Fourteen leading organizations will build power among community residents to advocate for local policy and systems changes to advance park and green space equity.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 27, 2022 — Prevention Institute proudly announces the inaugural cohort of the People, Parks, and Power (P3) initiative. P3 is the first national funding initiative in the U.S. to support community-based organizations to build power and reverse deep seated park and green space inequities in Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities across the country. Parks and green spaces are essential community infrastructure that protect public health and promote mental wellbeing—made clearer during the COVID-19 pandemic. Parks provide people opportunities for physical activity, time in nature, social connection, and respite. They also help mitigate the impacts of climate change by cooling temperatures, cleansing air, filtering stormwater, and replenishing groundwater. Yet not all communities have access to safe, well maintained, and programmed green spaces; evidence shows that there are persistent inequities in access, availability, quality of facilities, and programming by race, place, and income.
At the heart of the P3 initiative are fourteen dynamic groups—each awarded $500,000 over two years—that will organize diverse youth, residents, and working class and farmworker families to advocate for park and green space equity in cities throughout the continental U.S. and Puerto Rico. These partners will advance national momentum toward an equitable future, addressing community priorities central to the environment, health, and racial justice.
“On behalf of all of us at Prevention Institute, we are honored to partner with these 14 creative, energetic, and resourceful groups who have demonstrated the capacity to work with residents to meet and overcome the injustices they face through rigorous organizing, powerbuilding, and policy advocacy,” Manal J. Aboelata and Elva Yañez, P3 Co-Directors. “Our aim is to bring these skills and strategies to bear on the systemic and structural roots of park and green space inequities as part of our broader agenda to fulfill the promise of health equity and racial justice for all Black, Latino, and Indigenous people.”
“Many people relied on their local parks for respite, physical fitness, and a break from isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet not everyone has a convenient local park that is safe and welcoming. Funding for parks has disproportionately benefited Whiter and wealthier neighborhoods leaving communities of color and those with lower incomes without equitable access to these vital resources,” Dr. Pamela Russo, Senior Program Officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “This initiative will take direct aim at these inequities by supporting community-based organizations advancing inclusive parks policies locally—efforts that we hope will spur action across the country.”
"While the COVID-19 pandemic reminded us how critical the outdoors are to our well-being, it also laid bare the deep inequities in the distribution of parks, tree coverage and resulting access to nature," Dr. Sacha Spector, program director for the environment, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. "We're incredibly excited to support the P3 initiative to elevate the work of these 14 grantees who are driving change in their communities and ensuring everyone can enjoy safe, green spaces."
##
Funding for this project is provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Foundations.
Media Contact: LySaundra Campbell, Communications Director, lysaundra@preventioninstitute.org, 917-653-2799