Bring Sustainable, Community-Funded Cleaning to Your Park

Lead support is provided by the William Penn Foundation.

Philadelphia parks deserve consistent care.

Glitter is launching a limited pilot to test whether neighbors, park users, and local stakeholders are willing to co-fund ongoing park cleanings using our proven neighborhood crowdfunding model.

We’re looking for a small cohort of park partners to help us test and shape this approach.

About the park Pilot with Glitter

With support from the William Penn Foundation, Glitter is conducting a citywide pilot to answer one key question:

Will neighbors step up to help sustainably fund regular cleaning in their local park if given the right tools and structure?

This pilot focuses on:

  • Relationship-building with park partners

  • On-the-ground outreach and engagement

  • Testing messaging and willingness to contribute

  • Park activation events

  • Launching park-specific crowdfunding pages

  • Measuring demand and long-term sustainability potential

Important:
This grant funds engagement, outreach, and pilot testing — not recurring grant-funded cleanings. The goal is to determine whether parks can transition to sustained, community-supported cleaning.

Find a Pilot Park Near You

Each pin is a park in the Glitter parks pilot. Tap one to see how it's doing and pledge to support it — pick the park you love most.

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Every pledge helps fund a cleaner, greener park. More parks joining soon.

Why is Glitter doing this?

We care deeply about the city of Philadelphia and are dedicated to creating safer, cleaner neighborhoods for all.

Since 2021, Glitter has:

  • Activated 350+ blocks across Philadelphia

  • Engaged 1,250+ recurring contributors

  • Completed 25,000+ cleanings

  • Built a dynamic, pay-what-you-can funding platform

  • Created living-wage jobs for local residents

We’ve proven neighbors will fund cleaner blocks.

Now we’re testing whether that same model can work for parks.

How glitter is supporting parks in the pilot

  • We work directly with your Friends group or park leadership to understand:

    • Current maintenance gaps

    • Event calendar + high-traffic times

    • Stakeholder landscape (neighbors, businesses, institutions)

  • We co-design engagement strategies that may include:

    • Tabling at markets or park events

    • Ambassador outreach

    • Digital + newsletter campaigns

    • A “Park Pride” activation experience or event

  • Your park receives its own crowdfunding page within Glitter’s Members Hub, featuring:

    • Real-time funding progress

    • Before/after documentation

    • Transparent cleaning schedules (if activated)

    • Easy pledge management

  • At the end of the pilot, your park receives:

    • Engagement metrics

    • Contribution rates

    • Community sentiment insights

    • Clear assessment of long-term feasibility

park pilot Timeline

The entire program will run during the 2026 calendar year.

Winter 2026 – Planning

  • Meet with park partners

  • Estimate cleaning costs

  • Build park crowdfunding page

  • Finalize outreach strategy

March–June 2026

  • Tabling + community outreach

  • Park Pride / Activation Day

  • Launch fundraising page

  • Test messaging + pricing

  • Refine approach based on early results

  • Launch additional parks

Summer 2026 – Momentum

  • High-visibility presence at peak park times

  • Grow recurring contributions

  • Begin cleanings at parks that reach funding thresholds

Fall 2026 – Evaluation

  • Measure participation + dollars raised

  • Share learnings

  • Plan next phase