About Greater Metro Parks Foundation Dba Tacoma Parks Foundation
Tacoma Parks Foundation cultivates a community invested in providing plentiful, equitable access to nature, play, and recreation in Tacoma and raises funds to support Parks Tacoma's programs, projects, and capital needs.
Focus Areas
parks and recreationyouth services and developmentcapital projects and facilitiescommunity engagementenvironmental stewardship
Who They Fund
K-8 studentsteenagers / adolescentsafter-school participantslocal community / park users
Funding Style
program support / direct servicecapital / infrastructure funding
About Greater Metro Parks Foundation Dba Tacoma Parks Foundation
A defining feature of Greater Metro Parks Foundation dba Tacoma Parks Foundation is the way it channels philanthropy into Parks Tacoma’s programs, projects, and capital needs rather than into individuals or broad external grantmaking. The foundation’s recent activity shows a steady emphasis on Tacoma-based parks, youth programming, and facilities support, including seven-figure awards tied to the city’s park system. The largest recent grant in the file was $2,911,963 in 2024 to Metro Parks District of Tacoma for parks, expanded learning opportunities for K-8 students, capital, and scholars programming. Another major award followed in 2025: $1,886,639 to the same recipient for parks, after-school programming, and Safezone services. The grant list also shows support for partners that deliver youth services and community programming in Tacoma, such as YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties, Greentrike, and Boys and Girls Clubs of Puget Sound. Across the available records, the foundation’s giving is local and centered on programs and infrastructure that shape access to nature, play, recreation, and out-of-school-time opportunities in Tacoma.
What Greater Metro Parks Foundation Dba Tacoma Parks Foundation Funds
Youth development is a core part of the foundation’s work. In 2025, it gave $636,160 to Greentrike for after-school and Safezone programming, and $633,486 to YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties for after-school and Safezone support. The same theme appears in grants to Boys and Girls Clubs of Puget Sound, including $396,075 in 2024 for summer teen late-night programming and expanded learning opportunities for K-8 students. The foundation also backs expanded learning opportunities more broadly. It awarded $274,600 in 2024 to Elements of Education Partner for expanded learning opportunities and $111,800 in 2024 to Communities in Schools Tacoma for the same purpose. On the parks side, a 2023 grant of $847,887 to Metro Parks District of Tacoma supported support services and parks maintenance, showing that operational and maintenance needs sit alongside youth programming in the portfolio.
How Greater Metro Parks Foundation Dba Tacoma Parks Foundation Gives
Grant sizes are fairly large, with a p25 of $105,900, a median of $274,600, and a p75 of $634,823. The record suggests repeat support rather than one-off gifts: Metro Parks District of Tacoma, Greentrike, YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap Counties, Boys and Girls Clubs of Puget Sound, and Communities in Schools Tacoma all appear more than once across the recent grants list. The foundation is a local grantmaker with a Seattle-area? No—Tacoma-based profile centered on Parks Tacoma-related support, and it does not fund individuals. It also makes no program-related investments. Unsolicited applications are not part of the listed active grant programs.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.6M
Total Assets
$10.3M
Total Revenue
$4.4M
Total Expenses
$4.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $106K and $635K, with a median of $275K.
25th Percentile
$106K
Median
$275K
75th Percentile
$635K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Alicia Lawver
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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