COMMUNITY IMPACT
Learn more about leaders from around the state who are making Minnesota a great place for us all to age.
CURRENT GRANTEES
Download summaries on the exciting work underway with Age-Friendly Minnesota grants!
A LETTER FROM THE CHAIR
My Fellow Minnesotans,
Thanks to the prior support of the Minnesota State Legislature, our Age-Friendly Minnesota Council and community partners are working hard to invest in powerful public and private partnerships that engage older people and our communities in advancing the social, economic, environmental and lifestyle changes needed to influence health and longevity for us all.
Now in our second round of grantmaking, the work of our grantees is making Minnesota a better place for us all to grow older. I invite you to learn more about their efforts. Keep reading!
Sherrie Pugh, Chair
Age-Friendly Minnesota Council
GRANTS BY REGION
STATEWIDE REACH
72% of applications were funded and grantees span all regions of the state, including several statewide projects and efforts for multiple counties. In total, 56 counties and 7 tribes are specifically represented in this first round of grants.
GRANTEE PROFILES
The 91 grantees include 56 non-profit organizations (such as faith communities, foundations and school districts), 18 cities (including 8 with populations under 1,000), 13 for-profits, two counties, and one Tribe.
GRANTS BY COUNTY
TYPES OF GRANTS
Grantees are working on a variety of different projects, such as
14
targeted community planning efforts,
14
that are investing in outdoor spaces,
10
investing in buildings,
9 in developing new services or programs,
6 engaged in broad community planning efforts, as well as
6 targeting housing,
6 working on social connection,
6 efforts to develop new systems, as well as
5 capacity-building efforts,
4
vehicle purchases,
3 projects looking at training, and
2 projects focused in the arts.
Learn more about these programs below.
FOCUS ON DEIA
The Age-Friendly Minnesota Council is committed to making sure that diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are core to the foundation of our grantmaking. Grants awarded serve a diversity of communities. For example, you'll see our work span Hmong, SE Asian, and Korean communities or in projects that seek to target challenging issues like hearing loss, vision loss, and mobility.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Connection with the community was a core strength of many grant projects, with grantees prioritizing opportunities to listen to older Minnesotans to help shape more responsive, inclusive initiatives. Highlights included:
- Active Community Input: Listening sessions and conversations helped surface real needs and priorities.
- Broad Collaboration: Grantees partnered with non-profits, city departments, schools, faith groups, and local leaders to deepen impact and share resources.
- Intergenerational Connections: Programs that brought different age groups together fostered mutual understanding and stronger community bonds.
In addition, efforts helped ensure projects were not only community-informed but community-powered:
- Inclusive Planning: Conducting needs assessments and involving a diversity of leaders
- Accessibility: Translating materials and improving physical access
- Culturally Relevant : Designing programs and services which reflect community values and experiences
These efforts mark a strong shift toward building more inclusive and representative communities for all Minnesotans as we age.

GRANT OUTCOMES
Age-Friendly Minnesota grants are sparking meaningful improvements in communities statewide. Key outcomes include:

- Enhanced Quality of Life: New and expanded programs improving daily life through enhanced access, and engagement.
- Improved Infrastructure: Grants supported upgrades to community spaces, making them more accessible and age-friendly.
- Focus on Equity: Many projects prioritized historically underserved groups, with emphasis on American Indian elders, immigrants, low-income Minnesotans, people with disabilities, and rural residents.
- Transportation Solutions: Several initiatives addressed transportation barriers through community needs assessments and a focus on accessible transit options.
- Stronger Social Connections: Projects reduced isolation by creating social events, intergenerational activities and opportunities for community.
Taken together, these collective efforts are buding more inclusive, connected, and age-supportive communities across Minnesota.

GRANT HIGHLIGHTS
EXPANDED ACCESS
- City of Gibbon improved park sidewalks, making outdoor spaces safer and more accessible for people of all ages.
- City of Winona upgraded entrances to recreation facilities, enabling independent access for those with mobility devices.
- City of Red Wing enhanced boating access to the Mississippi River for individuals with mobility challenges
STRONGER SOCIAL CONNECTIONS
- American Indian Family Center hosted gatherings at the Elder's Lodge to strengthen community bonds.
- Friends & Co held statewide Community Conversations — including their first in Spanish — leading to a new partnership with DARTS for Spanish-speaking older adults.
- YMCA of Worthington created a welcoming social hub for older citizens and youth, promoting belonging and reducing isolation.
RESOURCES AND SUPPORTS
- ConnectAbility of MN expanded its Donated Equipment Program, distributing over 2,040 ($312,000) mobility and medical items.
- ElderCircle launched a local resource and referral platform, simplifying access to aging services.
- Family Service Rochester developed an online Aging Guide for Olmsted County, helping residents navigate support options.
DATA-DRIVEN PLANNING
- City of North Oaks led a Community Visioning Project, resulting in an action plan for a more inclusive, age-friendly city.
- Loppet Foundation created an Age-Friendly Action Plan through robust community engagement.
- Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce conducted a thorough assessments to guide future initiatives.
MEETING COMMUNITY NEEDS
- Hearts & Hammers provided critical home repairs for low-income senior homeowners, improving safety and stability.
- Aitkin Public Schools opened their Woodshop and Fab Lab to all ages, creating an intergenerational experiences in a rural area with limited community space.
- Upper Sioux Community purchased a wheelchair-accessible van, ensuring elders and people with disabilities can reach medical and essential services.
- City of Hilltop began development of a new emergency tornado shelter, addressing a vital safety need for the most vulnerable residents living in manufactured homes.
EMPOWERED VOLUNTEERS AND STAFF
- Aging Services for Communities saw a surge in homemaker recruitment after redesigning their website with an inclusive focus.
- Care Resource Connection developed practical training on guardianship, healthcare directives, and supported decision-making, boosting professional capacity.
UNEXPECTED BUT MEANINGFUL IMPACTS
- FiftyNorth discovered that improving outdoor spaces also deepened member ownership and engagement.
- Sunshine Initiative brought Hmong elders and youth together for intergenerational projects that continue to resonate and grow in the community.
UNEXPECTED LEARNINGS
Grantees are uncovering several valuable and sometimes surprising insights during project implementation, including:
- Positive Ripple Effects: Many reported unexpected benefits like increased social interaction and stronger community ownership and engagement.
- Deeper Understanding of Community Needs: Projects revealed key challenges faced by older adults, such as transportation and technology access, as well as language and cultural barriers
- Flexibility is Essential: Grantees highlighted the need to adapt—especially for projects involving construction or shifting community dynamics.
- Need for Sustainability: Some initiatives exposed a demand for additional resources and long-term funding beyond the grant.
- Cultural Competency Matters: Many learned the importance of fostering inclusive, culturally aware environments.
- Support Was Key: Technical assistance from Age-Friendly Minnesota was seen as a vital resource for success.
GRANTEE FEATURES
AGE-FRIENDLY NATURE RESOURCE CENTER
Nature enriches lives at every age, offering important benefits to our health and well-being. Minnesota's Multisector Blueprint for Aging calls on us to explore public spaces for all ages and all seasons, such as age-friendly parks or programming that connects us to the abundant nature around our state. We invite you to learn more about the work underway by some of our Age-Friendly Minnesota community grantees to enhance our access to nature as we age.
LEARN MORE
MINNESOTA GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY
As the leading interdisciplinary, membership-based organization supporting education, research and practice in the field of aging, hundreds of MGS members gathered for their 2025 conference under the banner "The Future is Age-Friendly."
Spanning a virtual day and an in-person day, the sessions featured age-friendly innovations from across the state of Minnesota.
LEARN MORE
WONDERLUST PRODUCTIONS
Based on true stories and featuring performances from a mix of actors and real caregivers, the production brings forward the unseen and undervalued labor of caregiving.
As an Age-Friendly Minnesota grantee, Wanderlust Productions is offering sold-out shows for their production Thank You For Holiding: The Caregiver Play Project.
As the culmination of two years of intereviews and story circles involving nearly 150 caregivers from a diverse mix of communities across the twin cities, this productuion explores questions of what community looks like, and how as a society we care.
For over a decade, Wonderlust has used their creative design process to help complex communities share and connect through stories. This production run is October 18 - November 3, 2024.
LEARN MORE
Keystone Community Services worked to develop a community engagement approach for the Karen, Latino, and Ethiopian/Eritrean communities. They worked to identify barriers, perceptions and insights to make improvements in their older adult programs and events. With an Age-Friendly Minnesota grant and the help of consultants, translators, and key staff, they took great caution in extrapolating findings for these communities through community dialogue sessions and individual interviews. Participants reported feeling honored that Keystone valued their insights and in having their voices influencing future decisions. Valuable recommendations included ideas for enhanced social and recreational activities, addressing transportation barriers, the accessibility and affordability of programs, improved awareness and outreach, enhanced cultural competency and inclusivity, tailored supports and services, and accessible gathering spaces.
KEYSTONE COMMUNITY SERVICES
Ensuring cultural relevance and building authentic and enduring relationships with under-represented community members.
LEARN MORE
The group Cycling Without Age Alexandria proved they could make a lot of impact from a little seed funding. With a modest $9,100 Age-Friendly Minnesota grant, they kickstarted efforts to bring trishaw bikes in from Denmark. With a cost of $10,000-15,000 per bike, our grant wasn't enough to launch the effort, but that support got partners like
Big Ole Bike Club
and
Alexandria Mountaineers
to the table to help raise a total of $61,379.96 and get their region moving! Their effort included 12 pilots that included 140 volunteer pilot hours, 8 support volunteers, and 300 hours of administrative volunteer hours.
They're going places!
FRIENDS & CO
"We are excited to report that based on initial program data, a stunning 97% of participants reported that their experience in Community Conversations was worthwhile."
As an Age-Friendly Minnesota grantee, Friends & Co held Community Conversations at 11 locations across the state, including their first Spanish-speaking event. Conversations in Spanish revealed specific needs of older adults, and in response, Friends & Co. partnered with DARTS to pilot Café, Pan y Conexión - an initiative providing Spanish-speaking older adults with new opportunities for connection, and helping communities drive their own solutions for reducing isolation throughout the metro.
An additional five more conversations are planned by end of June 2024, including a series engaging members of the LGBTQ+ community. In June, overall findings will be summarized into an open report that can inform programming throughout Minnesota.
LEARN MORE
First-time grant writer Renee Ehlenz submitted an Age-Friendly Minnesota grant application, and teamed up with Prairie Eco-Links, a local environmental advocacy group that she is a part of, as well as the Lac qui Parle Soil and Water Conservation District, Heather Nursery, and the Youth Eco Solutions team for planning and planting efforts.
In this city of about 1,500 in western Minnesota, hundreds of trees had been lost over the years to disease and storms. Now, thanks to this modest grant, 150 new trees have been “adopted” by residents, local organizations, and businesses. Through a gorgeous planting day, community members came together to share knowledge, work together in service of strengthen community bonds and build new intergenerational relationships!
LAC QUI PARLE SOIL & WATER CONSERVATION DISTRICT/CITY OF MADISON
Spearheaded by an older resident, the city of Madison planted 150 large new trees through an intergenerational community project.
BACKGROUND
Learn more about our Technical Assistance Grants.
Learn more about our Community Grants.
Do you want to share your story? Contact Adam Suomala to schedule an interview.
Do you have questions about Age-Friendly grants? Contact Age-Friendly Minnesota.
To learn more about Age-Friendly MN Council work, including our grants and priorities, visit our full website.
