NYC GREEN RELIEF & RECOVERY FUND ANNOUNCES $845,000 IN GRANTS TO ADDRESS SYSTEMIC WEAKNESSES IN THE STEWARDSHIP OF THE CITY’S PARKS AND OPEN SPACE SYSTEM

 

Funding will support public awareness, green infrastructure program models, funding challenges, and more

The NYC Green Relief & Recovery Fund -- a growing alliance of foundations and corporations -- announced the selection of 8 new grant recipients through a competitive funding opportunity. The NYC-focused organizations will receive $845,000 in grants ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 to raise awareness of the critical importance of NYC’s parks and green spaces, while supporting needed systemic changes in the open space stewardship sector. The Fund is being administered by City Parks Foundation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted how essential open space is for the health and well-being of our communities, as well as stubborn inequities in their funding, accessibility, and maintenance. And with climate change intensifying, the City’s green spaces will become increasingly critical infrastructure, especially for the lower-income communities at greatest risk from heat waves, floods, and other extreme weather events. The nonprofits awarded grants will be addressing a range of systemic challenges and stubborn threats facing the open space system.  

At the request of the NYC Green Fund, the Central Park Conservancy’s Institute for Urban Parks looked closely at the major challenges facing parks and open space in New York City [see literature review here]. This research and subsequent discussions with practitioners informed the review and selection process for this funding opportunity.  

Projects supported: 

• Gowanus Canal Conservancy: Awarded $100,000 to develop a collaborative approach to green infrastructure maintenance
• Municipal Art Society of New York: Awarded $70,000 to advocate for a unified approach by the government to managing and planning for open space in New York City
• Natural Areas Conservancy: Awarded $125,000 to identify alternative funding sources for natural area restoration and management
• New Yorkers for Parks: Awarded $100,000 to build a broad multi-sector coalition and educate the public and policy makers on existing acute park issues, showing how parks and park development go hand in hand with social and environmental justice, public health, climate resilience, affordable housing, and economic development and the public realm.
• North Brooklyn Parks Alliance: Awarded $50,000 to support North Brooklyn Open Space Coalition's district wide open space planning and platform creation in Brooklyn’s Community Board 1
• South Bronx Unite: Awarded $75,000 to spearhead the Mott Haven-Port Morris Waterfront Plan and promote environmental justice policies valuing green space 
• The Trust for Public Land: Awarded $200,000 to conduct an economic benefits study of parks in NYC and initial analysis of funding options other than city tax dollars
• Waterfront Alliance: Awarded $125,000 to provide a pathway for NYC to open its waterfront lands to the communities that need them the most

Because the need is so great, we encourage those interested in supporting this work to donate now to The NYC Green Fund or contact NYCGreenFund@cityparksfoundation.org for more information.