2025: A Celebratory Year of Growth and Collaboration
By Yordanos Tesfazion
Every year, we are amazed at how quickly 12 months fly by, and even more amazed at the progress our partners make with their projects, the number of community events that take place during the year, all of the new connections we made, and the ways volunteers, donors, board members, and others have shown their support. This time of year also offers a much-needed reminder of the kindness and compassion that exists in the region.
Because we are surrounded by folks who are committed to being the neighbors our neighborhoods need, Seattle Parks Foundation is closing out another year of community wins.
19 New Partners
19 new partners joined our fiscal sponsorship program this year! They serve their communities through outdoor education and recreational activities, natural disaster emergency training, culturally inclusive programming, and more:
- Bellevue Green & Clean
- Come Out Seattle
- Crown Hill Emergency Hub
- Día de los Muertos PNW
- Friends of Bryant Park
- Fruits to Fronds Restoration / The Backyard Bee Project
- Meadowbrook Community Gardens and Orchards (MCGO)
- Montañistas de Washington
- Nosotros En Naturaleza (NEN)
- Ochre Outdoor Learning
- Olympic Hills Emergency Hub (OHCRAP)
- RAVEN (Radio Access and Volunteer Emergency Networks)
- ReuMo
- Rewild Eastlake
- Roanoke Park Emergency Hub
- Ross Park Emergency Hub
- Seattle Adopt a Street Program
- Stone Ave N. Mural
- Sirius Astronomy
4 Completed Partner Projects
We are ending the year with four new parks, public spaces, and trails!
In July, Cayton Corner Park opened in the Central District. Located next to the Hearing, Speech, & Deaf Center, Cayton Corner Park is a gathering space with a small lawn, accessible pathway, stairway, picnic tables, and handrails. The park is named after early Black leaders, publishers, and community builders Horace Cayton Sr. and Susie Revels Cayton, and honors the neighborhood’s history of resilience, diversity, and creativity.
After decades of partnership, community members celebrated the completion of the Georgetown to South Park Trail on September 28. Back in 2016, Seattle Parks Foundation supported Duwamish Valley Safe Streets and Georgetown Open Space Committee as they rallied for community support and began to form their vision for the trail. We are thrilled that this vital connection is now open!
The completion of another trail project was celebrated on October 25. Led by Friends of Cheasty Greenspace at Mountain View, the Cheasty North Loop is Seattle’s first forested mountain biking and pedestrian trail pilot project. Check out this brief recap with photos from the grand opening.
A few days later on October 29, we celebrated the grand opening of Puma Playfield at Concord International Elementary School. The historically underserved neighborhood has limited access to safe public spaces for kids to play, and public access to Puma Playfield is a major win for all South Park residents. Click here for more photos and a recap of the celebration.
Congratulations to our partners, their neighbors, project supporters, sponsors, donors, and staff members who contributed their time, money, and expertise to bring more open green spaces to our communities!
Tree Equity Network by the Numbers
2025 has been an important year for our Tree Equity Network. Our Program Manager of Urban Climate Resilience Projects, Celeste Staples, led a revamp of Tree Equity Network and established many new connections with community members and organizations in King County.
Here’s a breakdown of Tree Equity Network’s engagement in 2025:
- 380+ people on their email list
- 90+ active members
- 25 attendees per meeting
- 5 Network meetings and workshops
- 3 All-Network Volunteer Days at 7 restoration sites where 100+ native trees, plants, and seeds were planted
- 175+ students connected with Tree Equity Network
Throughout the year, Network members spent their Saturday mornings at restoration work parties in different parks and greenspaces. In April and August, Tree Equity Network hosted restoration work parties at Hilltop Park, E.C. Hughes Park, Longfellow Creek, North SeaTac Park, and Leschi Natural Area. In November, members had the opportunity to participate in Tree Equity Network’s last restoration work party of the year at Deadhorse Canyon and the S. Chicago Street site of the East Duwamish.
Education is central to Tree Equity Network’s goal of increasing public awareness about the role equitably distributed tree canopy plays in building a habitable, climate resilient environment. Workshops and public presentations the Network held this year included the Good News Workshop, Rooted in the Future: Who, What, How?, Branches of Hope: The Power of Trees and the Power of You, Intro to Urban Forestry Management, and an Implicit Bias Training.
Tree Equity Network has much more in store for 2026. Learn more about their work and how to get involved here.
Two Climate-Oriented Community Events
In the spring, the first of our two climate-oriented events took place on Earth Day, April 22 at Town Hall Seattle. Guests traveled from all over King County to attend Seattle’s Innovation and Leadership in Climate Equity. Hannah Murphy Winter, Editor-in-Chief of The Stranger, moderated a panel of local visionary environmental leaders. Before and after the panel, attendees socialized and networked with over a dozen of our community partners who work to make the region greener and more climate resilient.
Follow the link for more photos and a recap of the evening.
On October 16, Seattle Parks Foundation partnered with Cascade Bicycle Club, Birds Connect Seattle, Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, and Transportation Choices Coalition to host a Climate Forum with Mayoral and County Executive candidates. Attentive constituents filled the room at the Bitter Lake Community Center as candidates shared their stances on a series of climate and transportation-related questions guests submitted in advance.
A recording of the Climate Forum and a recap can be found here.
Two Groundbreakings
Garfield Super Block hit a major milestone, finally breaking ground over 20 years after the original Super Block Plan was approved by the City of Seattle. Community members, project supporters, and city officials celebrated the groundbreaking on June 11.
Click here to read Capitol Hill Seattle’s full coverage from the groundbreaking event.
In October, one of our largest projects officially broke ground at the heart of Seattle’s downtown core: Westlake Park. Improvements to the park are expected to be completed by Spring 2026. This effort is in collaboration with Seattle Parks Foundation, Seattle FIFA, Sellen Construction, Pine Street Group, Downtown Seattle Association, Downtown Community Council, Seattle Department of Transpiration, and Berger Partnership.
Three New Staff Members
We added three new staff members to our team this year:
Thashawna McSon, Manager of Grants and Institutional Engagement
Victor Quiroga, Program Coordinator
Celeste Staples, Program Manager of Urban Climate Resilience Projects
We are thankful for all they have done since joining the team!
Four Advocacy Campaigns
Local:
In the February Special Election, King County voted yes on Proposition 2: Renewal of the Building Excellence VI (BEX VI) Capital Levy. The levy guaranteed the completion of Puma Playfield at Concord International Elementary School.
Proposition 1: King County Parks Levy was set to expire at the end of this year, but over 70% of voters in August’s Primary were in support of renewing it for another six years. In addition to funding over 250 parks, playfields, swimming pools, and hands-on learning destinations, the levy also funds dozens of community-led projects through a variety of grant programs, including the work of our partners: Ridge to River Coalition, Wakulima USA and Community Land Conservancy. The Open Space – River Corridors Grant Program and Healthy Communities and Park Fund (Targeted Equity Grant Program) are crucial sources of funding for their projects.
National:
Our public lands and waters have been under threat all year. In May, the House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee passed an amendment that authorized the sale of just over 450,000 acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah, prioritizing profit over us—the people. We mobilized our network to participate in an email campaign to tell our state senators protect over 640 million acres of U.S. public lands and waters by passing the Public Lands in Public Hands Act. Fortunately, the amendment was pulled from the budget bill before heading to Congress, but we are still encouraging folks to reach out to their senators in support of the Public Lands in Public Hands Act.
Then over the summer, we learned that the White House’s budget request for fiscal year 2026 proposed significant cuts to the historic Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Again, we spread the word to our network and shared Trust for Public Land’s letter-writing campaign.
Seven Pop-Up Concerts in the Park
On Wednesday evenings this past July and August, our Pop-Up Concerts in the Park series brought the city together and encouraged folks to visit parks all over Seattle. We deeply appreciate those who spent months planning and preparing for this past summer. Thanks to our sponsors, Amazon, Seattle Parks & Recreation, and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe, as well as our partnership with The Residency program.
Pop-Up Concerts in the Park by the numbers:
- 2,000+ attendees joined us this summer
- 30 student performers and apprentices from The Residency program had the opportunity to perform on stage and shadow professional AV technicians
- 100% free access to live music in public spaces
More photos and recaps from the July and August concerts can be found on our blog.
Thank You for Your Support!
Our collective success this year is the direct result of the support Seattle Parks Foundation receives from generous community, philanthropic, and corporate partners—thank you!
Want to make a gift before the end of the year? There’s still time! All donations going towards general operations will be matched through the end of the year.