Age Friendly City Grant Applications Being Accepted

A grant program is looking for project submissions to help make cities and towns in Washington state and nationwide friendlier to people of all ages and can be developed quickly. AARP is back for a second year with the Community Challenge grant program. Last year, nearly 90 projects were funded, including a Renton proposal that turned parking spots into mini-public spaces and a Seattle "hackathon" where participants developed apps to help aging residents. Executive vice president of AARP Nancy LeaMond sees the program as a laboratory for ideas that might eventually spread to other towns.

"When we meet with mayors of towns and cities, one thing they always say is they love to be the second to do something, which means they love to steal ideas and adapt them to their own locales."

LeaMond is in Seattle Thursday hosting a "Pecha Kucha" – a fast-paced presentation-style developed in Tokyo. It will focus on age-friendly communities. The Pecha Kucha begins at 6 p-m at the Seattle Central Library.

This year, AARP is focusing on three areas for community grants: accessible transportation, vibrant public spaces and affordable housing, although LeaMond adds that ideas can tackle any issue in a city or town. She says the grant program provides an opportunity to break down bigger issues communities are facing.

"I think people tend to kind of think, 'Oh, this is too big to be tackled. It's going to require too big an investment.' What we're seeing is that cities are able to identify smaller steps to take to build to these broader goals."

Last year, the organization allotted $780,000 dollars in grants. The deadline for applications is May 16th and all projects must be completed by November 5th. It's open to nonprofits and government entities, although other organizations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.