The Purpose Prize® from chonors extraordinary people who put their purpose into action to support AARP’s mission of empowering people to choose how they live as they age.
Donor Name: AARP
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes
Deadline: 05/01/2026
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Grant Duration Not Mentioned
Details:
An applicant’s organization should work primarily on issues that support AARP’s mission of empowering people to choose how they live as they age. Each applicant will be asked to identify one of the following issue areas that best describes their work:
- Public health (protecting and improving the health of people and their communities by addressing healthy lifestyles, nutrition, disease prevention, brain health, etc.)
- Caregiving and caregiver resources (support for vulnerable populations and the people who care for them)
- Financial security (financial stability, resilience, economic opportunity, leveraging public benefits, etc.)
- Work and jobs (jobs, work environments, alternative approaches to workplace practices)
- Civic engagement and community development (helping people be active participants in building and strengthening their communities)
- Social connections (reducing isolation among vulnerable community members)
- Intergenerational work (opportunities for different generations to come together to share their experience, knowledge, and skills)
- Diversity, equity and inclusion (improving the representation, fair treatment and experiences of underserved populations)
- Veterans (providing services for veterans, advocating for veterans’ rights, empowering veterans)
- Fraud and scam prevention (identifying, deterring, and reducing fraudulent activity)
- Livable communities and housing (ensuring people 50-plus have safe and affordable housing and
- livable communities that include transportation options and public spaces).
Funding Information
Up to five winners will receive $75,000 and a year of organizational support from AARP to grow the impact of their nonprofits.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants must be legal residents of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia, who are at least fifty (50) years old as of May 1, 2026, and who founded the Founded Nonprofit or the Founded Project for which they are applying and still have an active role in the organization or with the project. Applicants must have founded (a) a Founded Nonprofit , with its principal place of business located in the United States that is in good standing in its state of formation and exempt from federal income tax under section 501(a) the Internal Revenue Code at the time of applicant’s submission and throughout The Purpose Prize Contest selection process or (b) a Founded Project with its principal place of business located in the United States, and with a Fiscal Sponsor with its principal place of business located in the United States that is in good standing in its state of formation and exempt from federal income tax under section 501(a) the Internal Revenue Code at the time of applicant’s submission and throughout The Purpose Prize Contest selection process. Founders of affiliates or chapters of existing non-profit organizations are not eligible to apply. Officers, directors, and employees of Administrator, its subsidiaries, affiliates, advertising/promotion agencies, and/or their affiliates, assigns, agents, vendors or representatives (hereinafter referred to collectively as “Administrator & Others”), and all other persons or entities associated with the development, administration, judging, promotion, execution of The Purpose Prize Contest are not eligible to apply. AARP-appointed volunteers (e.g. AARP State Presidents and Regional Volunteer Directors) and staff and their immediate family members are not allowed to apply. Former AARP-appointed volunteers and staff and their immediate family members may apply only after a seven (7) year grace period. Additionally, past Purpose Prize and AARP Purpose Prize winners, past fellows from the previous two (2) years of AARP Purpose Prize classes, current AARP or AARP Foundation grantees, elected officials, individuals whose Founded Non Profit/Project is exclusively religious or sectarian, individuals that work for organizations that share a board member with AARP and members of the same household and immediate families (e.g. parents, children, spouse, siblings) are not eligible. The Purpose Prize Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and is void where prohibited.
Judging Criteria
The judging will consist of four (4) rounds:
- Round 1 (Applicant round) all eligible applications reviewed; up to 100 candidates selected to move forward
- Round 2 (Candidate round) up to 25 semi-finalists selected to move forward
- Round 3 (Semi-Finalist round) up to 10 finalists selected to move forward
- Round 4 (Finalist round) the Jury (defined below) interviews all finalists and selects up to five (5) Grand Prize winners and one (1) Special Award winner with final approval by an AARP Executive.
For more information, visit AARP.
