Austin Parks Foundation (APF) is pleased to award our latest ACL Music Festival Grants to parks across Austin! These grants help to fund improvements and amenities identified by community members and park adopters. These grants are in addition to the millions that APF invests in our parks each year.
Using ACL Music Festival funds, APF awards two types of grants: Neighborhood Grants ($500 – $5,000) and Community Impact Grants ($5,000+). Neighborhood Grants are designed for small-scale, community-initiated park improvements while Community Impact Grants are designed for large-scale park improvements.
In addition to these grants, ACL Music Festival Funds go toward capital projects, It’s My Park Day, year-round Open Workdays and unrestricted funds for the City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department park projects.
This round of grant projects range from trail installations to new disc golf baskets and a few things in between! Take a look at what’s been completed and what’s coming to a park near you.
Completed Projects:
Neighborhood Grants
Roy G. Guerrero – Replacing disc golf baskets
Roy G. Guerrero is home to the premier disc golf facility in Austin, seeing more than 100,000 (you read that right!) rounds of disc golf played annually. The baskets at Roy G. were in need of replacement so the Hill Country Hyzers Disc Golf Club applied for a Neighborhood Grant from APF in hopes of replacing all 20 baskets (18 on-course, 2 practice).
In May, APF delivered the new baskets to Roy G. Guerrero. With help from the disc golf community, 20 baskets were assembled and installed throughout the course within a matter of hours.
“These top-tier baskets will add to the player experience for competitors traveling from around the continent.” – Xan Erwin, Hill Country Hyzers Disc Golf Club
Later this year, the course will host the National Amateur Disc Golf Tour North American Disc Golf Championship.
Upcoming Projects:
Community Impact Grants
Agave Neighborhood Park – Trail installation and updated fence line
Friends of Agave Park and the Agave Property Owners Association, Inc. applied for a Community Impact grant with APF to design and construct a six foot wide mulched trail system as well as updating part of the fence line around the playground.
Adding this trail system will address a critical need for more pedestrian and bike-friendly infrastructure in East Austin. It will improve connectivity and introduce nature-integrated recreational spaces for community engagement.
“Our goal for this project is to open up more of Austin’s natural beauty for everyone to enjoy – creating spaces where kids and adults alike can connect with the outdoors.” – Brandon Farmahini, Agave Property Owners Association, Inc.
In addition to creating a space for community, the Friends of Agave Park and Agave Property Owners Association, Inc. are committed to balancing access with preservation in helping to protect and care for these shared green spaces.
Spyglass Trailhead – Design and repair of the connection between Spyglass Trailhead and Barton Creek Trail
At one point in time, there were steps at the back of the Spyglass Trailhead that led to the Barton Creek/Violet Crown Trail. Those steps have been washed out and abandoned which led to the public creating an informal path from Spyglass to the now-improved service road to the Barton Creek Trail.
Friends of Spyglass Trailhead applied for a Community Impact Grant with APF to design and create new steps that lead to a mulched path connecting the Spyglass Trail with the Barton Creek Trail. In addition to creating this new path, the project calls for moving existing signage, removal of posts and other abandoned material from the original path as well as the removal of eroded material and revegetation of the area.
