The Lilly Endowment has announced four grants totaling $80 million in support of improvements across the Indianapolis parks (Indy Parks) system.

The grants will support 42 locations within Indy Parks and include $71.9 million to the City of Indianapolis Department of Parks & Recreation in support of improvements at parks in all nine townships of Marion County; $2.6 million to the Eagle Creek Park Foundation in support of accessibility upgrades to the Pin Oak Trail, community program engagement, and a documentary about the park’s history; $2.5 million to the Friends of Garfield Park for improvements to the pagoda, playgrounds, and the Sunken Garden fountains; and $3 million to the Holliday Park Foundation in support of playground and signage improvements, walkway upgrades, and gazebo maintenance. The project design and construction schedule is slated to run through 2025, and $1.5 million of the Lilly Endowment commitment will be reserved for a contingency fund to offset cost increases and supply chain delays.

In February 2021, Indianapolis mayor Joe Hogsett announced a $45 million investment into Indy Parks facilities. Since then, the city has committed an additional $67 million in parks project funds and is leveraging an additional $862 million in Department of Public Works and Department of Metropolitan Development funds for various infrastructure and development projects within a half-mile of the parks.

“Today’s announcement continues a streak of transformative investments for our city’s public parks,” said Hogsett. “With...funds from the American Rescue Plan, and today’s incredible $80 million dollars of support from Lilly Endowment, we are sending a clear message about the fundamental role a well-funded park can play in a healthy community.”

“Lilly Endowment is delighted to add this funding to its long history of support for major capital upgrades to our city’s impressive array of public parks,” said Lilly Endowment president Jennett Hill. “Parks and greenspaces are essential elements of healthy and appealing communities. We were especially pleased to see the broad diversity of park projects that were prioritized for funding by Indy Parks in these grant requests and the level of community input that Indy Parks sought in developing its grant recommendations.”

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