Atlanta residents will soon start to notice park upgrades in their neighborhoods like new picnic tables, bleachers, canopies, walking paths, boccie ball courts and playgrounds, thanks to millions in funding set to be doled out across the city.
Park Pride, the city’s leading nonprofit that bolsters public greenspaces, announced more than $3 million in grant funding for 23 new park projects across the city of Atlanta and DeKalb County.
The money is being distributed with equity in mind — more than 60% of the cash will go to historically underserved communities with less access to public greenspaces. One recipient meeting that criteria is the 5-acre Four Corners Park, in the Peoplestown neighborhood that is home to the Rick McDevitt Youth Center. The grant money will fund a new playground, pavilion and walking path planned in collaboration with the Friends of Four Corners Park and community members.
“This is real now,” Peoplestown resident Columbus Ward said. “Our park will be enhanced, with major improvements made and an expansion of our green space to meet the needs of our neighborhood.”
Park Pride’s Parks for All Campaign is marking its fourth year of distributing grant funds to city greenspaces with the goal of improving equity across Atlanta’s neighborhoods.
Michael Halicki, president and CEO of Park Pride, said that instead of allocating funds for a single, large-scale project, the nonprofit is focused on bringing community-advocated changes to neighborhoods across metro Atlanta “regardless of race, income or ZIP code.”
“I feel like we’ve been able to accomplish something with this that is more than just the dollars,” he said. “It’s looking at ways to make sure neighborhood changes aren’t happening to communities, they’re happening with communities.”
“These are upgrades that those communities saw (as) most important to their parks,” Halicki added.
Another recipient is A.D. Williams Park, where residents said they needed shade from the hot summer sun over the basketball court.
From 2021 to 2025, Park Pride awarded $12 million to 110 community projects, with 62% of funds going toward low-income areas in Atlanta.
Here’s a full list of the grant awardees and slated projects:
A.D. Williams Park: Shade structure to be installed over the basketball court.
Armand Park: Picnic tables, drinking fountain and playground seesaw.
Ben Hill/William Walker Recreation Center: Bleachers by tennis courts and field.
Biffle Park: New playground.
Center Hill Park: Signage.
Chosewood Park: Benches, picnic table, drinking foundation, trash cans.
Cleopas R. Johnson Park: Waking path, gathering space and entrance improvements.
Deerwood Park: Inclusive play equipment.
Emma Millican Park: Trail improvements and signage.
Four Corners Park: New playground, pavilion and walking path.
Huff Linear Green: Climbable play mounds and boccie ball.
John Howell Park: New playground.
Lake Claire Park: Gathering space enhancements.
Peachtree Hills Park: New playground.
Pittman Park: Sarah Lowery Memorial Garden and pool area improvements.
Lower Paul Park (Riverwalk Atlanta): Pavilion and gathering space enhancements.
Thomasville Park: Inclusive play project.
Urban Food Forest at Browns Mill: Children’s play and learning space near the garden.
Walker Park: Picnic tables.
Zonolite Park: Signage and garden improvements.
The Friends of Ella Mae Wade Brayboy Memorial Park, Friends of Empire Park and the West Atlanta Watershed Alliance with the Outdoor Activity Center have been awarded funds to help with the design phase of community-led projects.
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