Support Berkeley Parks

Make a donation to support your favorite Berkeley park.

The funds you donate go directly towards the cost of buying and installing everything we need to keep our parks in great shape.

This includes playground equipment, trees and landscaping greenery, picnic tables, games and sports equipment for youth, educational supplies at the Nature Center, transportation for youth programs, and waste receptacles to help keep parks clean.

To make a donation, contact the Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Department at prw@berkeleyca.gov.

Donors can select from a specific park fund for their donation, which include: The Parks Fund, The Camps Fund, The Marina Fund, and The Nature Center Fund.

For monetary donations ranging from $50 to $1,000, donors shall receive a letter from the Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department acknowledging your tax-deductible donation. For any donations valued at $1,000 (monetary or non-monetary) or more, additional special recognition may be included. All donations of $50 or more are tax-deductible.

Honor someone special with a memorial bench

Donate a memorial bench to honor someone special. You can choose for your donation to fund:

Memorial Bench with a small plaque identifying an individual honoree
“Friend of Berkeley Parks” Bench with a small plaque that does not identify an individual (i.e. donated by a Friend of Berkeley Parks).

A limited number of existing benches will be available to low-income residents for the purpose of memorializing an individual honoree.

An honoree for a Memorial Bench must have been deceased for at least one year prior to application. Only individuals may be honored with a memorial bench; organizations and groups will not be considered.

For detailed information on the memorial bench process and application, please contact the Parks, Recreation, and Waterfront Department prw@berkeleyca.gov.

Donation term for benches or plaque

The donation term for a bench and/or a plaque is 10 years or the useful life of the bench, whichever comes first. The family may request to have the plaque returned to them by contacting Parks, Recreation and Waterfront Department.