The George Gund Foundation Awards $2 Million Gift to The Trust For Public Land

The George Gund Foundation has approved a gift of $2 million to The Trust for Public Land’s program to help enhance park and trail access to the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie for the first time in decades, the groups announced today.

“Today’s gift is a major step forward in our effort to give everyone in Cleveland more access to Lake Erie and the Cuyahoga River through parks and trails. This wonderful gift initiates our program to connect people to nature and parks and to each other, for health, recreation and economic development,” said Pam Carson, Ohio Director of The Trust for Public Land. “We envision a connection from downtown Cleveland to the lake that would replace a long drive with a shorter walk, and we believe that is a substantial improvement worth the investment.”

“We are deeply grateful to The George Gund Foundation for this generous support,” said Ms. Carson. “This gift is the first major gift for our Connecting Cleveland program, which will establish a network of parks and trails. This gift is a great way to kick off this program.”

David Abbott, Executive Director of The George Gund Foundation, said, “The Gund Foundation is very pleased to be part of ‘Connecting Cleveland’ through the work of The Trust for Public Land and its many partners. Our city is in global competition for people. Building bike paths, pedestrian trails and connections to our underused waterfronts are essential elements to successful competition.”

Founded in 1972, The Trust for Public Land is the leading nonprofit working to conserve land for people. Operating from more than 30 offices nationwide, The Trust for Public Land has protected more than three million acres from the inner city to the wilderness and helped generate more than $34 billion in public funds for conservation. Nearly ten million people live within a ten-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year.