NRPA is once again partnering with The Walt Disney Company — including Disney|ABC Television and ESPN — to celebrate Earth Month by helping to fund local park improvement projects in 16 U.S. cities. In addition, NRPA and Disney will collaborate with recreation agencies in all 50 states on a healthy living program that seeks to increase access to play and physical activity for kids and families.
From April 1 to April 30, the public will have the opportunity to vote daily online for one of three projects in 15 select cities to receive $20,000 in grant funding. Voters can also nominate a city to be entered for the chance to receive a $20,000 grant that will be used to support a local park within that community. In addition to the one nominated city, the other cities participating in the Meet Me at the Park campaign are
- Austin, Texas
- Fresno, California
- New York, New York
- Brevard County, Florida
- Hartford, Connecticut
- Orlando, Florida
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Houston, Texas
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Chicago, Illinois
- Los Angeles, California
- San Francisco, California
- Durham, North Carolina
- Miami, Florida
- Seattle, Washington
When voting concludes at the end of April, the park project with the most votes will receive $20,000 in grant funding. Similarly, the city with the most nominations will also receive $20,000. These projects include activities, such as environmental education programming, improving trails, and refurbishing playgrounds or soccer fields. In 2017, more than 300,000 people were impacted by the Meet Me at the Park Earth Month campaign.
Learn more about Meet Me at the Park and the Earth Month campaign.