AARP Commits Thousands of Dollars to Strengthen Communities Across Oklahoma

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Eight Oklahoma organizations will receive 2025 AARP Community Challenge grants, supporting efforts to improve public places, transportation, housing, digital connections, and other key areas.



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. Through innovative local projects, $97,500 in grants will help residents of all ages, especially older adults, improve how they live, move and stay connected in their neighborhoods.

Now in its ninth year, the Community Challenge grant program has awarded 37 grants totaling $494,610 to nonprofit organizations and local government entities in Oklahoma.

“AARP Oklahoma is proud to work with communities across the state to help make them more livable for people of all ages,” said AARP Oklahoma Volunteer State President Charlie Swinton. “These projects are about turning great local ideas into real improvements that improve everyday life, especially for older Oklahomans.”

Here in Oklahoma, projects funded include:

• City of Shawnee: The aging-in-place program will help low-income, older residents remain safely in their homes by providing home evaluations and assisting with necessary repairs and modifications for aging residents in the Dunbar Heights neighborhood.

• Tulsa Route 66 Main Street: The project will install safe, accessible walking trails in Howard Park in southwest Tulsa, which provide a venue for residents to exercise and socialize.

• Okmulgee Main Street: A neglected downtown alley in Okmulgee will transform into a vibrant, walkable space with seating, murals, and greenery designed to enhance accessibility and social engagement and provide older adults with a welcoming place to connect and enjoy community events.

• Meadow Gold District – Tulsa: This project will enhance pedestrian safety and walkability in Tulsa’s Meadow Gold District along Route 66 by improving crosswalks, adding directional signage, and incorporating street beautification. These efforts aim to create a safer, more accessible experience for visitors of all ages and abilities, especially those age 50-plus. This initiative will be funded with support from Toyota Motor North America.

• Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma – Carnegie: The Kiowa Tribe will host a Tiny Home for Elders design competition to generate affordable, accessible, and innovative housing ideas that support aging in place and reflect Kiowa traditions.

• Beverly’s Home of Second Chances LLC – Sapulpa: The project will conduct five walk audits in a busy commercial district and prioritize sidewalk and crosswalk improvements to develop actionable solutions.

• Absentee Shawnee Housing Authority—Shawnee/Tecumseh/Norman: The Absentee Shawnee Housing Authority will provide bathroom safety aides, such as shower chairs, bathtub rails, grab bars, non-slip mats, and adjustable shower heads, for approximately 20 older adults or disabled residents in their housing programs.

• Sheena’s Helping Hands—Muskogee: Volunteers will conduct three walk audits to document issues faced by pedestrians, including those with disabilities and mobility issues. The findings will help guide future planning and improvements, primarily in one neighborhood and community spaces.

“AARP Community Challenge projects may be quick to launch, but their impact is long-lasting,” said AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond. “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 benefiting often overlooked rural areas.”

Grant projects will be funded in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 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.