Posted on November 7, 2012

Grantmakers In Aging Launches Initiative to Promote 'Age-Friendly' Communities

In partnership with the Pfizer Foundation, Grantmakers In Aging has announced the launch of a $1.3 million initiative to help communities in their efforts to become "age friendly."

The Community AGenda initiative will support local groups in five communities in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, and Missouri as they work to provide amenities for an aging population. Each community will receive $150,000 to invest in a range of projects, including transportation and infrastructure, health and social services, and cultural activities and public spaces.

Participating communities must raise an amount equal to one-third or more of their grant in matching funds to launch various age-friendly activities. Those activities include an effort to address transportation challenges such as neighborhood walkability for seniors in Atlanta; exploring zoning, policy, and development incentives with the potential to create an age-friendly Lifetime Community District in Bloomington, Indiana; and preparing large employers to hire more older adults in Florida's Miami-Dade County.

The initiative will use the remaining $550,000 to assess the work being done by its local partners, inspire similar community-based activities across the country, and spur greater interest in age-friendly community development among national and regional funders.

"The aging of America's population is one of the most important trends of the twenty-first century, with tremendous implications for our future, our health, our economy, and our quality of life," said Pfizer Foundation president Caroline Roan. "By partnering with Grantmakers In Aging, we believe we can promote health and wellness, advance the important national conversation around aging, and help our communities take tangible steps to prepare for these huge demographic changes."