AARP Awards Grants to 5 Organizations in Vermont

Today, AARP announced five organizations throughout Vermont will receive 2024 Community Challenge grants – part of AARP’s largest investment in communities to date with $3.8 million awarded among 343 organizations nationwide. Grantees will implement quick-action projects that help communities become more livable by improving public places; transportation; housing; digital connections; and more, with an emphasis on the needs of adults ages 50 and older.

“AARP Vermont is committed to working with local leaders, advocates, and policymakers to make our communities better places to live for Vermonters of all ages, especially those 50 and older,” said AARP Vermont state director, Greg Marchildon. “We are proud to collaborate with this year’s grantees as they make immediate improvements to address long-standing and emerging challenges across our communities.”

Here in Vermont, projects funded include:

• Barre Area Senior Center (Barre): The center will add a computer lab onsite to improve digital connectivity for older adults. The center will also work with local organizations to teach residents computer skills and online safety best practices.
  
• Capital City Farmer’s Market (Montpelier): This project will add a pair of rest areas to the site of a weekly farmers market, making the outdoor space more comfortable for older adults. The rest areas will include shade tents, seating, and a water station.
  
• Green Mountain Transit Authority (Burlington): This project will improve accessibility at bus stops by adding seating and ramps for boarding and exiting buses. The local transit provider will prioritize upgrades at stops near senior centers and in neighborhoods with many older adult residents.
  
• Northern Tier Center for Health (Richford): This project will support efforts to create a welcome center at a downtown outdoor space. The new space will feature seating, raised garden beds, and a community food pantry, which will offer residents free produce grown onsite.
  
• Town of Shelburne (Shelburne): This pop-up project will test strategies to slow traffic and improve pedestrian and bicycle safety along Shelburne's main street. The town will install bike parking, temporary crosswalks, street art, and other traffic calming measures, allowing residents to envision permanent improvements to the street.

This year, AARP awarded three different grant opportunities, including flagship grants, capacity-building microgrants for improving walkability, bikeability and accessible home modifications, and demonstration grants that focus on equitable engagement to reconnect communities, housing choice design competitions, and improving digital connections to endure disasters.

With funding support from Toyota Motor North America, the program is increasing its investment in pedestrian safety projects that will improve streets and sidewalks, create vibrant pedestrian infrastructure, engage community members, and much more. AARP is also bolstering its investment in community resilience, rural communities, and addressing disparities.

“Whether it’s helping people access high-speed internet or protecting public transit riders from rain and snow, small community projects can have a big impact on people of all ages,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy & Engagement Officer. “AARP Community Challenge grantees make our commitment to creating better places to live a reality through quick, innovative solutions.”

The grant program is part of AARP’s nationwide Livable Communities initiative, which supports the efforts of cities, towns, neighborhoods, and rural areas to become great places to live for people of all ages, with an emphasis on people ages 50 and older. Since 2017, AARP Vermont has awarded 33 grants and $353,206 through the program to nonprofit organizations and government entities across the state.

AARP Community Challenge grant projects will be funded in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. True to the program’s quick-action nature, projects must be completed by December 15, 2024.

View the full list of grantees and their project descriptions at aarp.org/communitychallenge and learn more about AARP’s livable communities work at aarp.org/livable.