Your support is helping fund 13 great ideas for getting Minneapolis communities closer to nature

From free swim lessons for underserved families, to fishing clinics hosted in five languages, to Somali cultural festivals, the projects funded by the People for Parks Fund are all about inviting diverse communities to discover the extraordinary park system we share. This year, the People for Parks Fund Advisory Committee selected 13 projects from around the city investing more than $58,000 in our parks. Funding is made possible with proceeds from the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s popular Posters for Parks event and private contributions from people like you. 

Congratulations to the community groups and nonprofit partners who shared the following great ideas for getting more Minneapolis parks users to explore the great outdoors:

• Using the therapeutic principles of “forest bathing,” Huellas Latinas will host a series of guided environmental experiences for the Spanish language community, teaching park users how to slow down and appreciate the wonders of nature. 
• The Mississippi Park Connection aims to make kayaking more inclusive by offering community-focused experiential kayak outings created by and for veterans, BIPOC, and LGBTQI+Pride communities.
• At Loring Park’s Juneteenth celebration, Planting People Growing Justice Leadership Institute will prove Leaders are Readers, by celebrating the genius of Black readers and authors with fun read-alouds and a big book give-away. 
• Building life-saving skills and supporting life-long fun, the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board will offer swim lesson scholarships at Theodore Wirth Park, Webber Natural Swimming Pool, Lake Nokomis, and the Jim Lupient Water Park, reducing economic barriers and drowning risks for kids of color.
• North Mississippi Regional Park’s Carl W. Kroening Nature Center’s Nature Inside Out program is building partnerships with neighboring elementary schools, teaching how nature can nurture us throughout the seasons.
• MPRB’s Department of Community Connections and Violence Prevention will host Somali Festival: Bridging Cultures, Embracing Outdoors, a community-wide celebration with Somali food, local performers, youth activities, and park program resources. 
• The Great Northern Greenway Coalition is raising community awareness about what’s possible with the growth of the Great Northern Greenway recreational trail in North and Northeast Minneapolis, connecting even more of the city through a continuous riverfront park system. 
• StartAnew is turning North Commons Park into a safe space for women impacted by incarceration and the justice system in the It’s OK 2 B U program, using the park to build community, provide mentoring, and promote continued education.  
• Linden Hills’ Minnesota Streetcar Museum wants to make Minneapolis park history more inclusive by providing American Sign Language interpreted streetcar tours, to help reach the one in five Minnesotans who are deaf or hard of hearing. 
• Teaching non-English speakers where the fish are biting is the goal of Baztec Fishing and Outdoor’s free family fishing clinics this season, catering to Spanish, Hmong, Karen, and Somali speakers. 
• Urban Bird Collective promotes outdoor access and personal healing for the BIPOC community through guided walks that teach bird identification and nature appreciation. 
• MPRB’s Pop Up Camps break down barriers to accessing traditional summer camp experiences by bringing the fun to a dozen neighborhood parks, including East Phillips, North Commons, and Whittier throughout the season. 
• And with additional help from a bequest from the estate of Mary Ann Feldman, MPRB will bring ADA accessibility to a picnic shelter at Lake Nokomis, replace barbecue grills at Nokomis Community Center and Minnehaha Falls, and convert an aging tennis court near Minnehaha Creek into a bee lawn for yoga, meditation, picnics, and playing catch. 

Created by the merger of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation and People for Parks, the new People for Parks Fund supports community-driven ideas for inviting Minneapolis residents to enjoy a closer connection to nature. Since its start in 2020, the People for Parks Fund has delivered more than $200,000 to promote the parks, remove barriers to accessing activities like skiing, snowboarding, and sailing, and bring people from diverse communities together on common ground. 

Follow the Minneapolis Parks Foundation on social media and through our Common Ground blog to learn more about what our People for Parks Fund Grantees are doing this year, and how your support can help make Minneapolis’s world-class park system even more vibrant. 

From free swim lessons for underserved families and snowboarding programs for BIPOC kids, to multi-language fishing clinics and free pickleball equipment in under-resourced parks, the People for Parks Fund helps connect diverse communities through the parks we share.