
Park Pride is bringing the green! This year, the parks nonprofit has awarded over $3M in grants for 23 community-led park improvement projects across the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County.
“At the start of the Parks for All Campaign, we set a goal to invest 60% of our grantmaking resources to support park improvements in historically disinvested neighborhoods, and we’re proud to have continued this commitment for the fourth year,” Park Pride President & CEO Michael Halicki said.
Park Pride is an Atlanta-based nonprofit that engages communities to activate the power of parks. Over the last three years of the Parks for All campaign, Park Pride has committed to advancing park equity so that all Atlantans have access to a great park – regardless of age, race, ability, income or zip code. Using a data-driven approach, Park Pride meets communities where they are by ensuring that the park projects reflect their needs and desires.
This round of park investments is supported through a combination of private and public funding, made possible through Parks for All and City of Atlanta councilmembers.
“I’m very excited about the projects for this year! We’ve been intentional in shifting our process to provide more one-on-one support for groups looking to apply, creating more impactful projects that amplify communities’ needs and desires for their parks,” Park Pride Director of Grantmaking Kayla Altland said. “Our Grantmaking Program is about more than just capital improvements to parks. It’s a partnership that involves Friends groups, parks departments, elected officials, funders, as well as Park Pride board and staff, to create great parks for all to enjoy.”

“As a result of our long-standing relationship with Park Pride, many communities have realized the parks and greenspaces they envision for their community,” City of Atlanta Department of Parks & Recreation Commissioner Justin Cutler said. “Through this public-private alliance, DPR’s goal to invest in equitable park improvements and create new parks within the city’s greenspace infrastructure is being achieved in every quadrant of the city, one park at a time.”
One of the 2025 grant awardees is Four Corners Park, a nearly five-acre park nestled in Peoplestown that’s home to the Rick McDevitt Youth Center, a playground, pavilion, two basketball courts, grassy fields and a community garden. The grant will fund a new playground, pavilion and walking path, which were included in the comprehensive park plan that was created in collaboration with the Park Pride Visioning team, the Friends of Four Corners Park and the Peoplestown neighbors.
“We are very excited about this opportunity to see that our park, Four Corners Park, will prevail from our vision. This is real now. Our park will be enhanced, with major improvements made and an expansion of our green space to meet the needs of our neighborhood. We give a big thanks to Park Pride for making this happen in the Peoplestown neighborhood,” said Columbus Ward with the Friends of Four Corners Park and Peoplestown Revitalization.
Established in 2004, the Grantmaking Program was created with support from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation and The Home Depot Foundation, with additional funders joining more recently including the City of Atlanta.
Keep an eye out for park improvements coming to a greenspace near you!
2025 grant awards
- A shade structure will be installed over the basketball court at A.D. Williams Park.
- Armand Park will receive new picnic tables, a drinking fountain and a seesaw on the playground.
- New bleachers will be installed by the tennis courts and the multi-use sports field at the Ben Hill/William Walker Recreation Center.
- Families will enjoy a new playground at Biffle Park.
- Center Hill Park visitors will benefit from wayfinding signage.
- Visitors at Chosewood Park will enjoy amenities near the new playground, including benches, a custom picnic table, a water fountain and trashcans.
- Cleopas R. Johnson Park will feature a new walking path, along with improvements to gathering areas and the entrance on Northside Drive.
- Visitors at Deerwood Park will enjoy inclusive play equipment.
- Emma Millican Park will benefit from trail improvements and wayfinding signage.
- Four Corners Park will feature a new playground, pavilion and walking path.
- Visitors at Huff Linear Green will have fun with climbable play mounds and bocce ball.
- Families will enjoy a new playground at John Howell Park, which will be installed in a new location.
- Lake Claire Park will feature a new gathering space by the tennis courts.
- Kids will be thrilled to try out the new playground at Peachtree Hills Park.
- The Sarah Lowery Memorial Garden will be established at Pittman Park, along with improvements to the area surrounding the pool.
- Lower Paul Park (Riverwalk Atlanta) will feature a pavilion and community gathering space.
- Thomasville Park has received additional funds to supplement an inclusive play project.
- Additional funds have been awarded to Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill for an existing project to create a children’s play and learning space near the garden.
- New picnic tables will be installed at Walker Park.
- Zonolite Park will benefit from wayfinding signage and garden improvements.
- The Friends of Ella Mae Wade Brayboy Memorial Park, Friends of Empire Park and the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance with the Outdoor Activity Center have each received a Design Award to create a community-supported construction design. Next year, each group can apply for a grant with accurate cost estimates and a ready-to-implement design.
To learn more about Park Pride grants, click here.