2022
Annual Report
View as PDF
passPORTS: Reimagining the School Field Trip
Introduction
The diverse and culturally intricate landscapes of California are what make this place truly unique. From the towering forests to the sun-drenched deserts, and from the rolling hills to the rugged coastlines, each landscape is a mosaic of biodiversity and cultural heritage. It is our responsibility to care for these treasures for future generations, ensuring that they remain accessible and thriving for all.
In partnership with State Parks and community partners, we're bringing innovative opportunities and thought leadership to bear in providing sustainable funding, partnership, and impact-at-scale for California's treasured and storied landscapes. We'll continue to root our efforts in strengthening state parks for all people into the future.
$950k
granted to non-profit partners
30+
community organization partners
$1.2m
raised for
California parks
WELCOME TO A YEAR SPENT TAKING ROOT
As we embark on our fourth year, we are proud to present a look at the progress we are making each day to live our values and advance our mission. Not only does our 2022 Annual Report capture the incredible work we accomplished together, it gives us an opportunity to invite you along in our shared journey – one that envisions a thriving network of parks and public lands where everyone is able to create lasting relationships to these essential places that rely on us for protection. Thanks to our partners at California State Parks and the robust ecosystem of nonprofit organizations, donors and individuals dedicated to serving the people and communities connected to these treasured parks, the seeds we planted are taking root.
Parks California exists because we believe parks are for people, and people are for parks. At our heart, we see this interconnection between communities and nature as the future of state parks. Our team is forging intrinsic bonds between parks and people in order to foster lifelong stewardship, establish meaningful solutions to climate change, and build equitable park access and experiences for all.
California is home to the largest and most diverse state park system in the world, and we are honored to help a generation of caretakers who are preserving its extraordinary biological and wildlife diversity, and protecting its unique cultural resources, artifacts, and histories. As we help more people enjoy the wonders of nature and establish personal ties to these lands, we uncover new voices and lived truths that only strengthen the importance of parks. We can’t do this work alone. Future-proofing California’s parks for 40 million residents and millions of annual visitors is dependent on establishing trusted partnerships. Over the past three years, we have seen a significant expansion of requests to collaborate from California State Parks and community organizations statewide. Notably, as we make progress, we are finding more opportunity to scale.
The impact we are making is only possible because of you. We are profoundly grateful to the teams who made these achievements a reality, to our funders and sustainers who share our vision, and to everyone who visited a park this year. You are the reason the seeds we planted are taking root.
Kindley Walsh Lawlor
President & CEO
STEVE LOCKHART
Chair, Founding Board Member
To guide our priorities over the next three years, we are pleased to share our latest board-approved strategic plan. It articulates the next phase of our role as implementation partner of California State Parks’ most pressing needs, our joint priorities. It affirms who we are. And it outlines how we will advance the groundwork laid by Parks Forward to not only keep parks open, but to help them thrive by adding expertise, capacity, and resources to the state park system.
Accomplishments
In 2022, our third year of operations, we focused on rooting our mission on behalf of the people and places that we serve. We listened to and collaborated with partners across California to be conduits of communication, access and partnership with parks. As the California State Parks' official non-profit partner, with established joint priorities, we worked with community organizations and partners to develop solutions that welcome and provide relevant experiences to all state park visitors. We also worked closely with California’s State Parks’ Natural Resources Division to identify where partnership and innovation can advance parks capacity to scale up stewardship in addressing a changing climate.
Portraits of Impact
Alongside our grantees, we're building bridges (sometimes literally, but also metaphorically) to parks for communities and individuals alike. In our third year of operations, we were fortunate to see important impact take root due to the incredible work of our grantees. We are proud to support non-profit partners across California working together for people, for nature and for the future of parks. We're especially excited to welcome and celebrate the 2022 grantees for our Route to Parks and Career Pathways programs!
Explore the Impact Map below or
swipe right to hear directly from some of our 2022 Grantees!
By the Numbers
The private and public financial investments supporting our work with California State Parks on the established Joint Priorities continued to grow in 2022, as shown in the programs chart below. The total funds for programs grew by 155% year-over-year with an addition of a 'Parks of the Future' program area.
Revenue
48%
42%
10%
$1.6m
Foundations
State Government
$1.4m
Private Donors
$354k
Expenses
78%
15%
7%
$3.5m
Programs
$675k
Development
$292k
Management
Programs
42%
39%
19%
Parks of the Future
$1.4m
Access & Education
$1.3m
Climate & Stewardship
$668k
With Gratitude
We share a responsibility to bring resources to bear in caring for these vital places. We value our role in turning generous financial and in-kind donations into action that supports the sustainability of and equitable access to California's treasured landscapes. Support for parks comes in all shapes and sizes, and all of it helps us to connect people and places. Whether in-kind or financial, no matter which shape it took, we want to extend a huge thanks to our incredible donors and partners in philanthropy for your support in 2022!
swipe right below to learn more about our leadership & partners
Parks California is a 501c3 non-profit organization, EIN #83-1523594
Copywritten & designed with love by Embracing the Bear Consulting. 2023