The Grantmaking Program supports park improvement projects ranging from small beautification projects to major park renovations. Awards can be as small as $250 to over $100,000.
Park Pride’s Grantmaking Program is highly competitive and funding is not guaranteed.
What Size Grant is Right for Your Park Project?
Park Pride offers two funding paths to help make your park dreams a reality depending on the size and the scope of your desired improvement. Explore the options below for whether you’re seeking funding for small or large capital improvements for your neighborhood park.
Park Pride’s Small Change Grants help to fund volunteer-led improvements in your park. Awards range in size from $250 to $2,500 to support efforts for growing your Friends of the Park group.
Registered Friends of the Park groups in the City of Atlanta, unincorporated DeKalb County, and the City of Brookhaven can apply for Small Change Grants on a rolling basis until funds are expended for the fiscal year, which starts July 1.
Updates: The new Small Change Grant will continue to award community-led improvement projects with the added ability to fund programming activities in conjunction with the capital improvement. Small Change Grants will support Friends of the Park group engagement through community-led programming in public parks. These events will have the stated goal of engaging an audience that is not currently active in the park or with the Friends of the Park group.
Small Capital Improvements
Examples of small capital improvement projects that you can implement in your neighborhood park include (but are not limited to):
- beautification plantings
- wayfinding signage
- kiosks
- murals
- elevated garden beds
- wildlife habitats (birdhouses, chimney sweep tower, etc.)
- invasive removal
- and more!
Interested in applying for a Small Change Grant?
Reach out Avery Evans, Grantmaking Associate to discuss your proposal and begin the process.
Awards from $2,500 up to $100,000 or more are available to support larger and more transformative park improvement projects. The application process for grants of this size is extensive, intensive, and competitive.
Park Pride grants are only available to registered Friends of the Park groups in the City of Atlanta and unincorporated DeKalb County.
Large Capital Improvements
Examples of large capital improvement projects that you can implement in your neighborhood park include (but are not limited to):
- playground equipment
- exercise equipment
- tennis or basketball courts
- walking tracks or trails
- pavilions or shade structures
- boardwalks or bridges
- streambank restoration / stabilization
- and more!
Interested in applying for funding a large capital improvement?
The steps below provide an overview of the grant application process, which begins in June 2024 and ends with the announcement of awards in January 2025.
Step 1: Attend a Grant Application Info Session
Attendance at a Park Pride grant info session is mandatory for Friends of the Park groups interested in applying for a grant for a project of $2,500 or more for the 2025 grant cycle.
Attendees will walk through Park Pride’s grant application forms step-by-step, discussing all of the requirements needed to submit a complete application. Information sessions are offered on the following dates:
- Friday, May 31, 12p-1p (virtual)
- Saturday, June 1, 9a-10a (virtual)
- Monday, June 3, 7:30p-8:30p (virtual)
- Wednesday, June 5, 12p-1p (virtual)
- Wednesday, June 5, 5:30p-7p (Blue Heron Nature Preserve)*
*Note while the in-person option is open to anyone, it does not meet the requirements for groups in DeKalb
All the steps below (2-6) will be covered in detail at the information session.
Register
Step 2: Develop Project Scope
Following the grant information session, it’s time to narrow in and identify the project(s) for which you’ll seek funding. This stage involves defining and developing your project scope, researching potential vendors, and strategizing how to collect community input and feedback.
Step 3: Submit the Letter of Intent
All grant applicants will submit a letter of intent as part of the application process. A letter of intent is a proposal that describes the project and its impact on the community, as well as provides details about the means of community investment (financial, volunteer, etc.) that will support the project.
Once submitted, the Grant Review Committee will review your proposal and either:
- invite you to move forward in the grant application process,
- give suggestions on how to strengthen your proposal, or
- defer your project until a later grant cycle.
Step 4: Host a Site Visit
If your project is invited to move forward, a site visit with the Grants Review Committee in September is the next step in the application process. During this visit, you’ll share your vision for the improvements for which you’re seeking funding, answer questions about the project design and impact, share your fundraising strategy if a funding match is required, detail support from the community, share quotes from vendors, and more.
Step 5: Present to the Parks Department
A letter of support for your park project from the land owner (ie. Parks Department of your municipality) is a requirement for a completed application. To gain a letter of support, you will need to present your concept design to the Parks Department. More details for presenting to DeKalb County or the City of Atlanta will be provided at the info session.
Step 6: Submit the Application
After your site visit, the Grant Review Committee will determine whether your project is ready for funding and will make any final recommendations for your final application, which will be due in early November.
Park Pride staff will provide support to help your Friends of the Park group create the strongest possible application, but the final slate of grant awards is determined by the Grant Review Committee and Park Pride’s Board of Directors.
Final decisions for funding through Park Pride’s Grantmaking Program will be announced in early 2025.