The Denver Park Trust Celebrates Its 5th Anniversary
July 1st, 2024 marks five years since the Denver Park Trust (DPT) was founded. Today, we celebrate DPT’s partnership with residents, community leaders, Denver Parks and Recreation, and supporters. With their help, the organization has evolved from an idea to add new parks where none exist to a thriving nonprofit that works to expand equitable access to parks through fundraising for new parks and park improvements, supporting community-led initiatives, and promoting resiliency and park stewardship.
5 Years of Impact
New Parks
The Denver Park Trust is mission-driven to add new parks in historically marginalized and under-resourced neighborhoods. Parks provide residents with improved mental and physical well-being, social gathering spaces, and environmental resiliency in their communities. Through a reserve of ten percent of all unrestricted donations, the Denver Park Trust’s “Park Fund” leverages public, private and philanthropic dollars to invest in land acquisition to build parks where none exist.
$195,000 raised
1 new park funded – 4400 Pearl Street, Denver, CO 80216 (Globeville)
Status: In Progress. While the park is being designed and constructed, the Denver Park Trust is partnering with local residents and community groups to activate the space.
Large Park Improvements (Capital Projects)
The Denver Park Trust fundraises for large-scale park enhancements, also known as capital projects, like playgrounds, walking trails, and skateparks. These park amenities encourage physical activity for all ages, which helps keep Denver residents healthier and happier.
$335,000 raised
1 project complete (Natural Playground at St. Charles Place Park)
2 projects in progress (Tribute to Private Joe P. Martinez in Martinez Park, Southeast Skatepark at Kennedy Sports Complex)
Community Grants
Through its Community Grant Program, the Denver Park Trust supports community-driven park projects, programs, or initiatives that make Denver parks demonstrably better for under-resourced communities. These small-scale, high-impact projects are often overlooked by City officials but can make a huge difference in these neighborhoods. Grants include up to $5,000 in funding, along with assistance in navigating permits, additional fundraising, and building project-specific collateral.
$100,000 raised
8 projects completed
1 in progress
Do you have an idea for a small-scale park project? Learn about eligibility requirements here.
Explore Community Grant Projects Donate for Community Grants
Resiliency & Stewardship
The Denver Park Trust believes in the power of community ownership and pride in our parks. Through volunteer cleanups, Parks, Rivers, Trails & Trees (an annual city-wide park stewardship day), and sustainability initiatives, the Denver Park Trust promotes collective care of our shared public green spaces.
$96,895 value of volunteer hours contributed
1,233 volunteers activated across 62 parks
71% of improvement efforts in under-resourced neighborhoods
Learn More About Volunteering 2024 Parks, Rivers, Trails & Trees Recap
Progress Over the Years
Denver has a long legacy of investing in its parks, but they have not always been created in an equitable and sustainable way. The Denver Park Trust was created to change this.
Where We Work
Looking Ahead
The Denver Park Trust is truly humbled by the support and enthusiasm it has received from community members across the city. From park enthusiasts to neighborhood organizations to Denver Parks and Recreation staff, these partnerships are what keep driving the Denver Park Trust forward.
In May 2024, the Trust for Public land released its annual Park Score Index, ranking the top 100 city park systems in the US, with Denver coming in at number 13. While we celebrate continuously moving up (ranked 29 in 2019), we know that we can still do better. Falling short in acreage, equity, and amenities, the Denver Park Trust is dedicated to rallying public support to address these gaps, ensuring that every resident, in every neighborhood, has access to a high-quality park nearby.
In the next five years of its existence, the Denver Park Trust will continue growing, evolving, and stepping up to meet the needs of community members. Specifically, the Denver Park Trust is focused on:
1. Closing the Walk/Roll Gap
The national standard for park access states that every resident should live within a 10-minute walk or roll of a high-quality park. In Denver, 93% of residents live in areas that meet this standard, but some 70,000 residents, mostly low-income families with children, do not.
The Denver Park Trust continues to raise funds add new parks where none exists so that everyone can enjoy the benefits of public parks and green spaces.
2. Resiliency Initiatives
The Denver Park Trust is working closely with Denver Parks and Recreation’s Urban Ecology and Open Space teams to support their work of creating sustainable parks and public green spaces. Initiatives like turf conversions and planting perennials and native plants, will restore native habitats and wildlife while saving Denver thousands of dollars in water and maintenance costs in the long-term.
The Pollinator Trail is the Denver Park Trust’s initiative to connect parks, businesses, and residential gardens in an effort to increase biodiversity and support Denver’s native pollinator populations. With one third of our food supply originating from pollinators, creating a safe haven for birds, bees, bats, and butterflies is critical to a thriving city. The Pollinator Trail will be launching in the summer of 2024.
3. Collaborating with New Partners
Community engagement is at the core of Denver Park Trust’s work. Collaboration with neighborhood organizations, other nonprofits, and government agencies allows the Denver Park Trust to understand the needs of local communities and uplift their voices to City officials.
The Denver Park Trust encourages everyone with an idea for a park project, a desire to lend a hand, or resources to support this work to reach out to info@denverparktrust.org.