Research project
The Leeds Parks Fund: Developing a model for charitable giving to parks
- Start date: 1 August 2018
- End date: 30 June 2019
- Funder: Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Nesta
- Value: £171,289
- Partners and collaborators: Leeds City Council, Leeds Community Foundation and Leeds Parks and Green Spaces Forum
- Primary investigator: Dr Anna Barker
- Co-investigators: Professor Jose Pina-Sánchez
Postgraduate student researchers
Rizwana Alam, Natacha Chevenoy, Niela Jorjani
About the project
In 2018, the team behind Leeds Parks Fund received funding to undertake a 2-year project to investigate the potential of charitable giving to parks. The aim of the project is to make a positive difference to Leeds parks and their communities by inspiring individuals and businesses to make charitable donations to them through Leeds Parks Fund.
The project is part of a national scheme called Rethinking Parks that aims to develop promising and innovative new operating models for parks across the country. It is funded by Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Nesta.
The first phase of the project will be research led by University of Leeds into what local people and businesses think about the idea of charitable giving to public parks.
This research explores the role local people and businesses can play in improving and sustaining public parks for future generations, at a time when local councils are increasingly at risk of budget cuts from central government.
Through online surveys and group discussions, the research will explore the views of Leeds residents and business towards charitable giving to parks and green spaces, and the Leeds Parks Fund charitable initiative in particular. It will investigate views on role and place of charitable giving and local fundraising within other options for supplementing the core funding of parks. The findings will feed into future plans for sustaining and improving the city’s public parks.
The findings will also be shared nationally through the Rethinking Parks scheme, feeding into future plans for sustaining and improving the nation’s public parks.