City Parks Foundation Offers Winter Events
The City Parks Foundation is offering a variety of free and ticketed events across New York City's five boroughs this week. The programming includes theater, film screenings, family activities, dance performances, and music concerts held in city parks.
- Founded in 1989, the City Parks Foundation is a nonprofit that partners with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation to provide free and low-cost programs in more than 320 parks across all five boroughs. - The foundation's programs reach over 278,000 New Yorkers annually, with a focus on under-resourced neighborhoods. - While known for its extensive summer programming, the foundation offers year-round activities, including puppet shows at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre and winter events like guided tours of park flora. - For corporate engagement, the "It's My Park" program organizes team-building volunteer projects for companies, with activities ranging from gardening and painting to shoreline cleanups. - The organization has a focus on data and impact assessment; for instance, the NYC Green Relief & Recovery Fund, which the foundation is a part of, has utilized an impact assessment tool to guide its grant-making in low-income and minority communities. - Major corporate partners have included Capital One, Nike, and Lacoste, who sponsor various programs such as the SummerStage performing arts festival and youth sports. - In addition to arts and culture, the foundation runs extensive free sports programs, including tennis, golf, soccer, and track and field, which serve over 7,100 children and 600 seniors annually. - The foundation's environmental education programs, such as Seeds to Trees and Learning Gardens, connect thousands of students to their local ecosystems through hands-on STEM learning.
