Friends of Robbins Farm Park

What Friends of Robbins Farm Park does

Friends of Robbins Farm Park (FoRFP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization founded around 1998 (per company history; firmographics state 2002) in Arlington, Massachusetts, dedicated to the beautification, restoration, and improvement of Robbins Farm Park at 61 Eastern Ave. The organization is governed by an all-volunteer board of directors led by President Mona Zeftel, Vice President Ken Hawkins, and Treasurer Steve McHugh, with founder Oakes Plimpton serving as historian. It operates without employees, parent company, or institutional investor, sustaining itself through volunteer labor and community support.

FoRFP's core offerings are (1) a year-round free community events program including the Rockin' Robbins concert series, the Harvard Alumni Jazz Band's 17th Annual Jazz Concert, the Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra classical concert, Band Blast and String Fest with Arlington Public Schools, Independence Day celebration, movie nights, field days, cleanup days, kite flying events, and astronomy nights; (2) the Universal Design Playground, Arlington's first universally designed inclusive playground, opened November 23, 2024 after a $2.1M renovation in partnership with the Town of Arlington and completed by JJ Phelan & Sons with design by Agency Landscape and Planning; (3) a published local history book ('Robbins Farm Park: A Local History', 4th Edition, 2025, by Oakes Plimpton) sold at $15 per copy; (4) a merchandise store selling T-shirts and caps; and (5) a membership program with 1-year ($10) and 3-year ($25) household memberships, plus a $40 bundled membership+book tier. There is no technology product, software platform, mobile app, or API.

The business model is nonprofit fundraising across five revenue streams: recurring household membership dues, tax-deductible donations (with a recent successful $70,000+ campaign from 400+ donors funding inclusive playground equipment, exceeding a $63,000 goal), book sales, merchandise sales, and event concessions (food and beverages). Distribution is conducted at a single physical venue (Robbins Farm Park) and through the organization's website, email newsletters, Facebook, and Twitter. Customer segments are Arlington community residents and families with children; supporting partners include the Town of Arlington (parks funding), Arlington Public Schools (performing arts programming), the Arlington Center for the Arts (cultural co-sponsorship), and a network of recurring performing groups. In March 2025, the organization received the Alan McClennen Award from the Arlington Center for the Arts for community and arts contributions.

Name

Friends of Robbins Farm Park

Legal name

Friends of Robbins Farm Park

Website

https://robbinsfarmpark.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Friends of Robbins Farm Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Arlington, MA that maintains Robbins Farm Park and runs free community events, cultural programming, and an inclusive playground, serving local residents and families through memberships, donations, and grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Park and Recreation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Recreation Campgrounds (Amenities/Activities Focus) (THAMAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outdoor Fitness & Park Bootcamps (HSADABAC), Park Concession Operations (Food, Retail, Fuel, General Stores) (THAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Community park management
• Nonprofit event programming
• Volunteer community services
• Inclusive playground design
• Park maintenance services

Headquarters

HQ city

Arlington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual household memberships at $10/year and 3-year memberships at $25 provide core operational funding from community supporters.
2. Donations: Tax-deductible charitable donations from individuals and organizations, including corporate sponsors for playground fundraising.
3. Book Sales: Sale of the local history book 'Robbins Farm Park: A Local History' at $15 per copy.
4. Merchandise Sales: Online store selling T-shirts, caps, and other merchandise with park spirit branding.
5. Event Concessions: Sale of food and beverages (pizza, popcorn, drinks) at community events as supplemental revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Friends of Robbins Farm Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that maintains Robbins Farm Park in Arlington, MA and organizes free community cultural events (concerts, movie nights, art days, cleanup days, field days, astronomy nights). The organization manages Arlington's first universally designed inclusive playground, sells park-branded merchandise and a local history book, and runs a household membership program to fund operations.

Product overview

Friends of Robbins Farm Park is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization that promotes the beautification, restoration, and improvement of Robbins Farm Park in Arlington, MA. The organization offers a community events program featuring free cultural programming (concerts, movie nights, field days, astronomy nights, cleanups), manages an inclusive universal design playground opened in November 2024, operates a merchandise store for park-branded items, publishes a local history book, and maintains a membership program. The organization does not offer a technology product or software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Events Program Free community cultural programming including concerts (Rockin' Robbins, Harvard Alumni Jazz Band, Arlington Philharmonic Orchestra), movie nights, art days, spring and fall cleanup days, kite flying events, astronomy nights, field days, and seasonal celebrations held at Robbins Farm Park for Arlington residents and visitors.
• Universal Design Playground Arlington's first universally designed inclusive playground, featuring 16-foot double polished cement slides, adventure sheds, an inclusive carousel, musical instruments, sensory elements, and accessible rubber surfaces intended for children of all abilities.
• History Book - Robbins Farm Park: A Local History Published local history book authored by FORFP founder Oakes Plimpton, documenting the history of Robbins Farm Park from the Revolutionary War era to the present, sold to the public for $15 per copy.
• FORFP Merchandise Store Online storefront selling park-branded T-shirts, caps, and spirit merchandise to raise funds for the nonprofit's community work.
• Membership Program 501(c)(3) nonprofit household membership program offering 1-year memberships at $10 and 3-year memberships at $25, with an optional bundled package including the FORFP history book at $40.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully fundraised over $70,000 from 400+ donors for inclusive playground equipment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 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, major and supporting.

• Arlington Center for the Arts (ACA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 March 2025ACA is a key cultural partner in Arlington that co-sponsors events including Shakespeare in the Park. They honored FORFP with the 2025 Alan McClennen award. The organizations share missions of inspiring joy, nurturing growth, and building community.
• Town of ArlingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Town of Arlington, through the Parks and Recreation Department, partners with FORFP on park improvements. The town funded the $2.1 million playground renovation through Community Preservation Act (CPA) and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. Joe Connelly (former Recreation Director) and Natasha Waden (current Recreation Director) were instrumental in the playground project.
• Arlington Public SchoolscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAPS Performing Arts, directed by Jing-Huey Wei, collaborates on events including Arlington String Fest and Band Blast featuring students from Grades 3-12. The partnership brings hundreds of student musicians to perform at the park.
• Harvard Alumni Jazz BandmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorA 17-piece jazz big band with members from Arlington and surrounding communities performs annual free concerts at the park. Now in their 17th Annual Jazz Concert. Band member Allen Feinstein is a neighborhood resident who helped establish the concerts.
• Arlington Philharmonic OrchestramajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPerforms free classical music concerts at the park annually, featuring members from Arlington and surrounding communities. Conductor Orlando Cela leads performances featuring diverse classical composers.
• JJ Phelan & SonsmajorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerConstruction company awarded the $2.1 million playground renovation project. They previously completed Phase I of the Reservoir Project and three school playground projects in Arlington (Peirce School, Bishop School, and Stratton School).
• Agency Landscape and PlanningmajorTechnology or IntegrationLandscape architecture firm that designed the universal design playground renovation. Conducted multiple public input meetings to incorporate community feedback into the inclusive playground design.
• Willstock PerformerssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGroup of Arlington musicians who have been entertaining local audiences in summer concerts for over 12 years, performing at Rockin' Robbins concert series.
• The ReminisantssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFavorite oldies band that performs annually at the Independence Day Celebration, entertaining crowds with classic American music.
• Jeffrey AlexandersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal astronomy enthusiast who hosts Astronomy Nights at the park, setting up telescopes for community viewing of celestial objects. Organized multiple viewing sessions throughout summer seasons.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Friends of the High Line: Nonprofit that operates, maintains, and programs a single urban public park (the High Line in NYC) using a combination of municipal funding, memberships, donations, merchandise, and events. Closely comparable business model to FORFP, though at city-scale.
• Friends of Alewife Reservation: Cambridge, MA-area volunteer-driven nonprofit dedicated to stewardship and programming of a specific nature reserve. Closest scale match to FORFP, operating under the same "Friends of" naming convention with comparable volunteer board governance and free community programming.

Broad incumbents

• Central Park Conservancy: The largest nonprofit dedicated to maintaining and programming a single urban park (Central Park in NYC). Operates the same model of public-private park stewardship, fundraising for capital improvements, and delivering free cultural programming, but at vastly greater scale and resources.

Regional players

• Friends of the Regional Parks Foundation: East Bay Regional Park District foundation supporting community park stewardship in California. Comparable "Friends of" fundraising and volunteer-driven park support structure across a regional park portfolio, providing a model for potential expansion of FORFP's approach.
• Emerald Necklace Conservancy: Boston-area nonprofit that maintains and programs parks within the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Emerald Necklace park system. Operates in the same Massachusetts geography as FORFP with a comparable volunteer-driven stewardship and free cultural programming model.
• Charles River Conservancy: Massachusetts-based nonprofit focused on stewardship and programming along the Charles River parklands. Comparable nonprofit park-advocacy model with events, volunteer engagement, and capital project fundraising, though focused on a linear park rather than a single neighborhood park.

Others

• Arlington Parks and Recreation Department: Municipal counterpart and core partner of FORFP. Owns and maintains the physical park assets while FORFP provides volunteer-driven programming and fundraising. Critical relationship because the playground renovation was funded through this municipal entity.

Emerging players

• Boston Common Skating Fund: Small Massachusetts-based nonprofit dedicated to maintaining and programming a specific Boston public park amenity. Operates with a similar local-membership-and-donations model, though narrower in scope than FORFP's broader programming portfolio.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/robbinsfarmpark
• Facebookfacebook.com/robbinsfarmpark
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-of-robbins-farm-park-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Friends of Robbins Farm Park