The Minneapolis Parks Foundation recently secured a $3 million gift from an anonymous donor to support Transforming North Commons, the $20 million capital campaign committed to creating a next generation park in North Minneapolis. 

“We are thrilled this project is resonating so much with our donor community,” says Jennifer Downham, MPF’s Chief Development Officer. “With nearly 12,000 kids living within walking distance of this park, the community need is great, and the concept design is very compelling to supporters.”

What else has been happening with the Parks Foundation’s highest priority project? Here’s a look: 

New Playground: In anticipation of the upcoming renovation, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board finished work on a new playground at North Commons that will be accessible throughout the construction process, which is expected to begin in spring 2025. “It’s a fantastic playground with a huge play structure and inclusive features for all ages and abilities, children and adults,” says Downham. “Completing this playground ahead of major park construction is also an important way to show the community and the immediate neighborhood that even larger improvements are on the way.”

New Funding: With a new $45 million budget, MPRB recently allocated an additional $10.3 million from its Capital Improvement to make the North Commons renovation a reality. 

In addition to the recent $3 million anonymous donation, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation recently welcomed Center Point Energy to the campaign for North Commons with a $20,000 grant. Now with $4.7 million left to fulfill the campaign’s $20 million goal, MPF is looking forward to announcing new challenge gift opportunities in the year ahead to keep the private fundraising momentum rolling. 

Cultivating Excitement: To build awareness and support for Transforming North Commons, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation has hosted dozens of donor tours and house parties through the summer and fall aimed at educating Minneapolis residents and park lovers about the plans for this historic renovation. “With civic leaders and policy makers in the room, the community is seeing this is a really important project [that will bring new amenities to North Minneapolis],” says Shawn Lewis,  the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s Community Relations Manager. Lewis has been meeting one-on-one with community leaders from across North Minneapolis to get the word out and build support for this iconic neighborhood park. 

Building Community Through Art: The facade of the renovated North Commons Park Field House will feature a public art gateway to be created by Roger Cummings and Chango Cummings, both from North Minneapolis’s Juxtaposition Arts. The $200,000 commission is just the start of the public art opportunities made available to local artists, whose selection for several interior mural projects will be announced in the weeks ahead.

Activating Youth Voices: As part of the project, MPF and MPRB have created the Youth Council, a team of about 20 young adults who’ve been gathering regularly to learn about what it takes to build a thriving neighborhood park. “Seeing how these processes work is a way of showing young people how they can be part of other decision-making processes in their worlds,” says Bdot, a North Minneapolis neighborhood organizer and community-builder who helps facilitate these youth gatherings. “It’s giving them confidence to see that they can contribute to a team in that way, and bring their skills and assets as a person into these spaces, so they can then apply them to other spaces, too.”

Contractor Open-House Events: Increasing the participation of North Minneapolis, minority and/or women-owned businesses is one of the goals of the North Commons construction phase. In October, MPRB hosted two open-house events to welcome contractors interested in participating in the project, and keeping a significant portion of the project’s $45 million investment in the community. 

To stay up to date on our progress toward Transforming North Commons, visit northcommons.org, and be sure to follow the Minneapolis Parks Foundation on all of our social media channels: LinkedIn & Facebook: Minneapolis Parks Foundation — Instagram: @mplsparksfoundation