Community PARKnerships brings Austin Parks and Recreation and community together to improve and celebrate Austin parks. The program cultivates partnerships with community groups, nonprofits, City of Austin departments, and other organizations that share Austin Parks and Recreation’s values and goals. Opportunities to steward and propose improvements to parks empower the community to actively participate in their development and care.
When Austin Parks and Recreation teams up with these park advocates, we can do more for Austin parks. Together, we expand access to nature and recreation spaces, enrich the experience of park visitors, and take better care of parks.
Community PARKnership consists of the following programs:
The Community PARKnerships Annual Impact Report summarizes significant projects and accomplishments over the previous fiscal year.
- FY25 Community PARKnerships Annual Impact Report (16 MB)
- FY24 Community PARKnerships Annual Impact Report (8 MB)
- “Last Year in PARKnerships” blog post, which summarizes the FY24 report
Austin PARKners
Austin Parks and Recreation partners, or PARKners, bridge the gap between public funding and what our parks deserve. Working together, Austin Parks and Recreation and PARKners create better outcomes for our parks and our community. Learn more about the ecosystem of park advocates who make Austin parks extraordinary.
Adopt-A-Park
The Adopt-A-Park Program helps people like you become stewards who care and advocate for their neighborhood parks. Adopt-A-Park is a collaboration between Austin Parks and Recreation and Austin Parks Foundation that aims to build community pride and ownership around every neighborhood park in Austin. Learn more about park adoption.
Parkland Stewardship
Austin Parks and Recreation appreciates the volunteers who steward our parks. From creek clean-ups to mulching and invasive removal, there are opportunities for everyone. In the City of Austin’s fiscal year 2025, 24,312 volunteers took time to care for Austin parks! Together, we planted 14,374 trees & saplings and removed 251,218 lbs of litter. Check out our partner’s websites to find an opportunity that best fits what you’re looking for!
Community Activated Park Projects
Austin Parks and Recreation welcomes park improvement projects that enhance access and upgrade parks and greenspaces in key areas. The Community Activated Park Project (CAPP) program streamlines the process for proposing improvements to Austin parks. Neighbors, community groups, and partners can propose an improvement project by completing a CAPP form.
Cities Connecting Children to Nature
Cities Connecting Children to Nature (CCCN) is a 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 & 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 city priorities, planning and policymaking across a range of areas, including community health and wellness, education, out-of-school time programming, job creation, transportation and land use. Austin is one of 18 cities that is part of the CCCN national cohort.
School Parks
A School Park, often known as a Joint-Use Site, is an outdoor space next to a school that is available to the public during non-school hours through an interlocal agreement between City of Austin (COA) and Austin Independent School District (AISD). These outdoor spaces are special purpose parks with recreational amenities responding first to the student population, then to the neighborhood. They are co-owned and co-managed between both AISD and COA. Because of the co-ownership of the park grounds and associated amenities, maintenance services and improvements are provided by AISD and COA.
School Parks are free and open to the public outside of the school day during the AISD school district calendar (7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday). On weekends, holidays, and summer months School Parks are open to the public from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.