2020 Community Challenge Grants

AARP awards community grants to five South Carolina organizations as part of record-breaking year for nationwide program 

Communities across South 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 announce the largest number of grantees and funds to-date through the Community Challenge grant program. These “quick action” grants are being distributed to 184 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, smart cities, civic engagement, coronavirus response and more.

AARP South Carolina is incredibly proud to have five 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 the coronavirus pandemic has only underscored the importance of this work.

Here in South Carolina, these exciting and diverse projects were funded:

• Berea: Greenville County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism The grant will be used to equip an outdoor space at a community center with swings, benches, gardens, shade structures, a walking path and a horseshoe pit.

• Columbia: City of Columbia Funds will be put toward creating a furnished, temporary parklet that will allow for suitable social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Greenville County: Mill Community Ministries The project will help combat food insecurity by expanding the capacity to distribute healthy, affordable food to vulnerable older residents.

• Myrtle Beach: City of Myrtle Beach Project funds will be used to enhance public safety for residents and visitors by wrapping utility boxes with vinyl signage featuring information about coronavirus-related sidewalk etiquette, a wayfinding map and tips for effective social distancing and safety during the pandemic.

• Summerton: Town of Summerton  To support the community’s expanding elderly population, the town will create the state's first "tiny house" project built with environmentally-friendly materials by community members from designs focused on the needs of older adults and people with disabilities. 

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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.