organizations and governments across the state to apply for the 2022 AARP Community Challenge grant program, now through March 22, 2022. Grants fund quick-action projects that help communities become more livable in the long-term by improving public spaces, transportation, housing, civic engagement, coronavirus recovery, diversity and inclusion, and more. Now in its sixth year, the grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods and rural areas to become great places to live.

“AARP Delaware is excited to kick-off the Community Challenge again in 2022 to continue helping communities across Delaware become great places for people of all backgrounds, abilities and ages, especially people 50-plus,” said AARP State President George Meldrum “The program has proven that quick-action projects can lead to long-lasting improvements right where Delawareans live.”

AARP will prioritize proposals that are inclusive, address disparities, directly engage volunteers, support residents age 50 and older and aim to achieve one or more of the following outcomes:

• Support communities’ efforts to build engagement and leverage funding available under new federal programs through laws like the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and more.
  

  

• Create vibrant public places that improve open spaces, parks and access to other amenities.
• Deliver a range of transportation and mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability, wayfinding, access to transportation options and roadway improvements.
• Support a range of housing options that increases the availability of accessible and affordable choices.
• Ensure a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion while improving the built and social environment of a community.
• Increase civic engagement with innovative and tangible projects that bring residents and local leaders together to address challenges and facilitate a greater sense of inclusion.
• Other community improvements; including health services, community development, and coronavirus pandemic recovery.
  

Since 2017, AARP has awarded over 800 grants – including 9 in Delaware – through the Community Challenge to nonprofit organizations and government entities in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The program provides direct support to all community types, including rural, suburban and urban communities. Previous projects have enabled long-term progress by garnering additional support from public and private funders, encouraging similar improvements throughout the community, advancing local policy, and generating engagement among residents and local leaders to advocate for change.

The Community Challenge is open to 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) nonprofits and government entities. Other types of organizations are considered on a case-by-case basis. Grants can range from several hundred dollars for small, short-term activities to tens of thousands for larger projects.

The application deadline is 5:00 p.m. ET, March 22, 2022. All projects must be completed by November 30, 2022. To submit an application and view past grantees, visit www.AARP.org/CommunityChallenge.

AARP Delaware works in collaboration with communities across the state, bringing people together, and providing resources and expertise to help make Delaware’s counties, towns and cities great places to live for people of all ages. Here are the previous grantees:

• Claymont Community Center This grant will be used to create a walking path and ramp to better connect and engage community members with a 100,000 square-foot activity center, which houses a walking track and fields. (2018)
• City of Dover  Grant funds financed signage along walking paths to promote the reopening of a long-closed trail. (2017)
• Latin American Community Center The grant will develop and implement virtual outreach efforts to the Latino community and include “Know Your Rights” sessions to help ensure that Delaware’s Latino community is receiving essential information throughout the coronavirus pandemic. (2020)
• Y Innovations Inc. This project will clean up a currently blighted lot and turn it into an attractive community gathering space with fencing and benches. (2019)
• Wilmington Renaissance Corporation Part of a larger park reclamation project, 10 raised garden beds that are ADA-compliant and accessible to residents will be created. (2019)
• Cornerstone West CDC The 4th St Community Mural Project will bring residents together to complete a mural on a building adjacent to a park and help collect feedback for future investments and improvements in the neighborhood. (2020)
• Delaware Children's Museum  This grant will help develop a specialized online curriculum to connect grandparents and grandchildren through remote activities in the week leading up to Grandparents Day and help create and deliver "You’re Grand” Activity Bags to encourage continued interactive activities. (2020)
• Urban Bike Project of Wilmington, Inc. Open Streets Wilmington will hold events that close streets to motor vehicle traffic in order to create safe spaces for residents to engage in outdoor activities and connect with one another. (2021)
• Wilmington Alliance Sculptural bicycle racks designed by local artists will enhance community spaces and the city's cycling infrastructure. (2021)