Supporting the Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) offers a meaningful way to enhance the natural beauty of Austin and provide programs for our most vulnerable residents, including families, children, and seniors. By contributing your time, or a financial donation to PARD, you champion not only the preservation of our parks and green spaces but also the vital programs that provide recreational opportunities and essential services to those in need. Your support reflects a commitment to nurturing the natural environment and fostering a vibrant, inclusive community where everyone can thrive.
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- Donate Funds
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You can make a financial donation using the Donation Form or by donating in person at any Recreation Center location. Donations can be any amount. On the Donation Form, you can choose how PARD spends your donation – see “Funding Categories” below!
- Support Austin Energy’s Parks and Libraries Fund
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Have you noticed that your monthly Austin Energy bill invites you to fill in a donation amount for Parks and Libraries? These tax-deductible contributions support the Austin Parks and Recreation Department and the Austin Public Library. The Parks Department uses the funds to plant trees and provide scholarships for summer camp and after-school programs. The Library uses the donated funds to add eBooks, eMagazines, streaming video, and downloadable music to the collection.
- Volunteer Opportunities
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Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community. The City lists general volunteer opportunities on its Volunteer webpage.
You also can find specific volunteer opportunities on the City's GivePulse portal, our official volunteer signup web portal. Peruse upcoming opportunities below, or visit the full GivePulse portal to create an account, learn about specific volunteer needs and get notices of upcoming opportunities.
- Partner with Us
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Organizations of all kinds partner with Austin Parks and Recreation! Opportunities range from one-time park improvement projects to ongoing commitments to advocate for and steward a park space. Visit the Community PARKnerships page for more information.
- Parks & Recreation Board
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Interested in getting involved in the operation of the City of Austin? The Parks and Recreation Board enables citizens to participate in Austin's government processes relating to the Parks and Recreation Department. The board meets once a month and makes recommendations to the City Council on matters relating to the acquisition, development, improvement, equipment, and maintenance of city parks and public playgrounds; future development of city parks, playgrounds, and recreational facilities and purchase of additional land for those purposes; and improvements in the maintenance, operation, and general welfare of the city's parks, grounds, and recreational facilities and their use by the public. Learn more about attending a meeting or joining the board on the Parks and Recreation Board webpage.
Funding Categories
- Cities Connecting Children to Nature
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Austin is part of the Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) national initiative that seeks to create more equitable and abundant access to nature in cities through a partnership between The National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families and the Children and Nature Network. CCCN supports robust citywide action plans to implement policy, develop new partnerships, amplify nature-based programming, and create more equitable nature access. The initiative seeks to ensure that a connection to nature becomes an integral part of Austin’s priorities, planning and policymaking across a range of areas, including park access, education, community health and wellness, job creation, and land use. In order to achieve these goals and system changes, the CCCN initiative works to activate parks and greenspaces through nature play programming and installation of nature play spaces across the city. Funding is used to purchase nature play items for loose parts lending kits that can be used by community organizations, schools, and other partners for nature programming. - Programming Scholarships
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The Austin Parks and Recreation Department wants to ensure everyone has the opportunity to participate in programs and activities, regardless of economic status. We understand many barriers exist to participation, but strive to create fair and equitable policies that reduce these barriers. As such, the Department proudly offers financial assistance to qualified families interested in attending recreation programs. Assistance provides a 50% reduction in program fees. Additionally, the Department offers scholarships to cover the full cost of programs. Donations to program scholarships go towards covering the cost of summer camp and after school fees, youth sports uniforms, swim lessons, and more! See our Financial Aid webpage for more information.
- Tree Care
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Austin’s urban forest provides millions of dollars annually in social, economic, and environmental benefits to the community and enhances the quality of life for Austin residents. Our community's tree resource is an integral part of what makes Austin one of the most attractive cities in the country. As the city continues to grow and develop, the urban forest remains an integral part of the Austin landscape, quietly performing as one of our most invaluable community members and infrastructure components. Urban tree donations will be used to purchase trees and support PARD’s tree planting throughout Austin.
- Where Needed Most
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Not sure where to donate? General donations to the Parks and Recreation Department support on-going maintenance for parkland, open spaces, and recreation centers, depending on where funding is most needed at a given time. This could include trail maintenance, park bench and picnic table installations, playground maintenance and more!