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PARK FOUNDATION

Park Foundation

Contact information:
P.O. Box 550
Ithaca, NY 14851
Phone: 607-272-9124

Website: http://www.parkfoundation.org/

Type of foundation: Independent

Types of grants: The Park Foundation makes small lead gifts for innovative, new or enhanced programs; challenge gifts to encourage the participation of other donors; "last dollars" to achieve a specific goal; and one-time, short-term gifts to sustain a program until its long-term funding is stabilized.

Description: The Park Foundation was established by the late Roy Hampton Park, Sr., founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Park Communications, Inc., which included television, radio and newspaper holdings. The Foundation primarily supports:

  • Scholarships in higher education.
  • Quality media that heightens public awareness of critical issues.
  • Environmental protection.

The Foundation has a long-standing commitment to education and quality television. It also funds some radio. Its goal is to fund non-commercial broadcasting, investigative journalism and independent media that is substantive, unbiased and accurate. It aims to heighten public awareness of critical environmental, political and social issues to foster a more fully informed electorate.

Major support has gone to PBS programs including Nature, Nova, NOW with Bill Moyers, various Ken Burns specials, and a variety of other programs and series. Since its inception, the Park Foundation has made grants totaling approximately $47 million through its public broadcasting and media program.

Sample grants:

  • $2,000,000 to Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET-TV) for Public Affairs Television's Buying the War, The Fighting Spirit, Democracy in the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era, and Bill Moyers Journal (2008).
  • $500,000 to WGBH Educational Foundation for FRONTLINE (2008).
  • $360,000 to Greater Washington Educational Telecommunications Association, Inc. (WETA-TV) for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer ($300,000) and local outreach activities for The National Parks ($60,000) (2008).
  • $275,000 to Educational Broadcasting Corporation (WNET-TV) for NOW on PBS (2008).
  • $225,000 to Free Press in general operating support (2008).
  • $100,000 to National Public Radio for coverage of environmental issues (2008).
  • $50,000 to ETV South Carolina for Poisoned Waters (2008).
  • $25,000 to Democracy Now Productions in general support (2008).
  • $25,000 to Network, Inc. for the public radio series, The Great Divide (2008).
  • $20,000 to Appalachian Voices for the documentary film, Coal Power, on mountaintop removal coal mining (2008).
  • $15,000 to Insight Productions for the documentary film, Living Downstream (2008).
  • $15,000 to WSKG Public Telecommunications Council for children's online and TV programming (2008).
  • $10,000 to Link Media for the television environmental news magazine, Earth Focus (2008).

Fit for public broadcasting: There is a very strong fit with public broadcasting, especially for television (but also radio and online) public affairs and educational programming. Strongest fit for non-television platforms is probably in the environmental area.

Eligibility: Eligible organizations must be classified as tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and cannot be private foundations as defined under section 509(a) of the Code. No grants are made to individuals or for-profit organizations. The Foundation will not provide funding that would make it the sole or primary funder to an organization and will not replace governmental support. Requests for endowment, capital campaigns, construction, equipment purchases, debt reduction, or ongoing operating support are discouraged.

Deadline: There are no deadlines for letters of inquiry. There are four proposal deadlines per year.

How to apply: Interested organizations should submit the letter of inquiry form, along with a cover sheet describing their proposed project. Full proposals, including the application form, should conform to the Foundation's online instructions.

Giving range: Varies widely from $10,000 - $2,000,000.

Assets: $274,738,356

Total giving: During the year 2008, the Park Foundation made grants totaling approximately $17.5 million to a variety of causes and organizations.