Applicants must be invited to apply. To learn how to receive an invitation, complete this brief form.

General Eligibility

  • Any community-based organization in Baltimore may apply.
  • Applicants must have a group bank account of a fiscal sponsor.
  • Projects must advance or complement neighborhood plans

Successful projects will transform, activate and/or maintain public parks and green spaces as places for communities to grow, learn, play and enjoy.  Projects must:

  • Make a positive, visible impact in the surrounding neighborhood
  • Be accessible to the public
  • Be supported by and involve community members
  • Utilize a minimum of 50 volunteer hours per year

Common project types

  • Edible gardens – projects increase access to produce in food deserts and teach residents and youth about growing and eating healthy foods
  • Pocket parks and gardens – projects provide active or passive space to enjoy nature, improve the aesthetic and environmental quality of a space, and provide wildlife and pollinator habitat
  • Outdoor classrooms – projects create spaces to bring learning outside, and provide opportunities for hands-on learning outside of a classroom
  • Recreation – projects activate parks and green spaces by creating and maintaining spaces for outdoor recreation such as fields, trails or nature play spaces, particularly in play deserts

Program limitations

Ineligible expenses include, but are not limited to:

  • Expenses incurred prior to the grant agreement starting date
  • Expenses nor directly related to the greening project
  • Money for prizes
  • Membership and ticket selling campaigns
  • Out-of-town travel
  • Deficit reduction
  • Research
  • Money for the sole purpose of buying publicity
  • Loans, fines, penalties, costs of litigation or associated interest payments
  • Projects that do not support the goals or mission of the Parks & People Foundation

2017 Eligibility

Grants will support vacant lot improvement projects. Projects in the following neighborhoods targeted by Baltimore City strategic demolition efforts will be prioritized:

  • Boyd-Booth
  • Broadway East
  • Carrolton Ridge
  • Druid Heights
  • Greater Mondawmin
  • Harlem Park
  • Penn North
  • Sandtown Winchester
  • Shipley Hill