Newark Park & Open Space Organizations

Newarkers love and care for their public parks and gardens. The attention Newark residents put to their green spaces can be seen in the number of organizations that work towards stewarding them.  

Stewardship is the careful and responsible supervision and management of a space. For a park, stewardship may come in the form of 

  • Maintenance and upkeep: a group may clean up trash, remove graffiti, trim grass and vegetation, or water trees. 

  • Beautification: a group may plant flowerbeds, install a sculpture, or paint a mural. 

  • Events and programming: a group may organize a music festival, educational session with a local school, or farmers’ market. 

  • Major projects: a group can lead the rebuild or installation of new features, like a playground. 

  • Fundraising: a group can solicit donations or apply for grant funding. 

  • Advocacy: a group can fight for increased support or attention to the park/s they care for. 

Organizations stewarding parks in Newark include a diverse mix of groups, ranging from city agencies, Friends Groups, conservancies, or neighborhood associations. These groups may center their efforts on just one park or multiple.  

Read below for more information on the types of organizations stewarding parks and green spaces in Newark. 

For a list of organizations working in public parks and green spaces in Newark, refer to the following link: Park Organizations

Think an organization should be added to this list? Please let us know using the Contact form.

Friends Groups

A Friends Group is an informal group of volunteers who work with their community or local government to improve a specific park. Members of a Friends Group are typically neighborhood residents who are passionate about bringing maintenance, programming, and advocacy to their local park. 

A Friends Group gives neighbors and supporters of a park a forum for advocacy and action.  Friends Groups engage community members in planning and implementing events and activities focused on arts and culture, education, environmental appreciation, and health/wellness. In addition, several friends groups host workforce development programs for local youth. 

Examples of Friends Group in Newark include Mildred Helms Park Resurrection Committee or Friends of Riverbank Park. 

A Friends Group can grow into a larger, more formal organization with paid staff, like United Parks As One. United Parks As One represents multiple Friends Groups in Newark’s South and Central wards.  

For the history of Friends Group in the U.S., read Charlie McCabe’s Partners for Parks report.  

Nonprofit organizations in Newark focused on a single park or a set of parks may refer to themselves as an Alliance, Association, or Foundation.  

These nonprofits bring together ideas, leadership, and resources to support parks, and focus on fundraising. With funds, these larger nonprofit park organizations can disperse funds to partner organizations who will lead stewardship in a park space through events and programming or large capital improvement projects like renovation or expansion of a park. 

An example of a nonprofit Association in Newark is Weequahic Park Association, an organization that has led park renovation projects and organizes cultural and environmental programming to address local environmental justice issues, educate community members, and provide a space for neighborhood growth.  

Alliance / Association / Foundation

Neighborhood Association

A neighborhood association is typically a grassroots group of neighbors who advocate for and organize activities focused on neighborhood improvements. In addition to individual neighbors working on a voluntary basis, these associations may include representatives from neighborhood businesses.

Neighborhood associations may be involved in local cleanups, beautification activities, and hosting of events. As advocates, neighborhood associations often closely communicate with the city and other organizations to provide input on local projects and programs and/or to identify partnership opportunities to bring needed resources to the local community. These associations empower local residents and give a venue for communicating to elected and city leaders. 

An example of a neighborhood association in Newark is Fairmount Heights Neighborhood Association, which also runs Fairmount Green Spaces and was involved with designing and developing Fairmount Heights Children’s Village Park.

Community Organization

Several community-based organizations in Newark operate with the mission to improve neighborhood health, environment, and safety. These organizations, which run as nonprofits, often lead events and programming in parks and gardens.

Some organizations may also get involved in fostering a green space towards a specific purpose, like developing a schoolyard or community garden to support local food security. 

Greater Newark Conservancy, for example, runs outdoor learning programs on urban farms.