Help Anacostia Park feel like home for the people who live closest to it.
Every Monday morning, men walk the park together — tending the grounds, sharing a meal, and speaking honestly about hope, shame, and the work of changing their lives.
“I need this program. It feels like therapy.”
Out here, the park softens the edges.
Your gift makes the park a place for healing, hope and belonging.
What you can do
$50
Park Friend
Help stock materials for Meaningful Messages, giving neighbours a gentle way to express what’s hard to say — apologies, gratitude, clarity, and the “I still care” notes that help repair stressed relationships.
$150
Park Lover
Support warm drinks, snacks, and the thoughtful touches that make Healing Stations at SuperFriends Saturdays feel safe, creative, and welcoming.
$300
Park Bestie
Sponsor hands-on wellness workshops — shea-butter making, tea blending, grounding activities — giving families space to slow down, reconnect, and care for themselves together.
$500
Park Friend+
Make it easier for families to show up by covering shuttle rides, outdoor gear, blankets, and comfort essentials that help everyone enjoy the park fully.
$1,500
Park Lover+
Bring a full SuperFriends Saturday to life — shuttle service, food, a karaoke DJ, staff support, and wellness activities that help families feel welcomed and seen.
$5,000
Park Bestie+
Keep a steady, friendly presence in the park each month — staffing the skate booth, offering small wellness activities, and helping the park feel cared for and alive.
$10,000
Park Builder
Provide a seasonal Friends Corps member who keeps the grounds welcoming, runs the skate booth, engages visitors, and supports programs like NatureFest for Ward 7 & 8 families.
$25,000
Park Champion
Bring the full Late Skate Series to life — DJs, kayaking, skating, games, and wellness stations — creating a joyful, safe space where thousands of families can breathe, move, and connect.
The Opportunity
More than a million people visit Anacostia Park every year—most of them Black residents who live right here. But being close to the park doesn’t always mean the park feels close to you.
Why it matters
Decades of underinvestment and inequity have left many neighbors feeling unwelcome, unseen, or unsure if the park is meant for them.
A recent study said it clearly: “The park system does not meet the needs of the people who both live near and experience it as part of their daily lives.”
Friends of Anacostia park fill the gap between proximity and belonging.
FoAP works through people first
Our Friends Corps members, including residents with lived experience, welcome neighbors with care and familiarity. They offer grounding, guidance, and connection in a way that makes the park feel safe enough to breathe, reflect, and begin again.
We start with small moments: a hello, a meal, a walk, a conversation that lands gently.
From there, trust grows. Possibility returns.
This is community strengthening itself through nature.
Giving Tuesday Goals
This Giving Tuesday, we’re raising $8,000 toward our $15,000 year-end goal. Your gift helps more neighbors feel safe, seen, and welcomed in the park. It helps train leaders, deepen healing, and strengthen a model that can be replicated nationwide. Your generosity brings belonging to life.
And here’s the bigger picture
What we’re building together can be replicated in parks across the U.S. and beyond — especially in communities where people have lived close to green space but far from the sense of belonging it should offer. Your support doesn’t just strengthen one park. It helps shape a model for many.
Make a Gift. Help the park become a place where people not only visit — but belong.
