Jack C. Wilson Active Kids Fund
The active kids fund provides a 50% to 70% discount scholarship for Tacoma families who qualify for free/reduced lunch for sports leagues, memberships, classes, and camps.
This program is currently operating over budget due to well-documented needs.
The Tacoma Parks Foundation (TPF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Metro Parks Tacoma programs and projects that enhance the health and happiness of Tacomans.
priorities
our funding
As part of a broad community partnership, the Greater Metro Parks Foundation partnered with Boys & Girls Club of South Puget Sound to raise $3,000,000 in capital for Eastside Community Center, working toward a $7,000,000 endowment to fund ESCC youth programming in perpetuity.
TACOMA PARKS FOUNDATION MEMORIAL PROGRAM
Our parks, gardens and open spaces are part of what makes living in Tacoma so special. TPF’s Memorial Program is a wonderful philanthropic way to honor a loved one.
Participation in the Memorial Program begins at $6,000. Most donors choose to adopt a park bench with a plaque written in remembrance. Other limited opportunities for plaque placement may occasionally be available.
Memorial Program gifts are tax deductible. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Quinn Bartholomew at quinn@tacomaparksfoundation.org.
CONTACT US
Uniting around the development of the whole child, our local Tacoma municipalities along with private businesses, youth orientated-non-profits, health and social service providers, and cultural arts institutions— are supporting Tacoma Public Schools and collectively working together to ensure that all elementary and middle school children have access, exposure, and opportunity for social and emotional learning during non-school hours and helping solve the child care crisis. Please click on the logos above to learn more.
Eastside Community Center
Summer and school year teen Late NightS
Summer Late Nights stemmed from a rise in youth gun violence and a call from Tacoma Mayor Victoria Woodards, and other local public leaders, to fund initiatives to help keep kids safe in Tacoma. This award winning program is a partnership between Greentrike, Boys & Girls Clubs of South Puget Sound, Metro Parks Tacoma, YMCA-Pierce & Kitsap Counties, Tacoma Public Schools, and several youth program providers Programming is provided at zero cost to middle and high school students and offers drop-in attendance with a wide assortment of opportunities, including basketball and volleyball tournaments, art, music, STEM activities, and mentorship and leadership clinics while socializing and building relationships in a safe and healthy environment. Free dinner is provided each night. In summer, the program run weeknights from 5-10pm at 12 partner sites across Tacoma including schools, YMCAs, and Metro Parks Tacoma community centers.
about metro parks tacoma
For more than a century, Metro Parks Tacoma (MPT) has operated as an independent government agency creating healthy opportunities to play, learn and grow. MPT’s facilities and offerings across the city of Tacoma include:
46 playgrounds
2,960 acres
81 trail miles
10 spraygrounds
80 park and recreation facilities
8.2 miles of publicly accessible beach and shoreline
5 community centers and pools
Metro Parks Tacoma is a CAPRA-Accredited organization (2014-present). CAPRA is the only national accreditation of park and recreation agencies in the U.S. and is a valuable measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management, and service to the community.
A partner organization to MPT since 1991, the Tacoma Parks Foundation (TPF), previously Greater Metro Parks Foundation (GMPF) is an independent 501(c)(3) charitable organization that nurtures community support, volunteerism, and philanthropy to enhance parks and recreation programs run by Metro Parks Tacoma. TPF is governed by a board of six community volunteers who bring commitment, talent, resources, and a desire to serve.
Ruston Way Site Furnishings Project:
TPF has raised funds to support the replacement of worn and outdated site furnishings (benches and picnic tables with built-in chairs) along the Ruston Way Waterfront. It is estimated that more than 5 million people visit the Ruston Way Waterfront each year. The more than two-mile urban trail is paved and relatively flat allowing equitable access to a variety of activities at no cost. The path has stunning views of Mt. Rainier and crosses through five city parks. Both Trail Link and All Trails give Ruston Way Waterfront a five-star rating due to its beauty and accessibility.
We are grateful to the Ben B. Cheney Foundation, the Tulalip Tribes Charitable Fund, and the Oscar and Olivann Hokold Foundation for their support of this project.
building a brighter future
Parks and recreational programs accessible to all, enhance our quality of life in many ways, providing health, social, physical, and environmental benefits to all who live, work or play in Tacoma.
