The Bezos Earth Fund has announced a seven-year, $400 million commitment to help create and enhance greenspaces in underserved urban U.S. communities.

The Greening America’s Cities initiative will bolster local efforts to expand and improve access to greenspaces with investments in parks, trees, and community gardens. The program was launched with initial grants totaling $50 million to 30 organizations for urban greening efforts in five cities—Albuquerque, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Wilmington. The initiative will be expanded to other cities across the country through 2030 and support community engagement, land acquisition, project design and construction, local training, and long-term maintenance.

According to the Bezos Earth Fund, more—and better—parks, trees, and community gardens can improve air quality, reduce retained heat from buildings and streets, and create opportunities for greater social interaction that combine to improve the physical and mental health of people, particularly in underserved and underinvested communities that have experienced historic segregation, exclusion, and land dispossession.

“Access to nature is deeply unequal, and the importance of green spaces to underserved communities is often overlooked and unaddressed,” said Bezos Earth Fund vice chair Lauren Sánchez. “Green spaces make a city more beautiful, livable, healthy, and joyful, but studies show that they also lower extreme summer temperatures, reducing heat stress. They support the mental and physical health of communities and even improve students’ academic performance.”

“We’re excited to help green underserved communities throughout the U.S.,” said Bezos Earth Fund executive chair Jeff Bezos. “Working together, we can bring nature and its many benefits to every corner of our cities.”

For a complete list of recipients, see the Bezos Earth Fund website.

(Photo credit: Getty Images/Candy Retriever)