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Atlanta – June 20, 2016 – Park Pride has announced that 15 community groups in Atlanta and DeKalb have received grant awards to fund capital park improvements. To date, Park Pride has awarded over $4.1 million to projects that include new playgrounds, land acquisitions, bridges, improved signage, new trails and exercise equipment, and more.
Park Pride its introduced matching grant programs in 2004, offering awards of varying amounts to groups seeking to revitalize their community greenspaces. Award recipients receive matching funds through three distinct grants: Legacy Grants (up to $100,000), funded by the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation; Community Building Grants ($2,500-$50,000), funded by The Home Depot Foundation; and Small Change Grants (up to $2,500), funded by the Cecil B. Day Foundation.
Park Pride’s Associate Director, Allison Barnett, expressed appreciation of the program’s funders, stating, “Our funders truly believe in the power of parks to strengthen communities. It’s because of their support that community groups are able to make positive changes in their neighborhoods through park improvements that can be enjoyed by all.”
Ayanna Williams, Park Pride’s Director of Community building responsible for the nonprofit’s Friends of the Park Program, commends members of the community for their dedication to improving their neighborhoods greenspace. “These groups recognize how needed these park improvements are, and go to great lengths to raise the required matching dollars for Park Pride’s grants,” Williams said. “Communities will host neighborhood-wide yard sales, sell calendars featuring neighborhood pets, and organize larger fundraising galas. In most cases, the communities aren’t just raising money, but their actually strengthening the community fabric through this shared effort for their park.”
2016 Legacy Grants
Park Pride awarded Legacy Grants (ranging from $40,000 to $100,000) to six community groups. These grants are only available to groups within the City of Atlanta. Legacy Grants have been awarded to:
- The Friends of Springvale Park to expand the playground with a toddler play area, sensory garden and ADA pathways, as well as enhance the space with new landscaping and hardscaping.
- The Grant Park Conservancy to restore the historic Milledge Fountain and renovate the Cherokee-Milledge Plaza.
- The Friends of Mountain Way Common to create a multi-use concrete perimeter loop trail connecting to the newly constructed pedestrian bridge.
- The Friends of John Howell Memorial Park to install green infrastructure amenities to slow, disperse and absorb rainwater, reducing the demands on urban infrastructure and supporting a healthy water table.
- The Friends of Ormond-Grant Park to add an interactive rain garden / bioswale, a new access point to the park and enhance the park’s landscaping.
- The Adams Park Foundation to complete Phase III renovations to the park, including a new splash pad, renovations to the pool and seating area improvements.
2016 Community Building Grants
The Home Depot Foundation provides $150,000 in support to Park Pride’s Community Building Grants, which are available to community groups located in both the City of Atlanta and DeKalb County. Six grants (ranging in size from $3,500 to $50,000) were awarded to:
- The Friends of Chapel Hill Park (DeKalb County) to install a new fishing pier on the park’s lake.
- The Friends of Channing Valley Park (Atlanta) to improve park safety by installing an ornamental fence along a busy road.
- The Ansley Park Beautification Foundation (Atlanta) to create a hard-surface walkway at Winn Park providing access to the playground for strollers, tricycles, wheelchairs and visitors of all ages and abilities.
- The Friends of Pendergrast Park (DeKalb County) to begin development of the newly acquired greenspace with a trail system and the addition of picnic tables, a bench swing, a bike rack and trash bins.
- The Friends of Sibley Park (Atlanta) to restore the original park entrance and trail, and also add a stone overlook terrace and stone steps into the park.
- The Friends of Frazier-Rowe Park (DeKalb County) to enhance access to the park with an ADA accessible loop trail and stairs connecting sections of the park, and add a water fountain and irrigation.
2016 Small Change Grants
With the support of the Cecil B. Day Foundation, Park Pride’s Small Change Grants (up to $2,500) fund small improvements that have big impacts on park beautification. Awarded quarterly, the following community groups have received Small Change Grants in 2016:
- The Friends of Anderson Park to enlarge their community garden beds, build a pathway from the parking lot to the garden, and install a rain catchment irrigation system.
- The Friends of Whittier Mill Park to hire sheep to graze and eradicate invasive plant species the park.
- Capitol View Community Garden to build 34 new garden beds, install a compost bin, and beautify the garden entrance.