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HIGHLIGHTS
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Citywide Parks Network Last summer, NYC Parks & City Parks Foundation launched a joint initiative, the Citywide Parks Network (CPN), harnessing “the power of park partners.” Building on a strong foundation of over 550 community groups and larger organizations supporting parks across our city from Partnerships for Parks and the Parks & Open Space Partners coalition, the mission of the CPN is to strengthen the work of these groups and organizations so our parks thrive. The goals of the CPN are to create a network linking community groups and organizations of all sizes dedicated to parks, champion their work, build their capacity, and make their work easier by streamlining processes to care for and activate our parks. After the first Citywide Parks Network Exchange, a meeting between key decision-makers from NYC Parks, City Parks Foundation, affiliated nonprofit conservancies and stewardship organizations, and community groups in all five boroughs, NYC Parks has committed to the following: 1) Hosting special event permit workshops in all five boroughs in February and March which will include an overview of the process, information about insurance, sponsorships, and fees, and a Q and A and feedback session. 2) Developing an FAQ for the NYC Parks website based on feedback at these workshops. 3) Creating different levels of insurance requirements, so they are better matched to the type of activity the event involves. 4) Conducting assessments of the NYC Parks borough permit offices to make them more efficient. 5) Adding additional staff to help make the event permit process easier to navigate. We look forward to providing regular updates from the Citywide Parks Network Exchange in the coming months as we work together to keep our parks clean, green, and thriving! |
COMMUNITY EVENTS
Environmental Enrichment and Leadership for Students (EELS)
The Bronx River EELS Internship is a 12-month paid internship program that helps students dive into an environmental science career path. Interns will first participate in hands-on lab activities, spend their academic year going in depth in topics and working with a research mentor. An opportunity to be a paid summer peer mentor for an additional 2 months may be offered at the end of internship. Participants earn up to $3,600 in stipends over the course of the program, and college credit through CUNY Lehman College.
Date/Time: Application Deadline: February 3, 2025
Location: River House, Bronx River Alliance 1490 Sheridan Blvd, Bronx, NY 10459
More info: Bronx River EELS Application
Contact: education@bronxriver.
Records Workshop
Looking for practical, cost-effective solutions for maintaining your garden’s history and materials? Join NYBG’s Reference Archivist, Ashley Aberg, for a hands-on workshop designed to help you develop practical, budget-friendly strategies for archiving and stewarding your garden’s materials and records. Unlike traditional archives that separate materials from their creators, community archives keep knowledge and resources within the community. This ensures your garden’s unique history is preserved and shared on your terms. Whether you're part of a garden or a community organization, you'll learn accessible techniques to safeguard important documents and resources without overextending your budget.This 35-minute session will be followed by a Q&A to address your specific questions and challenges.
Date/Time: Tuesday, February 6, 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location: Online
More info: Register Here - Community Archiving of Garden Materials and Records Workshop | New York Botanical Garden
Contact: bronxgreenup@nybg.org
Volunteer Garden Workday at Karol’s Urban Farm
Join the Karol's Farm crew and Castle Hill Houses community members for a weekly produce distribution and volunteer workday! Even during the winter, the farm needs care.
Date/Time: Fridays, February 7, 14, 21, 28 • 11:00am – 1:00pm
Location: Karol’s Community Farm, Havemeyer & Lacombe Avenue, Bronx
More info: Email for more info
Contact: bronxgreenup@nybg.org
Foragers gathering
Join the Foodway Team in hosting a regional convening shaped for foragers, land stewards, and communities interested in foraging and access to public edible landscapes! Connect with regional foragers, share practices and values, name challenges, and consider solutions, all to envision a new citywide foraging policy.
Date/Time: Saturday, February 8, 2025 11:00AM to 2:00PM
Location: River House, Bronx River Alliance
1490 Sheridan Blvd, Bronx, NY 10459
More info:
Contact: foodway@bronxriver.
Join us for our February Foodway Team Meeting as we elect our new team co-chairs and discuss the what’s on the horizon for the year.
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 12, 2025 5:30PM to 6:30PM
Location: Virtual
More info:February Foodway Team Meeting
Climate Change and The Bronx
Join Horticulturists and Naturalists Jason Bonet and Bernie Conway as they break down the basics of what is Climate Change and how it relates to the changing Bronx environment. Learn about natural archives, current climate data and how the Bronx environment is being specifically impacted. This workshop is a great foundation for the rest of the series, which focuses on our changing climate.
Date/Time: Tuesday, February 25, 6:00pm – 7:30pm
Location: Online (accessible to all skill levels)
More info: Registration Link
Contact: bronxgreenup@nybg.org
TRAININGS
Introduction to Fundraising Planning
Does your organization need help directing its fundraising efforts? Planning focuses your organization by setting fundraising priorities and helps give staff and board members a roadmap to success. This introductory class will provide you the basic steps for developing a fundraising plan, including tips on:
- Making your case for support
- Diversifying your organization's fundraising base
- Creating a plan of action
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Date: Thursday, February 6, 2025 from 2-3:30pm
Link: Enroll here!
Introduction to Measuring Your Impact
Your nonprofit does great work, but what is most important is the impact of that work. How do you demonstrate that your programs get results? An outcome-centric approach will lead to stronger program design and increased funding opportunities for your organization. In this introductory course for beginners, learn the basics of shifting focus from your nonprofit’s activities to its outcomes. We will demystify the language of outcomes measurement and guide you through the process of creating logic models for programs.
This course will prepare you to:
- Draft SMART objectives for a program
- Identify the parts of a logic model
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025 from 2-3:30pm
Link: Enroll here!
Nonprofit Leaders Speak on Mastering High-Impact Volunteer Engagement
Research has shown that Black nonprofit leaders face unique challenges, particularly in securing adequate funding for their organizations. A study by Candid found that nonprofits with Black CEOs are more likely to have smaller revenues than those with white CEOs, and Black leaders didn’t really need that study to know this was the case.
Despite the challenges Black nonprofit leaders face, they are still working to meet the needs in their communities. These leaders use knowledge, partnerships, and ingenuity to get the work done because they are passionate about the role they play in the world.
As part of Candid’s "Nonprofit leaders speak on..." series, join us to discuss managing an impactful nonprofit that relies on volunteer support. Attendees will gain valuable insights and leave with actionable strategies for building a thriving nonprofit with volunteers playing an essential role.
More webinars in this series will be posted soon, so stay tuned!
Outcomes:
- Meet three Black-led nonprofits and learn about their work
- Identify the varied ways to recruit, train, and manage volunteers
- Understand the systems and processes to devise a volunteer strategy
- Recognize the gaps in philanthropy, how these leaders fill them, and what we can do as champions of good work to help close gaps
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025 from 2-3:30pm
Link: Enroll here!
Ask Me Anything: Finance Playbook for Nonprofits
Most nonprofit leaders will agree that doing impactful work is rewarding, but hard. It’s hard to find time to do everything on your list, it’s hard to find good board members, it’s hard to raise money…and the list goes on. Managing a nonprofit can be even harder when we don’t understand one of the most essential parts of running any business: finances.
In this webinar, you'll get practical insights to simplify and strengthen your nonprofit’s fiscal stability. You’ll gain a clear understanding of key accounting principles and tools that drive nonprofit financial success. You’ll also learn effective budgeting, expense tracking, and forecasting to support long-term growth and stability.
Join Torin Darling Brazzle, Founder of IGNITE! Alabama and a 26-year Nonprofit Professional, alongside CPA Jasmyn Montgomery, as they share proven strategies, actionable tips, and practical templates to help simplify financial management and strengthen your nonprofit.
Why attend?
- Real-world solutions: This isn’t just theory—expect practical tools and actionable strategies you can implement immediately.
- Interactive and engaging: No endless slides—this will be an informal, conversational session where your questions take center stage.
- Expert advice: Gain insights from seasoned professionals with proven experience in nonprofit financial management.
- Templates and resources: Walk away with templates and an instructional video to help make your nonprofit financial planning, management, and reporting easier.
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Date: Thursday, February 27, 2025 from 2-3:30pm
Link: Enroll here!
GRANTS AND RESOURCES
Daily Grants
The Pollination Project offers seed funding of up to US$1 thousand to compassion-driven individuals, informally organized groups and organizations, and formally registered or incorporated non-profit organizations based anywhere in the world. Topics for projects include education, clean water, afforestation, animal advocacy, and many others.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Link: Learn more
The Resiliency and Recovery Fund
The Resilience & Recovery Fund (RRF) will provide fast, small one-time grants of $1,000 to support grassroots volunteer responses to natural disasters, pandemic, humanitarian crises, or similar emergent events. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and existing TPP grantees in good standing who have not previously received RRF funding are eligible to apply.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
Link: Learn more
Gardens for the City Program
Is there a community space in your neighborhood you’d like to see transformed? If so, apply for NYRP’s help. NYRP provides support for projects of various scales — from building a few vegetable beds to large-scale restoration work. NYRP helps provide materials, horticultural knowledge, environmental education, and construction expertise in order to help create community gardens and accessible landscapes in under-resourced neighborhoods.
Deadline: Applications accepted on a rolling basis. (Due to the high volume of applications, all future GFTC inquiries will be considered for 2026.)
Link: Learn more
The Awesome Foundation
The Awesome Foundation is a global community advancing the interest of awesome in the universe, $1000 at a time. Each fully autonomous chapter supports awesome projects through micro-grants, usually given out monthly.
Deadline: Reviewed monthly
Link: Learn more
For questions or concerns, contact your borough community engagement coordinator:
Robert Madera | Bronx Community Engagement Coordinator
Community Districts: 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12
718.430.1815 | Robert.Madera@parks.nyc.gov
Ashley Santos | Bronx Community Engagement Coordinator
Community Districts: 1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 11
718.430.4667 | Ashley.Santos@parks.nyc.gov
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