07/09/2026
As you consider your charitable giving, don't overlook the importance of investing in quality of place.
Indiana's trails need your support now more than ever. While trails received $180 million in state funding between 2019 and 2025, that funding met only 42% of the statewide need—and it was dedicated primarily to building new trails, not maintaining or improving the thousands of miles of trails we already have.
When you support Greenways Foundation, you're doing more than funding projects. You're helping activate a growing statewide advocacy network that works at the community, county, state, and federal levels to expand investment in trails and ensure they remain safe, accessible, and connected.
Every Hoosier deserves access to outdoor spaces that strengthen health, improve quality of life, connect communities, and drive local economic growth. Together, we can ensure Indiana's trail network continues to thrive for generations to come.
https://www.greenwaysfoundation.org/donate
As financial resources tighten, donors’ attention naturally turns to what feels most immediate: food, housing and health, for example. That can leave parks, trails, public spaces and neighborhood beautification feeling secondary or, even worse, indulgent.
While that is understandable, it is short-sighted. A growing body of research demonstrates that easy access to well-maintained public spaces improves a host of major social outcomes. That means investment today prevents and reduces crises in the future.
For nonprofits and funders alike, the opportunity is to think about these investments as basic parts of a healthy society. Because rather than distracting from the necessities, a strong quality of place is one.
Read more in this article from CICF’s Jeff Bennett: https://loom.ly/ZYjxE7A
