There are many more worthwhile park projects than the Fairfax County Park Foundation can actively support with fundraising.

This page provides resources and information to assist park advocates and friends groups in fundraising for their projects:

Mastenbrook Volunteer Matching Fund Grants
The Park Authority funds the Mastenbrook Volunteer Matching Fund Grant Program which awards grants of up to $10,000 to match volunteer funds and in-kind services for projects that improve Fairfax County parks and facilities.

Fairfax County Public Library Grants and Funding Research Center (GFRC)
GFRC provides access to online and print grant resources, sample proposals and the assistance of a knowledgeable librarian. Some of the online resources are not available for free on the internet.
GFRC also offers educational workshops, including instruction in the basics of grant-seeking. There is no charge for GFRC services.
Fairfax County Public Library Grants and Funding Research Center
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 324
Fairfax, VA 22035.
Phone: 703-324-8343.
www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/gfrc.htm

Foundation Center
This is a national nonprofit organization with over 50 years of experience connecting grantseekers and grantmakers. It offers free and fee-based online resources and online and classroom training in grantseeking, proposal writing and related subjects.

The Foundation Center’s library is open to the public and its online resources and collection of books, periodicals, and other print resources may be used free of charge.
Foundation Center
1627 K Street, NW
Third Floor
Washington, DC 20006-1708
Phone: 202-331-1400
http://www.fconline.fdncenter.org/

Note: The Fairfax County Public Library Grants and Funding Research Center (GFRC) is a cooperating collection of the Foundation Center. Some of the Foundation Center’s fee-based resources and training are available at no cost through GFRC.

Partnership for Parks
This is a program of the City Parks Foundation of New York City. Its website includes a library of “Tip Sheets” with practical advice and sample documents on subjects like fundraising for park groups, grantwriting, establishing business partnerships, planning events, working with the media, and establishing friends groups.

Though some of the material is specific to New York, most is applicable to any park. For more information, visit: www.partnershipsforparks.org/library_links/resource_library/tip_sheets/index.html

Park Pride, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving Atlanta's park system, has published a manual for community based fundraising for park projects:

Center for Nonprofit Advancement
This is a membership organization for nonprofits in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. It offers technical assistance, networking events, publications and free and low cost workshops in fundraising and nonprofit management for members and non-members.

Center for Nonprofit Advancement
1666 K St., NW Suite 440
Washington, DC 20006
Phone: 202-457-0540
www.nonprofitadvancement.org

Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
Washington Grantmakers is a nonprofit membership association of grantmakers in the National Capital Region. Members include family, community, corporate, independent and operating foundations as well as corporate giving programs, governmental grantmakers, grantmaking public charities and individual philanthropists.

Washington Grantmakers does not direct members’ grant awards; however, it does provide a downloadable Common Grant Application that can be used to apply for grants from member organizations.

National Recreation and Park Association
NRPA is a nonprofit organization of park and recreation professionals and citizen park advocates. Its website has information and links to a variety of park and recreation resources: http://www.nrpa.org/

Be sure to review NRPA's "Park Advocate Handbook," a 64-page guide for creating a park support group. The handbook offers detailed information on formalizing the organization's structure, becoming tax-exempt, fundraising, building alliances in the community, communications, outreach and event planning.

Project for Public Spaces
PPS is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people create and sustain public places that build communities. It has a strong focus on parks as the centerpiece of vibrant communities. The PPS website has several articles with case studies of successful cooperation of nonprofits and public park departments: www.pps.org/parks/

Idealist.org
This is a website sponsored by the nonprofit organization, Action Without Borders. It is intended to provide a forum for nonprofit organizations to exchange ideas and resources. Membership is free to individuals.

Much of the site’s content is directed to established nonprofit organizations but Idealist’s “Nonprofit FAQ/Development” page, www.idealist.org/if/i/en/faqcat/100-7 answers questions and provides links to resources on topics such as grantwriting, funder research, sponsorships, special events, membership programs, and volunteer recruitment.

This website provides free grantwriting tools for use by non-profit organizations and community groups. The site includes guides for preparing grant proposals, sample proposals and links to grantmakers and grantseeking resources. www.npguides.org

Entrepeneur.com
This is the website of Entrepreneur, a magazine for small business owners. Following is a link to “How to Raise Money for a Nonprofit,” a comprehensive article on fundraising that established friends groups may find useful: www.entrepreneur.com/money/financing/article171296.html

Help from the Fairfax County Park Foundation
The Park Foundation can help park advocates and friends groups by receiving, acknowledging and accounting for donations to approved Park Authority projects.

As contributions to the Park Foundation, donations are tax deductible. Funds received by the Foundation are restricted to use for the designated project and are transferred to the Park Authority for that purpose only.

Fundraising Tools