Get a grant to fix up your church's community space

The National Fund for Sacred Places is providing technical and financial support for congregations to repair or improve the functionality of their community spaces. To apply for the grant, the space must have been originally built to be a house of worship and owned by a faith community; the congregation must be at least three years old; the property must possess historical, cultural, or architectural significance; and the congregation must be community-minded and serve nonmembers, among a few other considerations.

Apply by: March 3, 2025

AARP is offering three grant opportunities ranging in size and scope depending on the work. Grants range from $2,500 to $25,000 on the following themes:

• Creating vibrant public places that improve open spaces, parks and access to other amenities.

• Delivering a range of transportation and mobility options that increase connectivity, walkability, bikeability and access to public and private transit

• Supporting a range of housing options that increases the availability of accessible and affordable choices

• Increasing digital connections and enhancing digital literacy skills of residents

• Supporting community resilience through investments that improve disaster management, preparedness and mitigation for residents

• Disaster Preparedness Training: Implement disaster preparedness training programs and resources for residents, especially those age 50-plus, with support from SBP and using the AARP Disaster Resilience Tool Kit.

• Walk Audits: Implement walk audit assessments to enhance safety and walkability in communities, especially for people age 50-plus, with support from America Walks and using the AARP Walk Audit Tool Kit.  

• Bike Audits: Implement bike audits to enhance safety and bikeability in communities, especially for people age 50-plus, with support from The League of American Bicyclists and using the AARP Bike Audit Tool Kit.  

• HomeFit Guide Modifications: Implement education, simple home modifications and accessible safety solutions to create and maintain “lifelong homes,” especially for people age 50-plus, with support from the RL Mace Universal Design Institute and using the AARP HomeFit Guide.

• Enhancing pedestrian safety by creating safer streets and sidewalks, with a focus on people age 50-plus, with funding support from Toyota Motor North America.  

• Expanding high-speed internet (broadband) access and adoption, with a focus on people age 50-plus, with funding support from Microsoft.

• Reconnecting communities divided by infrastructure, with a focus on people age 50-plus, as highlighted in the award-winning AARP Livable Communities article series Before the Highway.

• Implementing housing design competitions that increase community understanding and encourage policies that enable greater choice in housing, with a focus on people age 50-plus, by using the AARP Housing Design Competition Tool Kit.

Apply by: March 5, 2025

Learn more here

Get $30k to help your community rethink how to talk to each other

The JAMS Foundation and National Association for Community Mediation  have teamed up to give communities a two-year, $15,000 a year grant to get better at talking. Community leaders can use the money to teach conflict resolution skills and start productive conversations around issues of concern in their communities.

Apply by: February 24, 2025

Learn more here