Washington Parks & People

Washington Parks & People has worked for 36 years to grow city-wide park-based community health and justice across over 300 DC green spaces of all kinds, including parks, river- and streambanks, schoolyards and outdoor classrooms, playgrounds, trails, gardens, mini-farms, vacant lots, and streetscapes.  It has mobilized over 1,000,000 hours of volunteer impact to clean, restore, green, and enliven parks for all. Here in North America’s greenest major city, Parks & People helps people use parks to grow community, health, safety, peace, play, learning, cultural understanding, music and arts, nutrition, and environmental justice and resilience for all.  The organization has been recognized by the National Park Foundation as one of America’s top community park partnerships, and it has both learned from and assisted city and community partnerships across the US and many other countries.

Washington Parks & People began in 1990 as Friends of Meridian Hill, a grassroots movement reclaiming a once-neglected park through community action and youth leadership. That spark grew into a citywide effort revitalizing greenspaces, expanding food access, supporting residents returning from incarceration, and fostering environmental stewardship across DC. Today, we remain guided by one core belief: when communities lead, parks heal—and people thrive.

Through hands-on engagement and strong community partnerships, our staff works to ensure that green spaces are accessible, welcoming, and responsive to neighborhood needs. Driven by a belief that healthy communities begin with healthy environments, the Washington Parks & People team is proud to serve DC residents by creating and sustaining spaces that promote equity, resilience, and quality of life for generations to come.