AARP awards community grants to four Georgia organizations as part of record-breaking year for nationwide program

Communities across Georgia are working each and every day to become more livable for residents of all ages.

In support of that work, AARP is excited to announce the largest number of grantees and funds to-date through the Community Challenge grant program. These “quick action” grants are being distributed to 184 organizations across all 50 states, Washington D.C, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The Community Challenge funds innovative projects that inspire change in areas such as transportation, public spaces, housing, smart cities, civic engagement, coronavirus response and more.

AARP Georgia is incredibly proud to have four 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 and the coronavirus pandemic has only underscored the importance of this work.

Here in Georgia, these exciting and diverse projects were funded:

• Lifecycle Building Center – The Lifecycle Building Center will construct 10 accessible garden beds and seven Little Free Pantries to support older adults in largely refugee and marginalized communities experiencing food insecurity.
• The Jessye Norman School of The Arts- The Jessye Norman School of Arts will create vendor stalls for artists and sellers providing locally grown fresh foods.
• Bike Walk Macon- The Bike Walk Macon project will improve the connectivity, bikeability and walkability of three high-traffic, residential corridors, Bike Walk Macon will engage residents of all ages to select, design and install at least three permanent traffic-calming features.
• City of Monroe- The City of Monroe will activate a new public space through the installation of planters, seating and outdoor games.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.