The Arboretum Foundation and its City and UW partners are thrilled to announce that we have been selected by the Central Park Conservancy’s Institute for Urban Parks to participate in its 2022 Partnerships Lab. This initiative supports urban park organizations as they build capacity to maintain great public spaces. Participants receive individual coaching sessions, a customized multi-day retreat, virtual group learning, capacity-building resources, and access to a broad network of urban park peers.
Along with Washington Park Arboretum, six other urban park organizations will participate in this year’s lab cohort: Friends of Morningside Park (New York City), Prospect Park Alliance (Brooklyn), Queens Botanical Gardens, Civic Center Conservancy (Denver), Downtown Providence Parks Network (Providence), and Gathering Place (Tulsa). Employees from each organization will participate in the eight-month program to learn best practices, engage in peer-to-peer mentorship, and join workshops with Central Park Conservancy subject-matter experts.
“We are so pleased to welcome the seven urban park organizations that will be joining the Institute for the 2022 Partnerships Lab,” said Maura Lout, Executive Director of the Institute for Urban Parks. “Investing in urban parks and greenspaces is investing in a more equitable and climate-resilient future for all. The ongoing pandemic and increase in park-use only deepens the urgency to support the organizations that manage these essential public spaces.”
The Foundation is looking forward to collaborating with the Conservancy, the cohort, and our partners at UW Botanic Gardens and Seattle Parks and Recreation to create a comprehensive vision and identity for the Arboretum and its sister facilities.
“The Partnerships Lab team are experts in creating vibrant urban park and public garden spaces,” says Foundation Executive Director Jane Stonecipher. “They will help us craft an updated vision for the Arboretum—rooted in equity and inclusion—and then help us streamline our governance model to best achieve that vision. This will be an lengthy process, and I look forward to sharing what we learn along the way.”
