Preserving land and restoring it to prairie, woodlands, and wetlands is critical to creating wildlife habitat and maintaining ecosystem services. The Foundation supports Dane County Parks’ land restoration efforts by investing in the following initiatives:

• Trainings for volunteers to learn land restoration skills 
• Equipment, prairie seeds, trees, and other resources for Friends groups to complete land restoration projects
• Youth Volunteers for Conservation, a career pathways program that provides volunteer opportunities, internships, and training for teens and young adults to pursue education and/or careers in conservation fields
• The Adopt an Acre campaign to raise $90,000 to restore 90 acres of agricultural land to its natural habitat

The Foundation is proud to invest in programs that provide environmental education to over one thousand children every year! In addition to funding scholarships, a van, and science equipment, the Foundation has helped launch a conservation career pathways program for teens and young adults and expand the Get Outside! program to serve twice as many children. Get Outside! provides ongoing environmental education to children in community center programs with the goal of reaching children with less access to nature. The Foundation is currently raising funds to provide the intensive summer portion of the Get Outside! program to all participating community centers.

The Foundation has recently invested in large-scale infrastructure improvements with a focus on accessibility at Fish Camp County Park and Mendota County Park.

The Foundation invests in accessibility improvements, including contributing to accessible fishing piers/stations in seven parks, an accessible kayak, adaptive bikes, and an All-Terrain Wheelchair. The All-Terrain Wheelchair is designed to help people of all ability levels access the outdoors, and is available to check out and use in the Capital Springs Recreation Area. 

The Foundation and Dane County Parks are striving to make the park programs and spaces inclusive to everyone in our community regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, or gender, by investing in the following programs:

• Chainsaw Workshops for Women and Land Restoration Workdays for Women to support women pursuing careers in natural resource management
• Environmental education for children participating in  community center programs
• Scholarships for children to participate in outdoor recreation programs

‍Healthy Parks, Healthy You connects the community with better mental and physical health through use of the beautiful Dane County Parks system. Healthy Parks, Healthy You focuses on increasing the use of the parks by supporting free, family-focused events and programs, and accessibility resources. This partnership began in 2021 and is between the Foundation for Dane County Parks, SSM Health, Dean Health Plan for Medica, and Dane County Parks.

View the Healthy Parks, Healthy You video here!

The Foundation and Dane County Parks manage the Dane County Parks Collaborative Grant which is available for Dane County Parks Friend Groups and partner organizations to lead educational programs, implement small projects, and purchase equipment for volunteer workdays. This collaborative grant program can fund a full or partial project/program between $250-$2,000. ‍

‍Visit the Friends of Dane County Parks Grant Program for the grant application and more information.

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In 2012, leaders from the Dane County Parks Commission started the Friends of Dane County Parks Endowment Fund which led to the formation of the Foundation for Dane County Parks. The Endowment is housed in and managed by the Madison Community Foundation. The fund is permanent and the interest from the fund is used annually to support the Dane County Parks.