By Maria Saporta
On the eve of its annual conference, Park Pride announced a $12.8 million capital campaign – its first-ever multi-year comprehensive effort.
The “Parks for All” campaign highlights several key points:
- In its 34-year history, Park Pride has earned the respect of top funders and the City of Atlanta – both the administration and City Council. All those entities that have stepped up to support Park Pride and the campaign.
- Park Pride’s focus on equity has emphasized granting of dollars to park groups in lower-income communities.
- The pandemic has reinforced the importance of parks and green space to the well-being of residents.
- The commitment by the philanthropic community in parks and green space now puts the spotlight on the City of Atlanta to recommit increased funding for maintenance and operations – areas that foundations are reluctant to support.
“Coming out of the pandemic, we are doing some of our best work,” said Michael Halicki, Park Pride’s executive director for nearly a decade. “We are meeting the moment where people have come to appreciate the importance of parks where they live. Our mission is to engage communities to activate the power of parks.”
Michael Halicki, executive director of Park Pride, makes a toast at a reception the night before the 2023 Parks & Greenspace conference. (Photo by Kelly Jordan.)
The first major campaign gifts came in 2021. The Robert W. Woodruff Foundation gave Park Pride its largest grant to date – $3 million. The City of Atlanta followed suit with $2 million to go to parks in lower-income communities.
Since then, Park Pride has been in a quiet phase of fundraising.
“We have already secured $8.5 million, nearly 70 percent of our goal,” said Kristy Rachel, Park Pride’s board chair, at the 22nd annual Parks & Greenspace conference on March 27 at the Atlanta Botanical Garden.
Rachel also noted that Atlanta’s 2022 ParkScore index jumped up 22 spots in one year to No….
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