This spring, Park Pride announced its largest grant cycle in history: $2.3 million for capital improvements to local parks!
Established in 2004, Park Pride’s Grantmaking Program awards funding to community groups seeking to revitalize their neighborhood greenspaces. It is designed to support Friends of the Park groups taking on larger projects as they grow and develop capacity, offering awards from $250 to $100,000 or more.
All smiles and tail wags at the newly renovated Freedom Barkway in the Old Fourth Ward during a ribbon-cutting celebration in May! The dog park’s renovation was supported by $104,000 in grants from Park Pride.
The Grantmaking Program is special. Because project proposals are community-driven and supported, the park improvements funded are guaranteed to meet the community’s unique needs. Park Pride has awarded over $12.7 million through this program to date, funding projects that include new playgrounds, bridges, ADA-accessibility upgrades, kiosks and signs, trails, exercise equipment, community gardens, green infrastructure (such as rain gardens), art installations, and much more. Our bottom-up approach responds directly to residents’ hopes and desires for their neighborhood park.
Beyond its size, what makes this year’s slate of grant awards noteworthy is its emphasis on equity—60% of the allocated funds will benefit parks in low-income communities, building upon Park Pride’s efforts to make great parks a reality in every neighborhood.
The Grantmaking Program is generously supported by the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, the City of Atlanta, and others.
Park Pride’s Executive Director, Michael Halicki (right), shares a photo with Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens at a ribbon cutting at Pittman Park in July which celebrated the installation of a new basketball court, supported by a $105,000 grant from Park Pride.
The City became the program’s most recent funder in late 2021 through legislation adopted unanimously by Atlanta City Council. Mayor Andre Dickens, too, shares Park Pride’s commitment to a vision of an Atlanta where every community has access to a great park. “Every neighborhood in our city deserves access to quality greenspace, regardless of income or zip code. With this historic slate of grant awards from Park Pride, we will make progress on that goal,” he said. “I believe our parks have the ability to establish community connections and the power to shape and define the character of our neighborhoods. I am honored to continue building our strong partnership with Park Pride.”
Follow the link below for the list of award recipients and the projects funded through this grant cycle are shared below. We look forward to enjoying all the improvements and new amenities coming to parks across the city!