It's My Park Application - City Parks Foundation

It's My Park Application

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Thank you for your interest in hosting an It's My Park (IMP) project. 


*Please note: This application is intended for individuals or organizations who are currently working with a Partnerships for Parks (PfP) community engagement coordinator or Catalyst organizer and wish to plan and lead a volunteer service project in their local park.

Great, glad to have you back! Please proceed to the next page to see our updated guidelines and to get started on your application. 
Welcome! We have a couple of additional questions before you get started on the application. 


We recommend that you reach out to our It's My Park team to learn how to get involved at itsmypark@cityparksfoundation.org or check out our website for more information. 
Thanks. Please note that you will need to complete the training before you can host your first project. We welcome you to continue filling out your application to get the process started. 

If you need support on the training materials, please reach out to the It's My Park team at itsmypark@cityparksfoundation.org. 
Project Guidelines and Updates

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Thanks for your interest in leading volunteer projects through It’s My Park! Once you complete and submit this application, a Partnerships for Parks staff member will contact you within a few days to review your project(s) and confirm the next steps. In order to be considered, your application must meet the following requirements:


  • Include a volunteer project to beautify an NYC Parks property.
  • Projects must be free of charge to participants.
  • The deadline to submit an It's My Park application is at least two (2) weeks prior to and no more than ten (10) weeks in advance of the intended date of the project. If your intended date is more than ten (10) weeks from today, please return at a later date to submit your application.



Please Note: Each It's My Park application is a project proposal subject to approval, so please wait until confirmation from a PfP staff member before finalizing project day plans.

We request that all volunteers focus on these activities:

  • Litter pick-up: If you find a needle, other drug paraphernalia, or other sharp objects please do not handle it. Call a Parks staff member or 311 to notify them instead.
  • Weeding: Focus on cobblestones throughout the park, along pathways, and in garden beds. If you are weeding in garden beds and have any doubt about a particular plant being a weed, please do NOT remove it. Some plants are slow-growing and can be expensive. 
  • Leaf raking: Clear off leaves from pathways, garden beds, and lawns. 
We may also approve your group to complete the following projects if supplies and other circumstances allow:
  • Painting: Paint over graffiti or other various park fixtures (benches, light poles, wrought iron fencing, etc.) in need of a fresh coat of paint. 
  • Planting: Plant flowers or shrubs in garden beds in need of brightening up.
  • Mulching: Mulch horticulture areas and tree beds.


Help - Have questions? Please call your local PfP community engagement coordinator or Catalyst organizer.


Great, let's get started:


If you cannot find your group's name, please reach out to your community engagement coordinator or Catalyst organizer in order to proceed.
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Project Leader Information: tell us about you








NEW this Fall 2023: native seed packet requests

In an effort to provide ecosystem benefits and additional habitat for local wildlife and pollinators in NYC Parks, PfP is partnering with the Greenbelt Native Plant Center to offer mixed seed packets of native plants to our community groups.

Each packet will have enough seeds to cover a 10 ft x 10 ft planting area and include species like black-eyed susan, foxglove beardtongue, wild bergamot, gray goldenrod, common milkweed, common golden Alexanders, and New York ironweed - all native to the five boroughs of New York City.

Packets will be distributed on a first come, first served basis (one packet per community group) and should be sown from mid-November to mid-December before the ground freezes.

PfP will provide instructions on how to effectively sow the seeds and help find an appropriate space to plant them in your local park. We look forward to working with you on our Native Plant Initiative this fall!

Project Information: tell us about your project
If your park does not show up, please submit as you typed it.
Project Date: List your preferred date for your project. 

Please note: We currently offer an eight (8) week window to propose projects. You may select dates between two (2) and ten (10) weeks from the day you submit your application. If you are planning recurring projects within the eight (8) week window that are identical in nature (for example, each project occurs at the same location within a park, at the same time, with the same estimated number of volunteers, and is the same task), you may propose multiple dates. Please discuss the option of proposing multiple dates with your PfP community engagement coordinator or Catalyst organizer prior to submission.






For example: 8:00 AM

How long will your project last?
tip: an average group size is 20 volunteers

Please be specific.


If you would like to propose multiple dates in this application, please let us know how many in addition to your first date above. 

Please note: recurring dates should be similar in nature -- each project occurs at the same location within a park, at the same time, with the same estimated number of volunteers, and is the same task.  
Must be no more than ten (10) weeks from today.
Must be no more than ten (10) weeks from today.
Must be no more than ten (10) weeks from today.
Must be no more than ten (10) weeks from today.
Project Proposal: tell us more about your proposed activities
Please note: we ask you to consider focusing your efforts on the highest priority projects at your park including general clean-up, weeding, and leaf raking. At this time, mulching, planting and painting will be approved on a case by case basis and are dependent on park needs, and availability of supplies.

**project proposals are subject to approval**


Project Supply Request: tell us about your supply needs
In the sections below, please indicate your additional tool needs. Tools will be loaned for the day of the project. Due to limited supply, we may need to make adjustments to your request - such as providing lower quantities and offering tool substitutions - to allow as many groups as possible to lead successful It’s My Park projects. 


Project Promotion: tell us about your promotional needs
Through It's My Park, we can help promote your project by including events on our websites and providing marketing materials, like posters.





Note:
Due to limited supply and staff capacity, we may not be able to fulfill all requests. 

Submit Your Application




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