AARP Awards Grants to Eight Organizations in Virginia as Part of Nationwide Program to Make Communities More Livable

Today, AARP announced eight organizations throughout Virginia 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 Virginia is committed to working with local leaders, advocates and policymakers to make our communities better places to live for Virginians of all ages, especially those 50 and older,” said AARP Virginia State Director Jim Dau. “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 Virginia, projects funded include:

· Livability Initiative – This project will enable housing developers to incorporate accessibility features in new homes. The universal design elements will help older adults and people with disabilities age in place.

· PedalSafe ROA – This project will make temporary changes along a busy road to demonstrate how streetscape design can reduce speeding and improve bicycle and pedestrian safety.

· Salem Public Library – This project will provide workshops to educate older adults about low-cost home safety improvements and other safety aids.

· Servants at Work Inc. – This project will modify homes of lower-income residents to improve accessibility and facilitate access to medical services, improve home safety and encourage social interaction.

· Amherst County – This project will create a bocce ball court in response to requests from older adult residents, providing them with a low-cost, healthy recreation option.

· Destination Downtown South Boston Inc. – This project will activate an underused public space with improvements including new benches and landscaping, as well as a public art installation.

· Town of Abingdon – This project will improve accessibility and transportation access to help residents reach a local recreation center and promote public transportation use through transit training opportunities.

· Town of Lovettsville – This project will install bike racks in a public space, enabling residents to more easily access community events, social activities and local businesses.

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 Virginia has awarded 36 grants and $373,736 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.