Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation

What Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation does

The Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation (CRPF), also branded as CRPF, is a grassroots volunteer citizens' organization headquartered in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, that raises private funds to expand, enhance, and sustain the Cedar Rapids public park system. Founded following discussions among the city's Parks, Recreation and Waterway Commission, Parks Department, and City Manager's office seeking solutions to chronic underfunding, the foundation channels individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and proceeds from signature fundraising events into capital improvements, reforestation, programming, and amenities that public tax dollars alone cannot support.

CRPF's "products" are best characterized as a portfolio of community programs and parks projects rather than a unified platform. Key holdings and programs include stewardship of Old MacDonald's Farm in Bever Park, a free-admission urban farm drawing over 34,000 annual visitors and described as the only facility of its kind in the Midwest; ReLeaf for Parks, a reforestation initiative targeting 8,175 trees across 38 parks after the August 2020 derecho; the Free Swim Lesson Program, run with the Cedar Rapids Community School District, which has served nearly 600 second-grade students since 2022-2023 at $44 per student; new Shade Shelter installations; Native Oasis/Pollinator Gardens; Community Gardens; Rollin' Recmobile mobile recreation vans; and a Neighborhood Association Mini-Grant program.

CRPF generates revenue from five streams: individual donations (one-time and recurring via the Friends of CRPF monthly giving program), three annual signature fundraising events (Beers in the Barnyard, Flock to the Flights Pub Crawl, Play FORE Parks Par 3 Challenge), multi-tiered corporate sponsorships (Title, Premium, Supporting, In-Kind, Event), memorial and honorarium donations (benches/tables at $3,000), and branded merchandise sales through an online shop. Donation collection is primarily online via QGiv, supplemented by mail and event-based in-person giving. The foundation has 11-50 employees and is governed by a 19+ member volunteer board chaired by President Melanie Harms, with Executive Director Janessa Hollmaier and City of Cedar Rapids Parks & Recreation Director Carrie Mardorf serving in ex-officio roles.

Name

Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation

Legal name

Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation

Website

https://crparkfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation is a non-profit that raises private funds to expand, enhance, and sustain the Cedar Rapids, Iowa public park system, supporting programs such as Old MacDonald's Farm, ReLeaf for Parks reforestation, and free swim lessons for second-graders through donations, corporate sponsorships, and signature community fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Parks & Recreation Fundraising

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services (BPAIACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access) (THAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Parks fundraising foundation
• Community recreation programs
• Nonprofit parks donation
• Corporate event sponsorship
• Urban reforestation initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Cedar Rapids

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The foundation accepts one-time and recurring donations from individual supporters. Monthly donors (Friends of CRPF) receive special event access and merchandise discounts. Donations support specific projects or general organizational needs.
2. Signature Fundraising Events: Major annual events including Beers in the Barnyard (netting over $35,000 in 2023 with 270+ supporters), Flock to the Flights Pub Crawl (tickets $40 with t-shirt, $20 patch-only), and Play FORE Parks Par 3 Challenge ($10 per game). These events generate significant fundraising revenue while building community engagement.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Local businesses sponsor events at various levels (Title, Premium, Supporting, In-Kind). Sponsors include Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, McGrath Family of Dealerships, Skogman Companies, and numerous other regional businesses. This provides recurring revenue stream and in-kind support.
4. Memorial and Honorarium Donations: Donors can purchase park benches or picnic tables ($3,000) in memory or honor of loved ones, with commemorative plaques. This provides dedicated funding for specific park amenities.
5. Merchandise Sales: The foundation operates an online shop selling branded merchandise to supporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation is a grassroots volunteer nonprofit organization that raises private funds to support and enhance the Cedar Rapids public park system. It delivers this through annual fundraising events (Beers in the Barnyard, Flock to the Flights Pub Crawl, Play FORE Parks Par 3 Challenge), recurring and memorial donation programs (Friends of CR Parks, Memorial Benches/Picnic Tables), corporate sponsorship tiers, and direct park project funding including Old MacDonald's Farm, ReLeaf for Parks reforestation, Shade Shelters, Community Gardens, and the Free Swim Lesson Program.

Product overview

Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation is a grassroots non-profit organization that does not operate a unified software product or platform. Instead, it offers a portfolio of fundraising events, donation programs, community programs, and parks projects designed to create, enhance, and sustain parks and recreation in Cedar Rapids. Key offerings include signature fundraising events (Beers in the Barnyard, Flock to the Flights Pub Crawl, Play FORE Parks Par 3 Challenge), donor programs (Friends of CR Parks monthly giving, Memorial Bench/Picnic Table program), and direct parks support (Old MacDonald's Farm, ReLeaf for Parks reforestation, Shade Shelters, Community Gardens, Free Swim Lesson Program).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beers in the Barnyard Annual signature fundraising event held at Old MacDonald's Farm in Bever Park featuring local craft beer, wine tastings, live music, silent auction, and picnic meals to support Cedar Rapids parks projects. Net proceeds exceeded $35,000 in 2023 from 270+ supporters.
• Flock to the Flights Pub Crawl Annual pub crawl event visiting local Cedar Rapids breweries (Lion Bridge Brewing Company, Big Grove Brewery, Clock House Brewing, Iowa Brewing Company) with t-shirt tickets at $40 and patch-only option at $20 supporting the foundation.
• Play FORE Parks Par 3 Challenge Golf fundraising event held at Cedar Rapids public golf courses (Twin Pines, Gardner, Ellis) where participants pay $10 per play to land a ball within 8 feet of the hole for a chance to win free rounds of golf plus cart.
• Friends of CR Parks Program Monthly donor program offering special event access, merchandise discounts, and sustainer benefits for supporters who contribute regularly to the foundation.
• Memorial Bench and Picnic Table Program Donation program allowing individuals to honor or memorialize loved ones with park benches or picnic tables. A $3,000 donation includes a commemorative plaque, with bench color and approved location chosen by the donor.
• Free Swim Lesson Program (FSLP) Collaboration with Cedar Rapids Community School District providing free swim and water safety instruction to second-grade students, removing barriers like transportation, cost, and fear of water. Cost per student is $44; nearly 600 students have participated over three years.
• Old MacDonald's Farm at Bever Park Free-admission urban farm facility in Bever Park featuring farm animals, ADA-accessible raised vegetable gardens, Pollinator Garden, Silo educational exhibits (Farm to Table, Birds of Prey), and community programming. Only facility of its kind in the Midwest, attracting over 34,000 visitors in 2022.
• ReLeaf for Parks Reforestation initiative to replant and maintain 8,175 trees across 38 Cedar Rapids parks following the devastating August 2020 derecho storm, including critical post-planting watering support. Over $50,000 donated through CRPF to support this initiative.
• Shade Shelter Program Program funding shade structures in high-need parks, with first two shade shelters planned for Delaney and Jones Parks in 2024.
• Community Gardens in Parks Initiative funding garden sheds, support items, and raised beds to support community garden development in Cedar Rapids parks.
• Rollin' Recmobile Van Fleet Mobile recreation, education, and food insecurity solution delivery program launched in 2020 in response to COVID challenges and post-derecho storm recovery. CRPF helped launch this program to deliver recreation and food solutions to neighborhood parks.
• Neighborhood Association Mini-Grants Mini-grant program providing $5,000 in funding to support neighborhood associations' park-related projects and initiatives.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 34,000 annual visitors to Old MacDonald's Farm since 2022
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cedar Rapids Community School DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration partner for the Free Swim Lesson Program (FSLP), launched during the 2022-2023 school year. The program began with 54 second graders and has grown to serve nearly 600 students, removing barriers to water safety education.
• Cedar Rapids Parks & RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary operational partner for parks and recreation programming. The foundation works closely with the Parks, Waterways & Recreation Commission and the CR Parks & Recreation Director (Carrie Mardorf, Ex-Officio board member) to identify funding priorities and implement projects.
• Trees ForevercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit sponsor and partner for the ReLeaf for Parks initiative, a concerted effort to replant and maintain 8,175 trees in 38 Cedar Rapids parks following the devastating August 2020 derecho. The foundation has donated over $50,000 to this initiative.
• Linn County Master GardenersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for programming at Old MacDonald's Farm, supporting raised bed gardens and ADA-accessible vegetable gardens.
• Kirkwood Community CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Kirkwood's Advanced Welding Technologies and Construction Management Programs for the Silo Project at Old MacDonald's Farm, including the Farm to Table interactive exhibit and Birds of Prey exhibit.
• ConfluenceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for the Silo Project at Old MacDonald's Farm, working alongside Kirkwood Community College on educational exhibits.
• Monarch ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Native Oasis/Pollinator Gardens initiative, supporting native plant gardens and pollinator habitat restoration.
• Indian Creek Nature CenterminorOthersBoard member Carson Saylor serves as Naturalist at Indian Creek Nature Center, representing potential community partnership for nature programming.
• Xavier Catholic Schools FoundationminorOthersNon-profit sponsor of CRPF events, demonstrating community support across Cedar Rapids institutions.
• Bever Park Neighborhood AssociationminorOthersNon-profit sponsor and key community partner for Old MacDonald's Farm located in Bever Park.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The Trust for Public Land: National non-profit creating and protecting parks and green spaces with municipal partnerships and large-scale capital campaigns; broader incumbent doing the same 'private funds for public parks' mission at national scale.
• City Parks Alliance: National membership organization advancing urban park funding, policy, and programming across U.S. cities; strategic-adjacent peer shaping the same donor and policy ecosystem in which CRPF operates.

Direct peers

• Greensboro Parks Foundation: Single-city parks foundation funding improvements, programs, and signature amenities for Greensboro, NC parks; another peer non-profit with similar grassroots board structure.
• Friends of the Parks (Chicago): Established urban parks advocacy and fundraising non-profit supporting Chicago Park District programming and capital with comparable project portfolio structure.
• Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy: City-focused parks conservancy that funds capital projects, reforestation, and signature park stewardship through philanthropy and corporate sponsors in a similarly scaled Rust Belt city.
• Milwaukee Parks Foundation: Midwest parks foundation raising private funds for Milwaukee County Parks through events, sponsorships and capital campaigns; shares donor-event-strategic model.
• Kansas City Parks Foundation: Community foundation dedicated to sustaining and enhancing Kansas City public parks, with signature events, corporate sponsors, and municipal alignment models directly parallel to CRPF.
• Des Moines Parks & Recreation Foundation: Iowa-based community foundation that similarly raises private funds for the City of Des Moines public park system; closest geographic and structural analog to CRPF as a single-city parks fundraising non-profit.
• Indianapolis Parks Foundation: Non-profit fundraising arm for Indy Parks, running events, signature recreation projects, and a Friends-of-Parks giving program for a Midwestern city park system.

Others

• Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation: Cedar Rapids community foundation and named grantmaker to CRPF (2025 grant); analogous community foundation model but at a wider civic-funding scale, and direct upstream funder/peer in the same city.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cedar-rapids-parks-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cedar Rapids Parks Foundation