Partnerships For Parks Has Earth, Arbor Day Grants

Partnerships for Parks, a joint program of the City Parks Foundation and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, works to increase community support for and involvement in parks throughout New York City. Founded in 1995, Partnerships works to start, strengthen, and support neighborhood park groups, to link these groups together so that they can learn from each other and become stronger collectively and to promote involvement in parks so people will join in efforts to restore and preserve them.

In conjunction with the Astoria/Long Island City Catalyst Project, Partnerships for Parks provides support for Earth Day and Arbor Day activities by offering mini-grants for projects that promote active community participation in the waterfront parks of Astoria and Long Island City on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, and Arbor Day, Saturday April 29. Projects and activities planned to take place on or around these dates should be located in the Queensbridge, Rainey or Socrates Sculpture Park, the Hallets Cove Playground, the Goodwill Triangle, Whitey Ford Field, Astoria Park, Ralph DeMarco Park or along the waterfront.

Any group is welcome to apply. Preference will be given to local Astoria/Long Island City groups with yearly budgets under $100,000 and to groups working on collaborative events. Groups should have non-profit status or a non-profit fiscal sponsor. A group that does not have non-profit status or a non-profit fiscal sponsor but would like to apply or has other questions about eligibility can contact Dawnette Roach, Partnerships for Parks Technical Assistance Coordinator, 49 Chambers Street, Room 1027 New York, NY 10007, 212-227-3626; e-mail Dawnette.Roach@parks.nyc.gov. For questions about potential projects, contact Emily Maxwell at 917-902-9165 or e-mail Emily.Maxwell@parks.nyc.gov

Grants of $100 to $500 will be made for each accepted proposal. Collaborative proposals are eligible for up to $500 per organization involved in the project. A total of $5,000 is available. Proposals received by February 1, 2006 will be given preference. Recipients will be announced by February 17, 2006. Proposals will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Call Dawnette Roach to apply after February 1, 2006. Grants will support:

• Events celebrating Earth Day or Arbor Day in parks on or around their dates. Events could include fairs, clean-ups, plantings, performances and more.

• Activities related to the waterfront as a whole that promote or highlight waterfront parks such as bicycle or walking tours, boating, or the creation of promotional materials.

• Projects that connect the mission of local organizations to the waterfront parks.

• Projects to bring citywide programming not currently occurring in Astoria/LIC to the waterfront parks in the area.

• Celebration and promotion of local parks, Earth Day, and Arbor Day in other ways that a group may see fit.

In addition to grants, Partnerships for Parks also offers tool loans and workshops for groups volunteering in parks with sufficient notice. Partnerships will create promotional materials for activities associated with this grant program.

All grantees are expected to send an organizational representative to preparatory and follow-up meetings. They are required to submit a one-page report on the activities associated with the grant and to credit the Astoria/Long Island City Catalyst Project of Partnerships for Parks on promotional materials.

Requests for Proposals should be completed and mailed to Dawnette Roach, Technical Assistance Coordinator, 49 Chambers St., Room 1027, New York, NY 10007 or e-mailed to: Dawnette.Roach@parks.nyc.gov

Grants are made possible by the generous support of the Starbucks Coffee Company. The Astoria/Long Island City Catalyst Project made possible with support from: The Altman Foundation, Booth Ferris Foundation, Saul Z. and Amy S. Cohen Family Foundation, Inc., Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, J.M. Kaplan Fund, Merck Family Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, New York City Council, New York City Environmental Fund, New York State Department of State Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, The Scherman Foundation, The Starr Foundation and Congressmember Carolyn Maloney.

The goal of the Astoria/Long Island City Catalyst Project is to activate the waterfront parks from the Hellgate to the Queensboro Bridges with vital programming and connect people to each other, to the parks and to the waterfront. The Astoria/ Long Island City Project will work with and connect local community groups to apply their knowledge of the area’s needs and desires to help program and revitalize the area’s parks. With its community partners, the project will develop specific project strategies and goals to do so.