Formerly The Tony Hawk Foundation, The Skatepark Project is on a mission to help underserved communities build public skateparks. Since 2002, they’ve awarded over $10 million to more than 600 projects in the United States.

Skatepark Construction Grants are available through two programs – the National Program and Built to Play which is only available in specific counties. Letters of Inquiry are accepted on a rolling basis and reviewed quarterly.

Eligibility

Applicant

This grant is open to:

• Tax exempt nonprofits
• Local government entities
• State government entities
• Public school systems

Project

To be eligible, a project must:

• Be a permanent, concrete structure
• Be located on public property
• Be a new skatepark
• Have a preliminary design for the park*
• Have a location secured
• Have raised funds from other sources
• Not charge an entrance fee
• Not limit access during daylight hours
• Not have received a grant of more than $1,000 from the Skatepark Project

* If you need technical assistance with your design, email contact@skatepark.org for free help.

Community

This grant is only available for the construction of skateparks in underserved communities. Whether a community qualifies will be based on factors such as:

• Median household income
• Poverty rate
• Free and reduced lunch rate
• Population density
• Racial and ethnic demographics
• Suicide and overdose rates
• Distance to skate facilities

Programs

National Program

National Program grants are available for projects across the United States. The average grant is for $10,000.

Built to Play

The Built to Play program is only available to specific counties in two states. These grants are from $50,000 – $300,000.

• Michigan – Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Monroe, Washtenaw, St. Clair and Livingston counties
• New York – Allegany, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie, Genesee, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties

Project Elements

The Skatepark Project is looking for proposals that contain at least some of the following elements:

• Grassroots, community support
• Local skater involvement in planning and design
•  Have a creative mix of street obstacles (rails, ledges, stairs, etc.) and transition/vert terrain (quarterpipes, bowls, halfpipes, etc.)
• Allow all types of skatepark users (skate, BMX scooter, roller skate, Wheelchair (WCMX) and inline)
• Don’t require skaters or their parents to sign waivers
• Encourage skaters to look out for themselves and each other rather than over-regulating for safety