The Parks Foundation of Burlington seeks to inspire the spirit of stewardship and philanthropy for our community's parks and recreational assets, preserving and enhancing Burlington's parks for current and future generations and acting as the umbrella fundraising organization for the Burlington Department of Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront.
Parks Foundation of Burlington Inc. acts as the umbrella fundraising organization for the Burlington Department of Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront, with a stated goal of preserving and enhancing Burlington’s parks for current and future generations. Its recent grant history shows a strong preference for capital projects that reshape public spaces in the city, including a $476,629 grant to the City of Burlington for renovations and a $209,000 grant for Kieslich Park renovations. The foundation also backs projects that make parks more usable and more inclusive, such as playground accessibility and active transportation improvements. The foundation’s work is tightly tied to Burlington’s public realm. Recent support has gone to the City of Burlington for City Hall Park renovations and to Friends of Frame L3c for Better Places programming, showing that the foundation funds both physical infrastructure and activation programs. Its stated focus areas include parks, recreation, playground accessibility, conservation, urban greenway development, stewardship, and capital projects. Leadership is listed as Colleen Montgomery.
In park renovation and enhancement, Parks Foundation of Burlington Inc. gave $209,000 to the City of Burlington for Kieslich Park renovations and $200,000 for City Hall Park renovations. Those awards point to a funding pattern centered on major public-space upgrades rather than small operating support. The foundation also supports active transportation and access. It awarded $41,042 to the City of Burlington to enhance the bike path, aligning with its focus on urban greenway development and infrastructure for cyclists and pedestrians. Beyond construction, it funds programming tied to public space. A $35,833 grant to Friends of Frame L3c supported Better Places programming, linking the foundation’s place-based work to community activation in Burlington.
Typical grant size sits at $37,448 at the 25th percentile, $120,521 at the median, and $206,750 at the 75th percentile, which places many awards in the mid-to-large project range. The foundation’s recent grants also include a very large outlier at $476,629. Grantmaking appears recurrent rather than one-off: the City of Burlington appears multiple times across the recent-grants list, and the foundation has a multi-year campaign structure in Playgrounds For All FOREVER. It does not fund individuals and is not described as making program-related investments. A partnership and fiscal-sponsorship function is available by contacting the foundation, and unsolicited requests are accepted for that service.
$154K
$1.1M
$213K
$179K
Most grants fall between $37K and $207K, with a median of $121K.
25th Percentile
$37K
Median
$121K
75th Percentile
$207K
COLLEEN MONTGOMERY
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Grantmaking is entirely local and all recent grants in the data go to recipients in Vermont. Burlington is the central recipient city, with multiple awards to the City of Burlington and one to Friends of Frame L3c in Burlington. The recipient country distribution is 100% US, and 100% of grants are shown going to recipients in the HQ state of Vermont. The pattern is city-centered rather than statewide or national.
The foundation funds parks, recreation, playground accessibility, conservation, urban greenway development, stewardship, and capital projects. Recent grant purposes include renovations, bike path enhancement, Red Stone Cottage, and Better Places programming, which shows a strong emphasis on public-space improvement and activation in Burlington.
The typical award is in the mid-to-large project range: the 25th percentile is $37,448, the median is $120,521, and the 75th percentile is $206,750. Recent grant amounts also include a much larger $476,629 award, indicating support for major capital work.
No. The grant recipient country distribution is entirely US-based, and every grant in the provided data goes to recipients in Vermont. Burlington is the central recipient city, with all recent awards landing there.
For its partnerships and fiscal sponsorship service, yes: the foundation says to contact it by email to discuss partnership or fiscal sponsorship, and that service accepts unsolicited requests. Its campaign-style and project-page offerings do not indicate unsolicited applications in the provided data.
Both patterns appear. The recent grants list shows the City of Burlington receiving multiple awards in different years, and the foundation also runs the multi-year Playgrounds For All FOREVER campaign. That suggests repeated involvement in ongoing Burlington projects rather than isolated one-time support.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Current and upcoming funding from Parks Foundation of Burlington that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations or projects that align with the Foundation's mission to preserve and enhance Burlington's parks and recreational assets; fiscal sponsorship offered when the Foundation has capacity. Specific eligibility criteria not published.
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Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CITY OF BURLINGTON | BURLINGTON, VT | $154,084 | 2026 | RENOVATIONS |
| CITY OF BURLINGTON | BURLINGTON, VT | $476,629 | 2025 | RENOVATIONS |
| CITY OF BURLINGTON | BURLINGTON, VT | $209,000 | 2023 | KIESLICH PARK RENOV |
| CITY OF BURLINGTON | BURLINGTON, VT | $200,000 | 2023 | CITY HALL PARK RENOV |
| CITY OF BURLINGTON | BURLINGTON, VT | $41,042 | 2023 | ENHANCE BIKE PATH |
| CITY OF BURLINGTON | BURLINGTON, VT | $36,250 | 2023 | RED STONE COTTAGE |
| FRIENDS OF FRAME L3C | BURLINGTON, VT | $35,833 | 2023 | BETTER PLACES PROG. |
CITY OF BURLINGTON
$154,084RENOVATIONS
CITY OF BURLINGTON
$476,629RENOVATIONS
CITY OF BURLINGTON
$209,000KIESLICH PARK RENOV
CITY OF BURLINGTON
$200,000CITY HALL PARK RENOV
CITY OF BURLINGTON
$41,042ENHANCE BIKE PATH
CITY OF BURLINGTON
$36,250RED STONE COTTAGE
FRIENDS OF FRAME L3C
BETTER PLACES PROG.
