AARP Awards Community Grants to Four Missouri Organizations

AARP Awards Community Grants to Four Missouri Organizations as part of Another Record-breaking Year for Nationwide Program

Communities across Missouri are all working to become more livable for residents of all ages.

And, AARP is working across Missouri in partnership with local leaders, organization and dedicated residents to help make that vision a reality. As part of that effort, AARP is excited to announce the largest number of projects to-date through the Community Challenge program. These quick-action grants are being distributed to 244 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, diversity and inclusion, civic engagement, coronavirus response and more.

AARP Missouri 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 as local leaders seek to better their communities for the future, this is even more critical.

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

• Citizens for Modern Transit, St. Louis, MO: This project will transform a current light rail and bus station into an active space that promotes creative play, cultivates community and increases transit use while building a more equitable space that touts the history and culture of East St. Louis. 
• Commercial Street Community Improvement District, Springfield, MO: The “Inclusion Mural” project will activate a key street and increase visibility for area businesses and organizations while providing places for people to sit, engage and enjoy being outside.  
• Midtown KC Now, Kansas City, MO: This project will completely refresh and overhaul Major Murray Davis Park by working closely with the community to identify and complete much needed park improvements. 
• PedNet Coalition, Columbia, MO: PedNet will engage Columbia’s residents by hosting pop-up traffic calming demonstrations to address gaps in the walking, biking and transit infrastructure network. A public library of materials and supplies for pop-up demonstrations will also be created.

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