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CAPACITY FUND GRANT

2022 Round


Get funding for your community group’s ideas and efforts to improve New York City’s parks from our Capacity Fund Grant. If you are an active community group supporting an NYC Parks property in any of the five boroughs, you may be eligible to apply for a small grant of up to $3,000 for park projects and supplies including events, tools, and outreach materials.  

Application deadline: Monday, January 24th, 2022 at 12 pm, NOON                                      

Earliest notification of decisions: Late May 2022                                                                        

Request an individual consultation here.

 

Overview

The Partnerships for Parks (PfP) Capacity Fund Grant provides up to $3,000 to strengthen the outreach, membership, and program-planning capacity of community groups who care for their neighborhood parks in all five boroughs of New York City.

  • This grant is seed money for volunteer-run groups working with PfP who do not have existing staff, are new to the grant application process, and/or have limited budgets. 
  • This grant covers outreach and materials for projects or programs that cultivate long-term stewardship and activation of green spaces. It can also cover general promotional materials for groups and their activities and costs related to group development, such as 501(c)(3) filing fees or volunteer training for groups who demonstrate more advanced fundraising capability and have a history of working with PfP.

Timeline

  • Application deadline: Monday, January 24th, 2022 12:00 pm Noon. 
  • Earliest notification of decisions: Late May 2022.
  • All submissions must be received by 12:00 PM on the due date. 

Getting Started

The application process should not begin with submitting the proposal. Below are some ways to prepare:

  • Speak with your GreenThumb or Partnerships for Parks outreach coordinator or Catalyst organizer to discuss your project and your group’s goals. If you don’t know who your outreach coordinator is please contact us here. 
  • Register for an individual consultation to discuss your group’s specific proposal questions with the grants team.
  • Attend and/or watch a recorded Capacity Fund Grant info session.

Eligibility 

Who is eligible?

  • Community groups proposing projects for any NYC Parks property throughout the five boroughs (i.e. Greenthumb gardens, parks, playgrounds, natural area trails, street trees, and greenstreets).
  • Groups who lead projects or programs that engage their community, expand the group’s capacity to serve as long-term stewards of green spaces, and are free and open to the public.
  • Applicants are not required to have 501(c)(3) status, but if groups are not 501(c)(3) organizations or do not have an outside fiscal sponsor, grant funds can only be accessed by reimbursement or paid invoice directly to vendors through an account with City Parks Foundation.
  • Volunteer-run groups who have annual budgets less than $15,000 and are working in historically under-resourced areas are prioritized.
    • Organizations with larger budgets up to $50,000 must be currently working with PfP in order to be eligible. 

We do not fund: 

  • Individuals.
  • Projects not on NYC Parks property.
  • Equipment such as computers, printers, laptops, or tablets.
  • Fundraisers or materials that will be sold for profit.
  • Capital improvements to parks.
  • Staff time. It is our expectation that the programs we fund will be run primarily by volunteers. Exceptions are made for outside consultants such as educators or performers who provide a needed service or expertise and intern stipends when projects provide meaningful youth employment related to parks.
  • Local travel.
  • Overhead costs like rent, general liability insurance, utilities, etc.
  • Work at flagship parks (i.e Central Park, Prospect Park) and/or well-established large nonprofit conservancies with dedicated staff and funding.

Criteria 

Funding decisions will be based on: 

  • Equity and community served. Priority will be given to groups who are located in Environmental Justice Areas or are supporting neighborhood NYC Park spaces that are in historically under-served communities.
  • Strategic alignment. The project aligns with the priorities of the grant as outlined, building the capacity of community groups. The proposal demonstrates a clear and timely community need. Community groups who have a long-term commitment to their neighborhood park and/or street trees will be prioritized. Program/service providers using the park as a venue for a one-time event will not be given priority.
  • Feasibility: The intended outcomes or results of the proposal are feasible considering the activities and resources. The project has approval from NYC Parks. 
  • Budget: The project budget is reasonable considering the activities of the proposal.
  • Partnerships: Established relationships with NYC Parks, Partnerships for Parks, City Parks Foundation, and/or Greenthumb and a long-term commitment to stewardship. Participation in and/or leading an It’s My Park project is strongly advised.

Eligible Expenses 

Examples of eligible expenses include:

  • Tools, equipment, and field supplies for small physical improvements or beautification projects.
  • Events and programs that bring new audiences to the park and encourage sustainable involvement.
  • Materials for arts and culture programming (e.g., art and musical programs, crafts workshops) or wellness/fitness programming (e.g., yoga, walking groups, meditation circles). 
  • Personal protective equipment.
  • Outreach materials such as newsletters, banners, posters, postcards, or bulletin boards.
  • Consultants/instructors.
  • Plants and gardening materials such as mulch and compost.
  • 501c3 filing fees (groups who have received a previous Capacity Fund Grant are eligible).

Examples of past grantees include:

  • Friends of Travers Park in Queens received $2,000 for plant materials for park and street trees, quarterly newsletters, flyers, postcards, and banners to increase membership and volunteer efforts.
  • Brooklyn’s Coney Island Beautification Project was awarded $2,000 for multilingual flyers, a rainwater irrigation system, plants, and 501(c)(3) filing fees.
  • Friends of St. Mary’s Park in the Bronx received $1,500 for a cultural nonprofit group to perform in the park, community visioning materials, and flyers and posters for advertising.

More Information 

  • Expect to hear about the funding decision roughly twelve weeks after the deadline. Please be available during the review period to answer follow-up questions. 
  • Grant-funded projects and activities may only begin after awards are announced. 
  • Grant activities must be completed within one year of receiving the award.
  • Grant funds must be spent and a final grant report submitted upon completion of the project, no more than one year after receiving the grant.
  • Groups who receive grants may reapply one year after their award date, but must have completed and submitted a final report for all previous grant activities.

Credit language:

Generous private support for Partnerships for Parks is provided by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, TD Bank, the New York Community Trust, Altman Foundation, the Greenacre Foundation, and the MJS Foundation. Presenting sponsor TD Bank.

For more information 
For information or to register for a consultation, visit www.partnershipsforparks.org
or email the grants team at Grants@cityparksfoundation.org.