Support
Funding
The Downtown Greenway will be funded as a public-private partnership from a wide variety of sources. Two local foundations supported the project in its early stages. The Cone Health Foundation and the Cemala Foundation each made grants of $500,000.
The N.C. Health & Wellness Trust Fund awarded a Fit Community Grant of $60,000 for construction expenses for Phase One. The Greensboro Bicentennial Commission made a grant of $60,000 to assist with marketing efforts for the project.
On November 4, 2008, Greensboro voters approved three bonds, including a $134 million Street Improvements Bond that assigns a total of $12 Million for constructing greenways. $7 Million of this is allocated to the Downtown Greenway. Local bonds are intended to cover just a portion of the total cost over the next 5-10 years, with other funding sources covering the rest. Local bond funds can be used as matching funds for some federal and state grants. In addition, contributions from foundations, businesses and individuals are also expected to help pay for the Greenway.
Passage of the Street Improvement Bond also leveraged an additional $4.5 Million in private funds for construction of the Downtown Greenway. Four Greensboro foundations had pledged funds that were contingent upon passage of the Street Improvement Bond:
- Cemala Foundation - $1 million (+ previous $500,000 grant) = $1.5 million
- Joseph M. Bryan Foundation - $1.5 million
- Cone Health Foundation - $1 million (+ previous $500,000 grant) = $1.5 million
- Weaver Foundation - $1 million
So actually, with the November 4 Bond vote, the Downtown Greenway project gained a total of $11.5 million. Thank you, Greensboro voters--you are a wise and far-sighted group!
Other businesses, individuals and foundations are likely to be major contributors to the Greenway. City and county plans already call for more greenways, trails and parks in and around Greensboro, so the Downtown Greenway dovetails with those existing plans.
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Funding to Date (4.27.11)
- City of Greensboro Street Improvement Bonds - $7 million (general support)
- Cone Health Foundation - $1.5 million (general support)
- Cemala Foundation - $1.655 million (general support + other)
- Joseph M. Bryan Foundation - $1.5 million (general support)
- Weaver Foundation - $1 million (general support)
- Federal Transportation Grant through Kay Hagan’s office - $487,000 (general support)
- Federal Transportation Funding (STP-DA directed funds) - $206,000
- National Endowment for the Arts Mayor's Institute on City Designs 25th Anniversary Initiative - $100,000 (railroad trestle art installation)
- Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation - $100,000 (general support)
- Bicentennial Commission - $60,000 (educations + communications)
- Fit Community - $60,000 (grading & paving small phase one)
- Ellison Foundation - $25,000 (Five Points Bench, small phase one)
- Cone Mills Charitable Fund (formerly the ABC Foundation) - $25,000 (phase 1a artist bench)
- Alvin and Fanny B. Thalheimer Foundation Inc.- $22,500 in memory of Henry Levinson for the garden for special needs children
- Henry & Cathy Levinson family - $16,085 in memorial donations for Henry (garden for special needs children)
- United Arts Council - $14,250 (SE Cornerstone)
- American Express - $12,000 (Ashe Street commemoration)
- Anonymous - $10,000 (general support)
- John and Barbara McLendon Family Foundation - $10,000 (landscaping and signage)
- REI - $9,000 (public meeting support)
- Bell Foundation - $5,000 (bench, phase one)
- Greensboro Partnership - $5,000 (bench, phase one)
- Snider - $5,000 (general support)
· Marjorie T. Coleman and William R. Coleman- $2,500 in memory of Henry Levinson for the garden for special needs children
- Greensboro Beautiful – $1,225 donated for the planting of 13 understory and 5 canopy trees on small phase one
The Downtown Greenway needs your help.
You can help in a number of ways:
- Giving money or time to assist with making this project happen
- Being an advocate by helping to spread the word and inviting us to speak
- Staying informed by joining our email list
To do any of these things, please contact Dabney Sanders at (336) 387-8353 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) to find out how you can make this unique project a reality.