UW Botanic Gardens, the Arboretum Foundation, and Seattle Parks & Recreation have been selected to participate in the Central Park Conservancy’s 2022 Partnerships Lab program! The Partnerships Lab provides resources and mentorship to support urban parks through fundamental challenges and strengthen public spaces to expand environmental and community benefits. The eight-month program to teach best practices, engage in peer-to-peer mentorship and host workshops with Central Park Conservancy subject-matter experts.

“We are so pleased to welcome the seven urban park organizations that will be joining the Institute for the 2022 Partnerships Lab,” said Maura Lout, Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Parks. “Investing in urban parks and greenspaces is investing in a more equitable and climate-resilient future for all. The ongoing pandemic and increase in park-use only deepens the urgency to support the organizations that manage these essential public spaces.”

By leveraging the Conservancy’s resources and decades-long expertise, the Partnerships Lab initiative supports urban park organizations as they build capacity to maintain great public spaces. Participants receive individual coaching sessions, a customized multi-day retreat, virtual group learning, capacity-building resources, and access to a broad network of urban park peers.

The Institute collaborates with participants to ensure parks continue to provide economic, environmental, and health benefits to the surrounding communities. Since the Institute launched the Partnerships Lab in 2019, it has collaborated with more than 125 park professionals and 16 organizations in nine cities across the United States.

Seattle Parks & Recreation, the Arboretum Foundation, University of Washington Botanic Gardens (Seattle, Washington) The Institute for Urban Parks will work alongside these three entities and the diverse communities they serve to create a comprehensive vision and identity for the 230-acre Washington Park Arboretum and its sister facilities. Utilizing input from community leaders and key stakeholders, the Institute will help to reimagine the governance and operations structures of these spaces with an eye towards equity and inclusion so that these treasured resources function in a way that is safe for, accessible to, and representative of all residents.

Learn more about the organizations selected for the Institute for Urban Parks 2022 Partnerships Lab on the Conservancy’s website.

Support for the Partnerships Lab at the national level is provided by The JPB Foundation. Support for the Partnerships Lab at the New York City level is provided by The Prospect Hill Foundation, Inc. Support for the Institute for Urban Parks is provided by Bloomberg Philanthropies, Mr. & Mrs. Russell L. Carson, Charina Endowment Fund, The Jerome L. Greene Foundation, Nadine & Michael Grobstein, The JPB Foundation, Ralph & Ricky Lauren, Ira & Susan Millstein, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, Sarah Peter, Bank of America Charitable Foundation, and The Prospect Hill Foundation, Inc.