If you’re like me, most of your conversations in the last week begin with a nod to the changing season, longer days and the warming weather mixed with a “glass is half full” note about the likelihood of more cold and snow. That’s spring in Minnesota; as reliable as the emergence of crocus, tulips and daffodils.

Much like the joy sparked by a bulb planted last fall, I am excited to watch the new People for Parks Fund emerge this Spring. This month we announced the first grant cycle of the new People for Parks Fund, which was established last year when we combined with People for Parks and formed a new People for Parks Fund Advisory Committee.

As a long-serving Minneapolis organization, People for Parks helped deliver more than $2 million in philanthropic support into the Minneapolis park system over 40 years. Building on that legacy, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation and People for Parks decided over the past year that the time was right for the two organizations to become one.

Through the People for Parks Fund of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, we will annually direct community-initiated grants into the Minneapolis park system.  Guided by the newly constituted People for Parks Fund Advisory Committee, grants will be given to help good ideas gain traction and engage wider and civic engagement through our parks.

The guidelines and grant proposal can be found by following this link. Proposals can be found in Spanish and Somali in hopes of engaging a wider reach of people who love and use Minneapolis parks. Our goal is to align giving with the guiding themes that animate the work of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation while giving momentum to projects and activities that might otherwise not gain traction. This year, we’ve budgeted up to $35,000 to be distributed through the People for Parks Fund. We hope you’ll help spread the word and encourage groups or organizations who are activating our parks to apply.

As sunnier days beckon and as civic life re-emerges this spring, we look forward to hearing from the community ways in which parks enrich our lives, and through the People for Parks Fund we hope we can contribute to new ideas that reactivate our parks and reconnect us to each other.

Featured Image Courtesy of Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.