Glitzy urban parks projects have drawn fire for fueling gentrification and playing to the tastes of the donor class. As funders mobilize behind Philadelphia’s own High Line, they’re looking to avoid mistakes made elsewhere.
Read MoreWorried about urban equity? Or obesity rates and public health? Or environmental education for young people? Grantmaking for parks is a way to achieve a range of goals. We look at what’s happening in Austin.
Read MoreUrban redevelopers often ran freeways through low-income neighborhoods in the 20th century, destroying communities. Pittsburgh is using a park to help repair connections, with foundations pitching in.
Read MorePerhaps no city has benefited from the surge in regional philanthropy more than Houston. We dig into a huge gift to Houston Zoo and the various factors contributing to the city's emergence as a philanthropic power center.
Read MoreAtlanta’s got some major parks philanthropy in the works, but there’s also a modest grantmaking program doing the overlooked work of helping neighborhoods spaces in need. What's the lesson?
Read MoreIn another example of philanthropic experimentation in Detroit, a program backed by Kresge is funding local groups to turn vacant lots into neighborhood assets. What can other cities learn from this effort?
Read MorePhilanthropy has played a key role in Atlanta’s embrace of green spaces. A new project to expand one of its most popular parks will raise 80 percent of its funds from private donors. Are there any downsides?
Read MoreThe latest grocery funder that we’ve gotten to know is the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation, which is based in Phoenix. One of its priorities is educating kids about food.
Read MoreWith Pier 55’s dead end, a billionaire with big plans for a public park seems to have finally gone too far. What should cities and donors learn from its collapse?
Read MoreThe Pisces Foundation has been building out niche green programs in water infrastructure, climate pollutants, and now, environmental education. Its leaders explain what Pisces is up to.
Read MoreThe Walton Family Foundation is a major grantmaker for national and global environmental work, but this funder also has a big local presence in Arkansas, where it supports parks and greenspace.
Read MoreA plan to cap a stretch of highway and reconnect Philadelphia to its waterfront has been in the works for decades. It’s now very close, thanks in part to a $15 million grant.
Read MoreQuite a bit of parks philanthropy has a personal connection. Such history explains why the McCormick Foundation in Chicago recently gave big for a suburban park.
Read MoreAdd Austin to the list of cities where foundations are backing prominent downtown parks projects. How's the usual public-private formula working out in this case?
Read MoreIn this new golden age of parks philanthropy, we keep coming across more donors who are putting this issue front and center in their giving. Here's another interesting case.
Read MoreThe James M. Cox Foundation is known as a big parks and gardens funder around Atlanta, and a new $2 million commitment further solidifies its position.
Read MoreCan crowdfunding and participatory grantmaking offer a community-led way to make parks and other civic projects come to life, without big donors calling the shots? The firm Patronicity thinks so.
Read MoreEvidence keeps rolling in that urban parks are a favored cause among today's top givers. The latest major donor in this space is hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin.
Read MoreOne top priority of this organization is promoting new public-private partnerships with an eye toward improving LA's 450 parks.
Read MoreOK, so 2016 wasn't fantastic. But it wasn't all bad, and philanthropy backed exciting grassroots movements, city projects, and sustainable development work, to name a few bright spots.
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