People of color make up more than 40 percent of the U.S. population, but are still vastly underrepresented in our country’s national parks,  accounting for just over 20 percent of visitors in a typical year.  That racial divide is one that National Geographic contributor James Edward Mills, author of The Adventure Gap, is working hard to bridge, both through his outdoors writing and his role in Blackwaters: Brotherhood in the Wild, the new documentary coming to Minneapolis on May 16 as part of the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s Next Generation of Parks series.   Mills is o ..read more

Spring into the country’s fastest-growing sport at the Minneapolis parks  According to sports industry reports, the ranks of the nation’s pickleball players nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023, with nearly 9 million players who now know a dink shot from a double hit.  At least a few of those new fans got their start last season at North Minneapolis’s Folwell Park, thanks to a People for Parks Fund grant that helped provide free equipment and instruction to new players through the Folwell Neighborhood Association. You can join them this spring by checking out the growing pickleball p ..read more

With help from a People for Parks Fund grant, kayaker Devin Brown is committed to getting more paddlers of color into the current. Devin Brown was visiting Minneapolis during the Aquatennial festival more than a decade ago when she fell hard for one of the region’s natural wonders. “That’s when I first met the Mississippi River and I was just taken aback,” she says. “There was something different about the way she vibrated.” Captivated by the river, and by parks that make it easy to access, Brown pulled up roots in her native New Jersey and transplanted herself to Minnesota, where she’s becom ..read more

For the Carlson Family Foundation, improving access to parks is an investment in youth development. In study after study, parks have been shown to have a host of health benefits for young people, like building the social glue that holds friendships and families together to create a sense of belonging, lowering stress and anxiety, and improving mental health and memory. But, according to the Trust for Public Land, excellent parks and green spaces are not nearly as accessible to youth from low-income neighborhoods. Here in Minneapolis, kids growing up in low-income neighborhoods have access to n ..read more

ORGANIZATION SUMMARY Minneapolis Parks Foundation is about fulfilling the almost limitless potential that great parks and inspiring public spaces have in building stronger connections between neighbors, fostering better outcomes for kids, driving economic opportunity for all, and even helping cities find new solutions to our most challenging problems from inequality to climate change. Founded in 2003, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation is an independent, donor-supported nonprofit organization that transforms human lives through parks and public spaces by aligning philanthropic investment and com ..read more

Transforming North Commons ParkLargest Investment in a Minneapolis City Park Ever, a Community Vision Is Being Realized Minneapolis, Minn. – An iconic neighborhood park and a natural gathering place for North Minneapolis families, North Commons Park is getting ready to serve the next generation with exceptional youth programming, inviting green gathering spaces, and innovative places to play and connect on common ground. This month, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation is proud to announce the official launch of Transforming North Commons Park, a $20 million capital campaign in partners ..read more

This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below: Password ..read more

Questions and answers with Jocey Hale, the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s interim executive director: An avid cyclist, swimmer and long-time parks supporter, Jocey Hale says not a day of her life in Minneapolis goes by without connecting to parks. Whether she’s biking over miles of trails and pathways on her way to work, diving into Bde Maka Ska and Cedar Lakes for her habitual end-of-day swim, or heading out for a bracing winter walk along Minnehaha Creek, the Minneapolis park system is interwoven into her favorite hours of the day.  “In my mind, the city of Minneapolis IS the parks sys ..read more

Thanks to you, 2023 was a great year for get-togethers and growing support for our parks. Here are some 2023 Highlights & Reflections we’re excited to share! Minneapolis residents have countless  reasons to be proud of their parks–and parks supporters like you deserve a good deal of the credit. Since the Minneapolis parks got their start more than 140 years ago, strong community support has been one of the reasons we’re hailed as one of the best park systems in the nation, with miles of shoreline, trails, and iconic treasures, and great programs that bring us together on common groun ..read more

January is a month rich with potential. It provides us reason to reflect on successes of the past year and a chance to anticipate the year ahead – and for the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, this January is also a time for celebration and change. In 2023, we accomplished a lot on behalf of our parks, including successfully advocating for additional state and local funding, advancing a bold vision for the North Commons Park expansion, investing in collaborative, community-led park projects and programming through our People for Parks Fund, and supporting improvements throughout the citywide park ..read more