Atlanta Tops Spring Skatepark Grants
Tony Hawk Foundation supports skatepark projects from Washington to Florida.
Skaters make do on an empty foundation in Atlanta, Georgia's Fourth Ward neighborhood. Photo by Scott Lowden.
5/4/10 (Vista, CA) – The Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark is a key component of Atlanta, Georgia’s downtown redevelopment effort, the Atlanta BeltLine. It’s also been a long time coming for a city that is one of the country’s major skateboarding hubs, and will help redefine an historic community that is lacking in public recreational space. For those and many other equally compelling reasons, the Tony Hawk Foundation Board of Directors voted last week to award Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. (the implementing entity of Atlanta’s comprehensive urban redevelopment initiative) $25,000 to help complete the 15,000-square-foot skatepark.
“The Atlanta BeltLine is honored to be selected by the Tony Hawk Foundation for this generous grant,” said Brian Leary, President and CEO of Atlanta BeltLine, Inc. “This is an endorsement of the amazing collaboration between the City, Atlanta BeltLine, and our incredible local skateboard community. The inspiration came from the vision, will, and determination of the community. Combined with the City’s strong support, and now this outstanding gift, the new park—Atlanta’s first fully designed skate park—will be one of the best skate facilities in the U.S.”
“We are proud and honored to support the Historic Fourth Ward Skatepark project in Atlanta,” said Tony Hawk. “It represents everything we stand for at THF—community involvement that benefits at-risk youth in an area that traditionally has had very little support for sports like skateboarding. We are excited to be attached to a project that will be such a vital and vibrant part of the Fourth Ward community.”
A total of nineteen projects are recipients of the Tony Hawk Foundation Spring 2010 Skatepark Grants. Worth a total of $150,000, the awards bring each of the recipients closer to their goal of building a free, quality public skatepark in their community.
Including both urban and rural communities across the U.S.—literally from coast to coast—this season’s grant recipients bring the total number of community skateparks assisted by the foundation to 463.
Spring 2010 Tony Hawk Foundation Grant Recipients
$25,000
Atlanta, Georgia
$10,000
Kissimmee, Florida
Fort Scott, Kansas
Glendive, Montana
Bowling Green, Ohio
Bellingham, Washington
Parsons, West Virginia
Suffolk, Virginia
$5,000
Solana Beach (La Colonia), California
Alamosa, Colorado
LaBelle, Florida
Liberal, Kansas
Melvindale, Michigan
Syracuse, New York
Dickinson, North Dakota
Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Gold Beach, Oregon
Beaumont, Texas
Malakoff, Texas
The Tony Hawk Foundation Board of Directors reviews Grant Applications twice annually. Only federally registered nonprofit organizations, municipalities, or public agencies may apply. The application for Fall 2010 Tony Hawk Foundation Skatepark Grants will be available on August 15, 2010. The deadline to complete applications is October 1, 2010.
Young skater pushing through a makeshift skatepark in Atlanta's Fourth Ward neighborhood. Photo by Marc Mauldin.
Skaters roll around the empty foundation they currently use as a skatepark in Atlanta, Georgia's Fourth Ward neighborhood. Photo by Marc Mauldin.
Skater performs a pivot at a makeshift skatepark in Atlanta, Georgia's Fourth Ward neighborhood. Photo by Marc Mauldin.
