Friends Of Tampa Recreation

What Friends Of Tampa Recreation does

Friends of Tampa Recreation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1988 and registered in Florida, operating as a dedicated community fundraising and program-support partner to the City of Tampa Parks & Recreation Department. The organization's mission is to supplement the cost of youth and adult recreation programs and to support park improvements across the Tampa Bay Area. It does not operate a physical office, maintaining only a PO Box 173192 mailing address in Tampa, FL, and is led by Executive Director Kitty Lyons, CMP, with a 1-10 employee footprint.

The organization delivers three core programs. First, the Neighborhood Matching Grant Program provides matching funds of $100 to $1,000 to Tampa neighborhoods that are actively raising money and have obtained a Park Improvement Proposal approved by the municipal Parks & Recreation Department; eligible uses include playgrounds, exercise equipment, signage, fencing, and plantings. Second, Art Reach for Kids, launched in 2018 in partnership with Instruments 4 Life and the Creative Arts Theatre Company, is an arts and music enrichment program offering keyboard, ukulele, and guitar lessons, songwriting, and studio recording, with students able to earn their own instruments by mentoring beginners; the program currently operates at three community center locations — Copeland Park, Jackson Heights Center, and Forest Hills Park — and has served over 120 children since inception. Third, Santa Fest & Tree Lighting is an annual holiday celebration held at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, featuring a parade, entertainment, crafts, food vendors, photos with Santa, a tree lighting ceremony led by the Mayor, and a free holiday movie, drawing thousands of families annually.

The revenue model is built on charitable donations and contributions, business sponsorships tied to community events, and pass-through matching grants. No services are sold; pricing is not applicable to the consumer side. Distribution is regional and direct, with programs delivered in person through City of Tampa Parks & Recreation community centers and parks. Marketing channels include the organization's website (friendsoftamparec.org), a Facebook event presence, an email newsletter, and direct community-event participation.

Name

Friends Of Tampa Recreation

Legal name

Friends of Tampa Recreation, Inc.

Website

https://friendsoftamparec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Friends of Tampa Recreation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1988 that supplements the City of Tampa's Parks & Recreation programs through a neighborhood matching grant program ($100-$1,000), the Art Reach for Kids arts and music program serving 120+ children, and the annual Santa Fest & Tree Lighting event.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Recreation and Park Support Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Community Sports & Recreation Festivals (Fun Runs, Local Games Days) (MPAGAEAN)

Keywords

• Community recreation programs
• Park improvement grants
• Nonprofit fundraising events
• Youth recreation support
• Neighborhood matching grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: The organization receives charitable donations from individuals and organizations to support its mission of supplementing recreation programs and park improvements.
2. Matching Grants: Provides matching funds to neighborhoods raising money for park improvement projects, ranging from $100-$1000.
3. Event Sponsorships: Santa Fest & Tree Lighting event generates sponsorship revenue from businesses wanting to showcase their brand to engaged community audience.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Friends of Tampa Recreation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supplements the cost of youth and adult recreation programs and supports park improvements throughout the City of Tampa. Founded in 1988, the organization raises funds through donations, grants, and sponsorships to deliver signature community programs and provide matching grants for neighborhood-level park projects.

Product overview

Friends of Tampa Recreation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supplements youth and adult recreation programs and supports park improvements in Tampa. The organization operates three main programs: Santa Fest & Tree Lighting (an annual holiday celebration event), Art Reach for Kids (an arts and music enrichment program for children with a focus on instrument lessons and songwriting), and the Neighborhood Matching Grant Program (which provides matching funds to neighborhoods for park improvement projects). The organization does not offer a technology product but rather provides community programs and grant funding to support recreation facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Santa Fest & Tree Lighting

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Instruments 4 LifecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Musical component partner for the ArtReach program. Provides keyboard, ukulele, and guitar lessons at community centers. Students can earn their own instruments by mentoring beginners. Also collaborates on songwriting and recording original songs.
• City of Tampa Parks & Recreation DepartmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary municipal partner. The organization supports and supplements the City's recreation programs and helps improve parks. Parks staff review and approve park improvement proposals and assist with project planning and oversight.
• Creative Arts Theatre CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtistic supervision partner for ArtReach program. Meg Heimstead serves as Artistic Supervisor, Creative Arts Theatre Company & ArtReach, Parks and Recreation Department.
• City of TampacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Santa Fest & Tree Lighting event partnership. The Mayor leads the countdown and lighting ceremony at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• Tampa Downtown Partnership: Tampa-focused nonprofit that manages downtown improvements, events, and sponsorships. Comparable as a place-based nonprofit that supplements municipal services and runs community programming in the same Tampa geography.

Broad incumbents

• National Recreation and Park Association: National nonprofit dedicated to advancing parks, recreation, and conservation. Comparable mission of supporting and advocating for municipal recreation programs and park improvements, but operates as an industry association rather than a local program-delivery nonprofit.
• Trust for Public Land: National nonprofit focused on creating parks and protecting public land. Comparable as a nonprofit that channels philanthropic and grant funding toward municipal/community park creation and improvement, though at significantly larger scale and geographic scope.
• YMCA of Greater Tampa Bay: Regional nonprofit delivering recreation, youth, and community programming at multiple sites. Comparable as a mission-driven recreation/youth provider that supplements and complements municipal recreation services in the Tampa Bay area.

Direct peers

• Keep Tampa Bay Beautiful: Tampa-area nonprofit focused on beautification, park, and green-space programming. Comparable in mission around community-driven park improvements and volunteer activation, with a similar local grant/donation funding model.
• Friends of the Riverwalk (Tampa): Tampa-based nonprofit supporting a specific public recreation asset (the Tampa Riverwalk). Closely comparable structure: a 'Friends of…' 501(c)(3) that supplements municipal public-space programming, runs events, and secures sponsorships and donations for amenity improvements.

Others

• City Parks Alliance: National nonprofit alliance supporting urban parks and the organizations that fund them. Comparable as an ecosystem peer that connects, advocates for, and supports 'Friends of parks' nonprofits similar to Friends of Tampa Recreation.

Emerging players

• Boys & Girls Clubs of Tampa Bay: Tampa-area youth development nonprofit running structured after-school and enrichment programming at multiple sites. Comparable in delivering youth programming (analogous to Art Reach) across Tampa community-center locations, though with a broader youth-development scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/56568052687
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/friends-of-tampa-recreation-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Tampa Recreation