Our Beginning 

Friends of the Palo Alto Parks was incorporated in December 2003 as a nonprofit and with a 501(c)(3) status allowing donations to be tax deductible. Co-founded by Roger Smith and Jagdish Basi as a way to give back to the community, they assembled a working board as well as an advisory board to explore ways to enhance the parks. The following mission statement was created:

Friends of the Palo Alto Parks is to work with the city of Palo Alto, with private groups, with other nonprofits, and with citizen organizations to have the best possible parks and open spaces in our city. To achieve our goal, the organization has three main objectives: 

• Provide funding to enrich, enhance, and beautify Palo Alto’s parks and open space preserves 

• Foster greater public awareness, appreciation, and ownership of these treasured assets 

• Raise funds to assist in purchasing additional parkland and open space 

Our Involvement

Over a number of years, Friends of the Palo Alto Parks has been involved with a wide range of projects — some big, some little; some at neighborhood parks, some at open space preserves; some obvious, some not so obvious.

Major projects include sponsoring Magical Bridge, Lytton Plaza, the playground at Heritage Park, and Baylands signage. Environmental projects include Bol Park Native Plant Garden and the Embarcadero Road Pollinator Corridor Project. Miscellaneous projects include benches at various park locations and a wifi installation at Cogswell Plaza.

Additionally, Friends of the Palo Alto Parks has supplied labor to plant and maintain garden beds at various neighborhood parks. 

How We Work/Where Ideas Come From    

The Board meets on a monthly basis to discuss ongoing projects and future possibilities. Ideas for park improvements and innovations come from a variety of sources. If you have an idea and are committed to the cause, contact Friends of the Palo Alto Parks and/or the city’s parks department. We are here to help you through the process — from concept to conclusion. Regardless of size or scope of project, the process is essentially the same. All projects — from start to finish — must have the approval of the city. 

Donations are 100% Tax Deductible 

We accept donations to active park and park-related projects and to the general fund. Donations are used only to pay for the designated project’s expenses, or in the case of the general fund as directed by the Board. 

Did You Know

Palo Alto has over 32 parks and open spaces totaling over 4,200 acres. For a consolidated overview of most of the amenities/activities provided at each park, click here.

For the history of the individual parks and open spaces, see the booklet Parks of Palo Alto, a co-publishing effort with the Palo Alto Historical Association.

Interested in Volunteering?

Check "Our Projects" page to see if any of the individual listings mention the need for volunteers or link to an email address for further information. Or, check with the city’s Parks department to see if/where there might be a need.