Updated 3/8/2023: Deadline has been extended to March 24, 2023!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Local nonprofits, government agencies, and community groups are eligible for funding from $55,000 available this year for community-grown, equitable activities and events in Minneapolis parks

Minneapolis, Minn. – The Minneapolis Parks Foundation is seeking applicants for its 2023 round of People for Parks Fund grants. The People for Parks Fund Advisory Committee authorized $55,000 for distribution in 2023, the largest annual distribution in the grant program’s three-year history. Applications are due by March 15, 2023.

The People for Parks Fund exists to advance under-supported projects and programs in Minneapolis parks and serves as the catalyst for connecting community-driven ideas and funding that nurture stewardship, community, and enjoyment of Minneapolis parks. The Parks Foundation first introduced the grant program in 2021, and in just the first two years has granted over $80,000 for 15 projects and activities, including youth swimming and snowboarding lessons, bird watching for BIPOC adults, Slow Roll community bike rides, and Afro Cardio/Yoga classes, and much more. Stories from these grantees can be found on Common Ground, the Parks Foundation’s blog.

“Over its first two years, People for Parks Fund grantees have demonstrated that supporting community vision can truly transform lives,” says Tom Evers, Executive Director of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation. “We’re excited to see and support the imaginative and powerful ideas local organizations and groups have for meeting the immediate and unique needs of our city’s diverse neighborhoods and communities.”

About the 2023 Grant Cycle
The 2023 People for Parks grant period is June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024. Most grants will be between $1,000 and $10,000 and will be awarded to 501c3 and 501c4 organizations, government entities, community groups, and others that have a fiscal agent. Applicants can submit their applications February 21-March 15, 2023, via MplsParksFoundation.org/PFPFund, where formal Grantmaking Policies & Criteria can also be found. Applications and FAQs are available on the website in English, Spanish, and Somali. Applicants will be notified about their status on or around May 8, 2023.

In evaluating grant applications, the Fund’s Advisory Committee will prioritize alignment with the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s “guiding themes,” especially equity and cultural inclusion, as well as resilience to climate change, community health and wellbeing, connections to the natural world, and economic vitality.

Origin of the People for Parks Fund
The People for Parks Fund carries forward People for Parks’ 42-year legacy of supporting community-grown parks projects. Founded in 1977, People for Parks identified and directed $2.5 million to Minneapolis parks through grant making, fundraising events, and fiscal agency. Its work included support for the Lake Harriet Bandshell rehabilitation, Wabun universal access play area (the first of its kind in Minneapolis), and the nature playscape at North Mississippi Regional Park, as well as numerous neighborhood park projects throughout Minneapolis.

About the Minneapolis Parks Foundation
Since 2003, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation has raised more than $28 million for transformative parks and programming in Minneapolis by aligning philanthropic investment and community vision. Today, the Parks Foundation champions equitable investment in Minneapolis parks through the new Reimagine North Commons partnership, and the RiverFirst Initiative, through which it was responsible for private fundraising and implementation of the Water Works and Great Northern Greenway River Link projects. The Parks Foundation also supports community-based parks projects with the People for Parks Fund, and explores the intersection of parks and today’s most pressing issues by presenting the Next Generation of Parks™ Event Series. Learn more or make a gift at MplsParksFoundation.org.

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Featured image (clockwise from top left): Slow Roll/Cultural Wellness Center (MPF), Urban Adventures (MPRB), Urban Bird Collective (UBC)