Media Contacts:
Christine Cantrell, Elmore Public Relations
[email protected] / 713-524-0661
Catherine Butsch, Houston Parks Board
[email protected] / 713-942-8500 x18
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HOUSTON PARKS BOARD RECEIVES $3 MILLION FROM THE BROWN FOUNDATION
Gift to benefit the transformative Bayou Greenways 2020 project
HOUSTON – June 2, 2016 – Today, Houston Parks Board announced a $3 million gift from The Brown
Foundation, Inc., in support of Bayou Greenways 2020, a city-wide public-private endeavor that will create a
150-mile network of connected parks and trails along Houston’s major waterways. This gift is another gracious
donation by The Brown Foundation, bringing its total contributions to the Bayou Greenways 2020 campaign to
more than $5.6 million.
“We are truly honored to receive recognition and support from The Brown Foundation,” said Mike Nichols,
interim executive director of Houston Parks Board. “Together we are working towards a more beautiful, healthy
and active city through Bayou Greenways 2020, now and for generations to come.”
Bayou Greenways 2020 is one of the most ambitious parks projects in the United States. Over the next four
years, the project will transform more than 3,000 acres of underutilized land along the bayous into public,
accessible greenspace, elevating Houston to one of the top “quality-of-place” cities in the nation. When the
project is complete, 6 out of 10 Houstonians will live within a mile and a half of a Bayou Greenway.
In 2012, thanks in part to the “Parks By You!” campaign, Houston voters overwhelmingly approved a bond
proposal that set aside $100 million for Bayou Greenways 2020. Houston Parks Board is raising a matching $120
million and managing acquisition, design and construction of the Bayou Greenways. To date, the Parks Board
has raised $103 million, including this latest gift from The Brown Foundation.
The Brown Foundation was founded in 1951 by Herman and Margarett Root Brown and George R. and Alice
Pratt Brown with a mission to distribute funds for public charitable purposes. Over the past six decades, the
Foundation has generously distributed more than $1.48 billion in grants specifically for support, encouragement,
and assistance to education, the arts and community service. The funds donated by The Brown Foundation,
including the gifts to Bayou Greenways 2020, continue to profoundly impact Houston.
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A nonprofit 501(c)(3) dedicated to providing access to quality parks and greenspace for all people, Houston Parks Board
creates, improves, protects and advocates for parkland in the Greater Houston region. Since 1976, the organization has
utilized public-private partnerships and its extensive philanthropic, government and community relationships to improve
parks large and small. Houston Parks Board is currently leading the transformational $220 million Bayou Greenways 2020
project to create a 150-mile network of connected parks and trails along Houston’s major waterways. For more
information, visit www.houstonparksboard.org.
Bayou Greenways 2020 is one of the most ambitious parks projects in the U.S. By transforming more than 3,000 acres of
underutilized land along Houston’s major waterways into public, accessible greenspace, Bayou Greenways 2020 will create
a 150-mile network of connected parks and trails. The $220 million project will connect people, places and greenspace
while enhancing air and water quality, reducing flooding and stimulating economic development in Houston. Bayou
Greenways 2020 is a public-private partnership between Houston Parks Board, the Houston Parks and Recreation
Department and the Harris County Flood Control District.