Van Cortlandt Park Alliance Inc

The Van Cortlandt Park Alliance intends to elevate the public profile of the park, help attract more public and private funds for capital projects, entice visitors with cultural programming and preserve and protect this precious open parkland, native forest and recreational space in the densely-populated Bronx.

Plans for the next two years:

● To work toward obtaining a licensing agreement with NYC Parks, joining the ranks of numerous other parks groups in New York City. This process, which could take some time to achieve, would formalize our partnership with NYC Parks and allow us to develop a stream of earned income from some of the concession revenues, all of which now flow into the City budget.
● To search for joint physical office space near or in Van Cortlandt Park. Our dream is to find space where personnel from NYC Parks and VCPA can work collaboratively on our maintenance and preservation goals. Since this could take several years, and depends on obtaining a licensing agreement, for now we are continuing to operate out of two former offices.
● To raise funds for appropriate capital projects in the park in support of the 2034 Master Plan. We hope to broker private and public investments in parks preservation and improvement projects, paying close attention to equitable public access.
● To continue to deliver, grow and improve our educational, research, stewardship, and cultural programs. We hope to invest in additional staff to strengthen and grow these successful programs.
● To create a change in perception of the Park, from that of just a local recreation area for Bronx residents, to that of a significant natural resource area worthy of regional attention and investment. We plan to grow our board from 12 to 20 members over the next few years as a way to reach a broader cross section of the Bronx community.

As a newly-formed merger, VCPA is focused on building a solid platform for the next phase of its growth. Bringing two organizations together as one is a daunting task, but it is also an opportunity to establish best management practices in board recruitment and creation of committees, financial accounting and management, communications, human resources, fundraising planning and systems, and combining two different cultures. Since the merger, VCPA has made progress in all of these areas, while continuing to deliver the popular programming in the Park that the community relies on.

The Board of Directors consists of 4 former FVCP directors, 5 former VCPC directors and 4 new members. The Alliance is now staffed by former staff members of both organizations and an Interim Executive Director. The search for a permanent Executive Director is in process. We are funded by a combination of foundation, corporate, government and individual sources.

We have a strong track record of programming.

In FY19, the Friends and Conservancy combined served 7,497 people including:
• 1,912 volunteers for garden, forest, wetland, and trail restoration projects.
• 2,107 students who attended one or more Van Cortlandt Adventures educational programs.
• 48 Bronx high school interns who worked and were paid (11 completed an accredited college course at CUNY Lehman College) in the summer and school year internships, including Urban Eco-Teens, Tibbets Brook Restoration Teen Internship, and the Garden 2 Market Internship.
• 3,430 children and adults participated in community programs, including Barefoot Dancing, Youth Run Farm Stand, Enslaved Africans Program, and Hikes.

In addition, VCPA works closely with NYC Parks to assist with maintenance of the Cross Country Trail, soccer fields, and baseball fields, where over 50,000 athletes competed last year.

Bringing two organizations together is a daunting task, but it is also an opportunity to establish best management practices in board recruitment and creation of committees, financial accounting and management, communications, human resources, fundraising planning and systems, and combining two different organizational cultures. Since the merger in April, VCPA has made progress in all of these areas, while continuing to deliver both original organizations’ popular programming. The search for a permanent Executive Director is underway.