Westchester Parks Foundation

What Westchester Parks Foundation does

Westchester Parks Foundation (WPF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1977 and headquartered in Mount Kisco, New York, operating as the designated primary nonpartisan nonprofit partner of the Westchester County Department of Parks, Recreation and Conservation. The Foundation supports a system of more than 50 parks spanning 18,000 acres, delivering a portfolio of programs including Camp Morty (free sleep-away camp for children in foster care and shelters), Trails Without Limits (adaptive hiking and cycling for individuals with physical disabilities), Bicycle Sundays (a 13.1-mile traffic-free Bronx River Parkway loop), Pitch In For Parks, the Clean River Project citizen-science initiative sponsored by PepsiCo, Winter Wonderland, and the Community Business Circle corporate membership program. Since 2003, WPF has invested over $20 million in grants and donations into the county park system.

WPF is funded through a diversified revenue model combining individual donations (monthly recurring gifts tiered from $5 to $100, plus one-time gifts and securities), corporate sponsorships (Con Edison, NewYork-Presbyterian, Verizon, PepsiCo, Xylem, Craig H. Neilsen Foundation, NYP Columbia Weill Cornell), a tiered Community Business Circle membership ($250 to $1,000+ annually), memorial bench and tree dedications, Cranberry Boardwalk plank engravings ($300) and Benefactor plaques ($5,000), and operating revenue from two golf driving ranges (Dunwoodie and Mohansic) using an E-Range Key system. The organization employs approximately 15-20 staff members led by Executive Director Joseph A. Stout (the first paid ED, appointed October 2010), Deputy Executive Director/CFO Christine La Porta, and Director of Development Nancy Patota, supported by an Emerging Leaders Council and Board of Trustees.

Outreach is executed through a Squarespace-hosted website (thewpf.org), an email list of more than 55,000 digital subscribers, an Instagram feed (@thewpf), Facebook, a YouTube-hosted podcast ("The Difference You Make"), and a calendar of in-person events including the annual Gala, Duck Derby, Wine & Food Festival, and Happy Art Contest. WPF is not a technology organization; its core infrastructure is community-led park stewardship supported by 32,000+ volunteers contributing 97,000+ service hours since 2015.

Name

Westchester Parks Foundation

Legal name

Westchester Parks Foundation

Website

https://thewpf.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Westchester Parks Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1977 serving as the primary nonprofit partner of the Westchester County Parks system (50+ parks, 18,000 acres), running donor-funded programs for underserved youth, adaptive recreation, and volunteer park stewardship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Parks and Recreation Nonprofit Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH), Education & Community Programs (Junior Ranger, Citizen Science, School Programs) (THAAAGAK), National Parks & Protected Area Visitor Services (Concessions, Guided Access) (THAAAAAH)

Keywords

• Park conservation
• Nonprofit fundraising
• Volunteer programs
• Adaptive recreation
• Community parks

Headquarters

HQ city

White Plains

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donors contribute through the website using program support gifts, monthly recurring gifts, or one-time donations. Donors can give securities to maximize charitable deductions and avoid capital gains taxes.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: Companies sponsor specific programs and events including Bicycle Sundays, Trails Without Limits, Clean River Project, and the annual gala. Sponsorship tiers include Business Impact Award recognition and logo placement.
3. Golf Driving Range Operations: WPF operates two driving ranges (Dunwoodie in Yonkers and Mohansic in Yorktown Heights) using an E-Range Key system. Proceeds from range ball sales benefit the foundation. Users can save up to 20% by purchasing E-Range keys.
4. Corporate Partner Program: Companies join as corporate partners for annual donations ranging from $250-$1,000+, receiving recognition benefits including logo placement, digital subscriber outreach, and networking events.
5. Memorial Benches and Trees: Program allowing donors to honor or memorialize individuals through tree plantings or bench installations with commemorative plaques. Contact Eric Harvey at [email protected] for details.
6. Cranberry Boardwalk Plank Engraving: Donors can engrave planks on the new boardwalk for $300 or become a Boardwalk Benefactor with plaque at entrance for $5,000.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Westchester Parks Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that preserves and enhances 50+ parks spanning 18,000 acres in the Westchester County, NY park system by raising private donations, corporate sponsorships, and grants to fund free community programs (Camp Morty sleep-away camp for underserved youth, Trails Without Limits adaptive recreation for people with disabilities, Bicycle Sundays traffic-free parkway loop, Pitch In For Parks county-wide volunteer cleanup, Clean River Project citizen-science trash removal, Audio Tours) and by operating two earned-income golf driving ranges (Dunwoodie, Mohansic).

Product overview

Westchester Parks Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving as the primary nonpartisan partner of the Westchester County Parks system, which encompasses over 50 parks spanning 18,000 acres. The organization operates a diverse portfolio of programs including Camp Morty (a free residential summer camp for underserved youth), Merriwood (a teen empowerment extension of Camp Morty), Trails Without Limits (adaptive hiking and cycling for individuals with disabilities), and seasonal events such as Bicycle Sundays, Winter Wonderland, and the annual Pitch In For Parks volunteer initiative. Additional offerings include audio tours, the Clean River Project citizen science program, memorial bench and tree programs, driving ranges, the Community Business Circle membership program, and signature galas and fundraising events. The organization also manages investment initiatives for park infrastructure including the 9/11 Memorial 'The Rising' at Kensico Dam Plaza and the Kathryn W. Davis RiverWalk Center.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Camp Morty: Sleep-away camp program for children from foster care, homeless shelters, child protective services, or otherwise receiving services from Westchester County DSS. Located within Sal J. Prezioso Mountain Lakes Park.
• Merriwood at Camp Morty
• Trails Without Limits
• Bicycle Sundays
• Pitch In For Parks
• Clean River Project
• Winter Wonderland
• Happy Art for Westchester Parks
• Duck Derby

Products and services

• Camp Morty A free sleep-away camp operated in partnership with Westchester County Parks, the Department of Social Services, and the Department of Community Mental Health, serving children from foster care, homeless shelters, and child protective services at no cost to families.
• Merriwood at Camp Morty An extension of Camp Morty providing underserved teens with a safe space for empowerment, community building, and personal development through service projects, leadership workshops, mentorship, and professional development.
• Trails Without Limits Adaptive hiking and cycling program that allows individuals with physical disabilities (including cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, amputation, paraplegia, arthritis, cardiac issues, and joint replacements) to explore Westchester County Parks using All-Terrain Trackchairs and adaptive cycling equipment at no cost to users.
• Volunteer Program Award-winning year-round volunteer program through which community members (students, scouts, corporations, and individuals) contribute to the care, tending, and revitalization of Westchester County Parks, coordinated with Volunteer New York!
• Bicycle Sundays A Westchester tradition since 1974 that opens a traffic-free 13.1-mile loop of the Bronx River Parkway for walking, biking, and jogging on select Sundays from May through October, drawing 60,000+ annual participants and sponsored by Con Edison and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
• Dunwoodie and Mohansic Driving Ranges Two golf driving ranges operated by Westchester Parks Foundation — Dunwoodie in Yonkers (1 Wasylenko Lane) and Mohansic in Yorktown Heights (1500 Baldwin Road, at Mohansic Golf Course) — using an E-Range Key cashless system; range-ball proceeds benefit the foundation. Open March through December (Dunwoodie with night play; Mohansic dawn to 5:30pm Mondays, dawn to dusk other days).
• Audio Tours Self-guided audio tours of Westchester parks including the 26-stop Bronx River Audio Tour narrated by Dan Rather (sponsored by Verizon) and the 14-stop Cranberry Lake Preserve Audio Tour.
• Pitch In For Parks The largest county-wide volunteer event, held each year around Earth Day (April), engaging volunteers across multiple Westchester park locations in cleanup and maintenance projects.
• Clean River Project A citizen-science program addressing floatable trash in the Bronx River through volunteer cleanups and data collection, sponsored by PepsiCo; 64,476 items of trash removed since 2018.
• Memorial Benches and Trees Program A tribute/dedication program allowing donors to honor or memorialize individuals through tree plantings or bench placements with commemorative plaques in Westchester County Parks. Contact Eric Harvey ([email protected]) for details.
• Cranberry Boardwalk Restoration (Plank Engraving) A preservation project for the historic Cranberry Lake Preserve boardwalk offering engraved planks ($300 per plank, 35-character limit) and Boardwalk Benefactor recognition with an entrance plaque ($5,000).
• Community Business Circle Tiered annual membership program for local Westchester businesses (Bronze $250/year, Silver $500/year, Gold $1,000+/year) that delivers logo placement, recognition outreach to 55,000+ digital subscribers, and access to an annual Business Appreciation Networking event.
• Winter Wonderland An annual holiday light show held at a Westchester County Park, produced and operated by WPF staff.
• Parks Are Essential Gala Annual fundraising gala recognizing individuals and businesses for their support of Westchester Parks Foundation.
• Happy Art for Westchester Parks Contest Annual art contest celebrating the beauty of Westchester County Parks, with a cocktail reception and gala recognition for winners.
• Camp Morty Charity Golf Classic Inaugural charity golf event held at Maple Moor Golf Course to support Camp Morty.
• Emerging Leaders Council A council of approximately ten early/mid-career professionals nominated by WPF Trustees who serve two-year terms, meeting quarterly and hosting 2-3 events to promote park preservation across generations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $20 million invested in Westchester County Parks over 36+ years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PepsiCocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2018PepsiCo sponsors the Clean River Project, a citizen science initiative addressing floatable trash on the Bronx River. Since 2018, volunteers have removed 64,476 items of trash from the river.
• EntergyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2013Partnered with WPF in 2013 to install Westchester County's first campsite solar thermal hot water system at Croton Point Park, reducing fossil fuel use.
• Con EdisoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCon Edison is the presenting sponsor for Bicycle Sundays on the Bronx River Parkway and partner for Trail Promotion and Environmental Awareness program displaying trail maps at select parks. They provide critical funding enabling the 60,000+ annual participants to enjoy traffic-free park access.
• NewYork-Presbyterian HospitalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is a presenting sponsor for Bicycle Sundays, supporting the beloved Westchester tradition since 2012. Their partnership demonstrates corporate commitment to community health and wellness.
• VerizoncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVerizon generously sponsors the Cranberry Lake Preserve Audio Tour, a 14-stop tour developed by WPF showcasing the preserve's rich history, landscape, and plant life.
• Scenic HudsonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Scenic Hudson to make improvements to Kingsland Point Park on the Hudson River in Sleepy Hollow, including restoration of a 1926 bathhouse into the Kathryn W. Davis RiverWalk Center for river-based education.
• Xylem, Inc.coreGTM or Marketing PartnerXylem sponsors the Lake Revitalization project at Tibbetts Brook Park, where volunteers in canoes manage invasive aquatic plants to restore aquatic recreation in Yonkers' largest County park.
• Achilles InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to host adaptive cycling at Kensico Dam Park for individuals with physical disabilities as part of Trails Without Limits program.
• Craig H. Neilsen FoundationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor for Trails Without Limits adaptive hiking and cycling program that allows individuals with physical disabilities to explore Westchester County Parks using All-Terrain Trackchairs at no cost.
• NYP Columbia Weill CornellcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor for Trails Without Limits adaptive recreation program supporting individuals with disabilities.
• Morgan StanleyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Partner participating in volunteer programs and Adopt-A-Park initiatives.
• MastercardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Partner supporting WPF volunteer and corporate partner programs.
• RegeneronminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Partner in WPF corporate volunteer and community engagement programs.
• FujifilmminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate Partner supporting WPF corporate volunteer initiatives.
• GrowTorahminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Bronx River Blitz cleanup events, facilitating optional learning sessions on protecting waterways through relevant Torah texts.
• Hutchinson River Restoration ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for winter programs at Twin Lakes Park, using hand tools to manage non-native vines and shrubs along trails.
• New York Botanical GardenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Scout Field reforestation effort planting and protecting over 50 trees as part of NYS DEP Community Reforestation (CoRe) grant.
• Reeve FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPast program supporter for Trails Without Limits adaptive recreation.
• VeoliaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPast program supporter for Trails Without Limits.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Scenic Hudson: Regional land trust and conservation nonprofit operating in the Hudson Valley, with comparable mission of preserving parks, open space, and riverfront land. WPF explicitly partners with Scenic Hudson on Kingsland Point Park improvements, and both organizations fundraise to underwrite park conservation in the same metro area.
• Central Park Conservancy: Private nonprofit conservancy that serves as the primary fundraising and stewardship partner for Central Park. Highly comparable 'park friends foundation' model: raises private dollars, organizes volunteers, funds capital projects, and runs programming for a single large urban park system.
• Prospect Park Alliance: Nonprofit that operates, restores, and programs Prospect Park in partnership with NYC Parks. Operates the same 'designated nonprofit partner of a municipal park system' model as WPF, including volunteer stewardship, capital fundraising, and signature programming.
• Appalachian Mountain Club: Member-supported nonprofit that maintains trails, operates outdoor programs, and advocates for conservation in the Northeast. Overlaps with WPF on volunteer-driven trail maintenance, outdoor recreation programming, and conservation advocacy in the same region.
• New York-New Jersey Trail Conference: Nonprofit that builds and maintains trails and volunteers across the NY/NJ region, including trail maps and stewardship. Directly comparable to WPF's volunteer-driven trail and park stewardship and educational programming in Westchester-adjacent geographies.
• Friends of Hudson River Park: Nonprofit dedicated to supporting Hudson River Park in NYC through fundraising, programming, and volunteer engagement. Same 'friends-of-a-park' nonprofit model, raising private funds and community support to supplement public park operations.
• Bronx River Alliance: Nonprofit coordinating stewardship and programming along the Bronx River corridor. Overlaps with WPF's Clean River Project on Bronx River trash removal and citizen-science work and shares the same regional river-park constituency.
• Open Space Institute: Regional conservation organization protecting land for parks, wildlife habitat, and recreation across New York and the Northeast. Comparable park-protection mission and donor base, though its primary tool is land acquisition rather than programming a park system.

Broad incumbents

• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on conserving land for parks, gardens, and natural areas. Comparable mission around park creation and protection, but operates at national scale across conservation, policy, and land acquisition rather than as a single-county park foundation.
• National Park Foundation: Official nonprofit partner of the U.S. National Park Service, raising private funds and building volunteer/educational programming for national parks. Same 'designated nonprofit partner of a public park system' role as WPF, but at national scale and scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PLTlZPgF7Z0AiMclaTdADryhyC4K31wSRz
• Facebookfacebook.com/WestchesterParksFoundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/thewpf
• Xx.com/friendsofparks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Westchester Parks Foundation