Helping Communities Work

Helping Communities Work is a grass roots coalition of AARP members, volunteers and other advocates formed to align and advance nonprofit capacity-building, national service, sustainable development and community reinvestment. We focus on opportunity zones and other economically-distressed areas across the United States.  

We leverage national service funding, large bank deposits, community impact bonds, grants and donor-advised funds in order to cultivate a fertile landscape for place-based impact investing. We also foster creative placemaking, which facilitates collaborations among thought-leaders in government, education and industry, along with the arts and culture, nonprofit and philanthropic communities. 

Our sustainable development objective is to help achieve the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals through a framework that can be aligned with ESG investment initiatives. We promote livable cities and communities and incorporate 169 social, economic and environmental impact targets. The goals also promote racial equity, peace and justice. https://sdgs.un.org/goals  

We support the AARP Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities. AARP and its members and partners provide cities, towns, counties and states with the resources required to become more age-friendly by tapping into national and global research, planning models and best practices. 

We align the AARP Livable Communities initiative with other innovative and diverse AARP, national service and community reinvestment programs. The process supports age-friendly, health-conscious communities. We also facilitate the construction of technology-assisted workforce housing, affordable housing for older adults and essential housing, which serves those who earn between 60% and 140% of area median income (AMI). https://www.aarp.org/livable-communities