AARP commits $145,000 in grants to strengthen 11 communities across North Carolina

The AARP funding will help residents of all ages, especially older adults, improve how they live, move, and stay connected in their neighborhoods through innovative local projects

 RALEIGH, NC -- AARP today announced that 11 organizations throughout North Carolina, will receive 2025 Community Challenge grants to help support 13 specific projects. The grants are part of AARP’s $4.2 million commitment to fund 383 quick-action projects aimed at making communities more livable for people of all ages, with a focus on the needs of older adults. The funds will support efforts to improve resiliency, public places, transportation, housing, digital connections, and other key areas.

Now in its ninth year, the Challenge has awarded 49 North Carolina organizations and local government entities with Community Challenge grants to support 54 projects. The awards in the state have amounted to a total of $623,000. This year’s grant projects will be funded in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“AARP North Carolina is proud to work with communities across the state to help make them more livable for people of all ages,” said AARP State Director Michael Olender. “These projects are about turning great local ideas into real improvements that make everyday life better, especially for older North Carolinians.”

Here in North Carolina projects funded include:

Southeastern Life Center – Lumberton
A $15,000 grant will help provide accessible and affordable transportation solutions for older adults, individuals with disabilities, and low-income families. This project aims to improve mobility, independence, and overall well-being by offering door-to-door services for essential needs and social engagements.

Keep Gastonia Beautiful – Gastonia
A $15,000 grant will help transform a garden in the Highland Community into a welcoming space with walking paths, community gathering areas, and open garden space. It aims to celebrate local history, support nature, and provide an outdoor area for environmental education.

Bike Durham – Durham
A $15,000 grant from AARP will assist the “Move-A-Bull City” event that will close a 1.2-mile corridor in downtown Durham, connecting two greenways. This Open Streets event will feature arts, physical wellness activities, health screenings, and demonstrations of safe street designs, benefiting residents ages 50-plus.

City of Greensboro Planning Project – Greensboro
A $24,000 grant will help with the construction of a new high-visibility crosswalk with a flashing beacon that will be installed at W. Elmsley Dr. and Old Treybrook Dr. This project aims to improve pedestrian safety and connectivity for all ages and abilities, especially benefiting residents ages 50-plus.

Village of Clemmons
A $20,850 grant will help the Village of Clemmons install Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon crosswalks on Stadium Drive to enhance safety for older adults and students. These solar-powered signals will improve pedestrian visibility at key intersections near the library and school.

Town of Leland
A $15,000 grant will assist the Town of Leland with installing eight Audible Pedestrian Signals at a key intersection to enhance safety and mobility for pedestrians, especially those age 50-plus and individuals with disabilities. This project aims to create a more accessible and inclusive community.

Pathway Community Foundation – working with the City of Charlotte
Partnering with the City of Charlotte, a $25,000 grant will help develop this Raleigh-based foundation develop an AI safety dashboard to identify dangerous streets and guide infrastructure upgrades. This project aims to protect pedestrians, especially older adults, by improving walkability and safety through targeted interventions.

In addition to these winners, additional pedestrian safety initiatives will each be awarded $2,500 with support from Toyota Motor North America and projects that expand high-speed internet access and adoption will be funded with support from Microsoft. Those grants include the following North Carolina winners:

Bike Walk NC – Hickory
As part of BikeWalkNC’s 14th Annual Transportation Summit, the grant will support local active transportation workshops being held to provide attendees with practical knowledge on identifying safety improvements and routes for active transportation, bicycling and other wheeled devices.

City of Brevard
The project will conduct four in-person trainings on disaster planning and emotional recovery a year after Hurricane Helene. Disaster checklists and supplies will be provided, along with a video on reducing anniversary reactions, survivors’ guilt, and secondary trauma.

The Town of Wake Forest (Two Awards)
Two projects that were each awarded with $2,500 will conduct pedestrian and bike safety assessments in different areas of Wake Forest, starting with Downtown. Older volunteers from will assist in the collection of data and present findings to the Town's planning and public works departments. Results will be included in the town’s Age-Friendly Action Plan.

City of Greensboro – Greensboro
The project will partner with neighborhood organizations to conduct two meetings and two walk audits in Northeast Greensboro. Pedestrians of all ages will be invited through local venues. The project will gather testimony to produce a community walk report for future street and sidewalk plans.

Cherokee Historical Association – Cherokee
This project will conduct a bikeability assessment to improve safety and connectivity in the cultural district from Fire Mountain Trails to Tsali Blvd. The goal is to ensure safe routes for older adults and complement other upcoming projects in the area.

“AARP Community Challenge projects may be quick to launch, but their impact is long-lasting,” said Nancy A. LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer. “We’re proud to support communities nationwide to advance solutions that make neighborhoods and towns of all sizes better places to live where everyone can thrive. And this year, we’re particularly proud to invest in projects benefitting often overlooked rural areas.”

View the full list of grantees and their projects at aarp.org/communitychallenge. Learn more about AARP’s work to support livable communities at aarp.org/livable