AARP Awards Grants to Four Hawai`i Organizations to Make Communities More Livable

AARP Hawai`i announced the awarding of 2024 Community Challenge grants totaling nearly $62,000 to four Hawai`i organizations. Grantees will implement quick-action projects that help communities become more livable by improving public places; digital connections; preparing for disasters and improving infrastructure to feed Hawaii’s hungry families.

“AARP Hawai`i is committed to working with local leaders to improve residents’ quality of life through tangible changes,” said AARP Hawai`i State Director Keali`i Lopez. “We are proud to collaborate with this year’s grantees as they make immediate improvements in their communities to jumpstart long-term change, especially for Hawai`i residents 50 and over.”

Here in Hawai`i, projects and organizations funded include:

· $20,000 to Leeward Community Church to help turn a vacant lot near the entrance to Pearl City High School into a community garden and intergenerational community gathering space.
· $20,000 to Hui `O Hau`ula for disaster training and internet connectivity including a Starlink Satellite Service center for emergency wifi. The organization will also conduct training for kupuna on emergency preparedness and the use of wifi and digital communication in disasters and continue efforts to identify and accommodate the needs of kupuna in disasters.
· $11,970 to the Peace Committee of Honoka`a Hongwanji Buddhist Temple for kitchen equipment and improvements to a food pantry that distributes more than 400 hot meals weekly and bags of groceries to about 200 families a week, including kupuna.
· $10,000 to The Pantry by Feeding Hawai`i Together to provide training to enhance the digital skills of about 350 kupuna volunteers to make better use of the nonprofit’s e-commerce system and improve services to clients.

AARP Community Challenge grant projects are being funded in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. True to the program’s quick-action nature, projects must be completed by November 30, 2024.

This year, the AARP Community Challenge accepted applications across three different grant opportunities, including existing flagship grants in addition to capacity-building microgrants for improving walkability, bikeability and implementing safe, accessible home modifications. New demonstration grants focused on improving digital connections to prepare and respond to disasters; reconnecting communities divided by infrastructure; and housing choice design competitions.

“These grants continue to lead to long-term, positive changes in communities across the country,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer. “This year, we are proud to support the largest number of projects in the program’s seven-year history, which will improve residents’ quality of life through tangible changes so everyone can thrive as they age.”

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 for people of all ages, especially those age 50 and older. Since 2017, AARP Hawai`i has awarded 27 grants and $343,836 through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the state. AARP Hawai`i has also issued state grants to fund other projects to make local communities more liveable.

View the full list of national grantees and their project descriptions at aarp.org/communitychallenge and learn more about AARP’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.