The AARP® Purpose Prize® award is a national award in the United States that celebrates people 50 and older who are using their life experience to make a difference.
Donor Name: AARP
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Awards and Prizes
Deadline: 02/28/2025
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Details:
Through the Purpose Prize award, AARP celebrates the creativity, innovation, and inspiration that life experience brings. Up to five winners who have founded a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) non-profit organization will win $75,000 for their organization to honor the winner’s achievements.
Topics
- Public health (protecting and improving the health of people and their communities by addressing healthy lifestyles, nutrition, disease prevention, mental health, addiction, maternal health, etc.)
- Caregiving and caregiver resources (support for vulnerable populations and the people who care for them)
- Hunger (food insecurity, waste, distribution, etc.)
- Financial health (financial stability, resilience, economic opportunity, etc.)
- Rethinking the workplace (jobs, work environments, alternative approaches)
- Affordable housing (safe, well-managed, and affordable housing and services)
- Homelessness (addressing the needs of the homeless population)
- Civic engagement and community development (helping people be active participants in building and strengthening their communities)
- Social connections (reducing isolation among vulnerable community members)
- Arts and culture (using art and culture as tools to engage communities in positive change)
- Intergenerational work (opportunities for different generations to come together to share their experience, knowledge, and skills)
- Education (school- or community-based programs that help children attain educational goals)
- Youth development (programs that are not school-based that serve the needs of vulnerable children and teens)
- Diversity, equity and inclusion (improving the representation, fair treatment and experiences of underserved populations)
- Peace and security rights (establishing or preserving justice and equality by peaceful means)
- Veterans (providing services for veterans, advocating for veterans’ rights, empowering veterans)
- Environmental issues (combatting the challenges facing the planet)
- Animal protection (ensuring animal welfare, promoting animal companionship with vulnerable populations).
Examples of current supports include one-on-one leadership coaching for founders, data and evaluation consulting, succession planning, prospectus development, social media and branding support, and more.
Eligibility Criteria
- You will be 50 years of age or older at the application deadline
- You are the founder or cofounder of your organization
- You started the organization for which you are applying at the age of 40 or older
- You still have an active role in the organization
- You are a legal resident of the fifty (50) United States or the District of Columbia
- Your organization is a Section 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) non-profit exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(a) of the Internal Revenue Code or a project fiscally sponsored by a 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) non-profit organization
- Your organization’s principal place of business is in the U.S. (though its work might be international in scope)
- Your organization’s work is not exclusively religious.
For more information, visit AARP.