Austin Parks Foundation (APF) is pleased to announce our latest ACL Music Festival Grant awards to parks across Austin! So far this year APF has granted a total of $85,500 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 …
We did it! FY25 City Budget includes big wins for parks funding
THANK YOU! Thanks to all of our efforts, Austin City Council voted in favor of a FY25 Budget that includes 16 new full-time positions for park maintenance, 4 new full-time positions for homeless encampment response within park maintenance and the creation of a land acquisition fund! This is a major win in our effort to ensure that we have a …
Support Increased PARD Staffing in our City Budget
Austin Parks Foundation and other outdoor organizations are sensitive to the nature of this budget year being tight and have respectfully limited our PARD budget ask to the most pressing, equity-centered and community-supported needs. Like in years past, PARD’s most pressing need for the FY25 budget is adequate staffing to maintain parks, recreational and cultural centers, and pools. We ask …
Rosewood Neighborhood Park + Central Texas Juneteenth Park Festival
Rosewood Neighborhood Park: a place to gather, play, laugh and learn. The history within the park is evident with the Henry G. Madison Cabin and beautiful artwork on the Eastlink Pillars. All of these factors played into Daniel Thomas and Antony Jackson taking it upon themselves to adopt Rosewood Neighborhood Park in March. Both Daniel and Antony, grew up in …
32 Years of People + Parks
We’re celebrating 32 years of People + Parks🎉 “In 1992, park advocates, recreationalists and environmentalists came together to raise community awareness of the parks in Austin. Many long-time Austinites had seen the city’s park system deteriorate in recent years. The Austin Parks Foundation was born.” That’s from our first Report to Contributors that went out in 1996. This was our …
ACL Music Festival Funds in Action
On May 13th, C3 Presents announced that the 2023 Austin City Limits Music Festival generated $8.1 million dollars for Austin’s parks. C3 Presents COO, Emmett Beliveau, and Austin Parks Foundation CEO, Colin Wallis, were joined by PARD Director, Kimberly McNeeley and council members from District 4, José “Chito” Vela; District 5, Ryan Alter; District 8, Paige Ellis; District 9 Zohaib …
April Volunteer Highlight
Each month, Austin Parks Foundation hosts multiple volunteer projects, and it can be difficult to keep up with sharing their impact. So, we’re doing a round-up of all our April volunteer events – from corporate volunteer projects to the Bioblitz – and sharing their impact! Take a look: April 5: The University of Texas at Austin’s American Society of Mechanical …
Adopt-A-Park – Rosewood Neighborhood Park
It’s National Volunteer Month! This April, we’re celebrating all of our fantastic volunteers, and shining a special spotlight on the newest Adopt-A-Park group: Rosewood Neighborhood Park. Daniel Thomas and Antony Jackson have hit the ground running with various park activations at Rosewood Neighborhood Park. In March, they hosted volunteers for a park cleanup and offered sports activities for kids.
Volunteer of the Year – Lisa Sledge
It’s the most wonderful time of the year: National Volunteer Month! This April, we’re celebrating all of our fantastic volunteers, and shining a special spotlight on our 2023 Volunteer of the Year, Lisa Sledge. Lisa is a longtime park adopter with APF and an advocate for accessibility and inclusion in parks through her work with Friends of Therapeutic Recreation …
Project Playback: Pomerleau Pocket Park
Earl J. Pomerleau Pocket Park is Austin’s newest two-acre park in District 4. The concept plan for Pomerleau Pocket Park was adopted and developed in 2019 by Austin Parks Foundation (APF), in coordination with Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD). The park opened to the public in July 2023. The design and construction of this project was funded by ACL …