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

In support of that work, AARP is excited to be able to provide funding to organizations through the AARP Community Challenge to help them jumpstart progress on ongoing work. These “quick action” grants are being distributed to 129 organizations, with at least one in every state, Washington D.C, and Puerto Rico, including right here in North Carolina.  The Community Challenge grants provide communities with the chance to fund innovative projects that can inspire change in areas such as transportation, open spaces, housing, and other innovative projects to improve the community and make North Carolina’s counties, cities, towns and rural areas better places to live for all residents.

The Community Challenge is part of AARP’s 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.

After a successful 2017, with 90 grantees, this initiative is now in its 2nd year, and it has increased its investment to over $1.3 million in the form of 129 grants.

Here in North Carolina, we are excited about the work that the Community Challenge Grants are supporting in 2018. This year, the grants will help support community park improvements in Iredell County, support for the City of Charlotte's “Porch Swing Project,” developed to make a diverse neighborhood more inclusive, and an effort by Habitat for Humanity in Durham to make affordable housing more accessible for older adults.

To learn more about the work being funded by the AARP Community Challenge grant program both in the state as well as across the nation, visit aarp.org/CommunityChallenge. And to learn more about how AARP is working to make communities across the nation more livable for all residents, visit aarp.org/livable.