PROGRAMS

POCKET PARKS

Transforming Unloved Places into Community Assets

The deadline for applications for a 2012 pocket park grant has passed, and we are in the midst of choosing our grant winners. Grant applications for 2013 projects will be available on our website in June 2012, with a deadline of the first Friday in August.

We have had an incredible year working on our 2011 pocket parks. From creating a quiet reading park at Indian Creek Elementary School to an urban orchard with Felege Hiywot Center, this year KIB helped our project partners transform vacant, unused, even contaminated land into places that attract people and activity. Go to our Pocket Park History Page for more details.

A little history...

Since 1995, Keep Indianapolis Beautiful, Inc., in partnership with Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL) and the City of Indianapolis, has helped neighborhoods, schools, churches, and other community-based organizations (CBO's) create beautiful places from vacant lots, old parking lots, medians, or little used areas. Often, these sites are neglected and overgrown—inviting littering, illegal dumping, or worse! These little-used, undervalued, or detrimental places are transformed into community assets--green and beautiful places that build community, encourage community pride, and add value to neighborhoods across Indianapolis.

With our help, you can create a Pocket Park, landscape beautification, environmental planting, community vegetable garden, or neighborhood gateway.

Definition: A pocket park is a small outdoor space, usually no more than ¼ of an acre, most often located in an urban area that is surrounded by commercial buildings or houses on small lots, with no places for people to gather, relax, or to enjoy the outdoors. There is no set design for a pocket park; each one is different depending on the size and use of the space. They are also called vest pocket parks, a term first used in the 1960’s.

KIB works with CBO's to create attractive, inviting, and vibrant outdoor public spaces. The use of the space is determined by the applicant. It can be a quiet space, a play space, or anything in between! We encourage our project partners to think outside the box, both in selecting a place for their project, and how the space will be used and maintained.

Our grants are “project management” grants, meaning that we bring the plant material, tools, and project management expertise to the project, the applicant brings volunteers to do the work, provides lunch, and so forth. The key thing we look for in the application is a maintenance plan, who and how will you take care of the plantings once KIB is done helping you bring your vision to life? Projects with a strong maintenance plan will win out over the competition to receive a grant.

How-To Guide on Creating your own Pocket Park
Detailed Maintenance Agreement for your Pocket Park

Check our grant application pages to see how to get organized and ready, and to see how to go about working with us on your project. Any group is eligible to apply. Our applications are a competitive process, so the more people you have involved and the more organized your group is, the more likely you will receive a project grant from us.