Establishing the Fort Washington Park Conservancy

Located in Washington Heights, Fort Washington Park serves an area widely known for its high concentrations of low income and minority residents. This park is a valuable resource for the members of this underserved neighborhood, the Borough of Manhattan and the entire City of New York. We propose to form and register a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation to sustain and conserve this valuable community asset. During 3 phases of development, we will establish and run the proposed Fort Washington Park Conservancy to conserve this park for generations to come Phase I: Project Research In Phase I, we research and identify pertinent literature to help us form the Conservancy. Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation, 501(c)(3) forms and other documents will be drafted in preparation for the next phase Phase II: Project Certification Phase II is focused on the preparation of the necessary forms and permits to create and operate the proposed Conservancy. Specifically, we will finalize our Bylaws, NYS Certificate of Incorporation, IRS 501(c)(3) application, Conflict of Interests Statement, and the NYS Attorney General form CHAR410. Phase III: Project Establishment In Phase III, we will submit the documentation to register the Conservancy and run the organization through a series of memoranda signed with the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation and other pertinent entities We have received funding for Phase I and II; CEC’s funding will help us execute Phase III to run the Conservancy for one year

Surrounded by disadvantaged census tracts, this park serves the open space needs of an impoverished neighborhood, the Borough of Manhattan, and the citywide population. However, whereas more affluent city neighborhoods have well-established conservancies to maintain their parks -i.e. Central Park Conservancy and Riverside Park Conservancy- Fort Washington Park lacks an entity dedicated exclusively to its conservation and preservation Also, parks located in more affluent neighborhoods have higher Condition Scores when compared to Fort Washington Park. While Central Park and Riverside Park have high scores of 91 and 85 respectively, Fort Washington Park’s score is a low 73. Such discrepancy reflects the urgent need to establish the proposed Conservancy to conserve and manage this valuable public asset Moreover, parks located in more affluent neighborhoods also have higher numbers of local participants. Fort Washington Park lacks public participation, and it is managed without the benefits of having public input in its decision-making processes The proposed Conservancy is therefore needed to protect the natural landscapes, historic resources and other features that coexist within the park. Creating the Conservancy is paramount to increase both the park’s low levels of public participation and low condition score for the benefit of the neighborhood, borough residents, as well as all New Yorkers and the millions of park visitors who visit this park from around the world each year

Youth (under 24)

Older Adults (65 +)

Public Housing Residents

Justice Impacted People

People with Disabilities

Limited English Speakers

Immigrants / Migrants

Veterans

LGBTQIA+ People

Parents

Unhoused People