The 606’s New Fundraising Match Doubles and Triples Donations
The Alphawood Foundation, anonymous donor match donations large and small for campaign run by The Trust for Public Land
[CHICAGO] The 606 announces challenge grants totaling $2.1 million, giving donors an opportunity to double – or even triple – their contributions to Chicago’s iconic rails-to-trails project. The Alphawood Foundation is joining with an anonymous donor to set up a generous match for contributors to The 606 Mix & Match Campaign, The Trust for Public Land’s new component of the ongoing fundraising drive that will maximize contributions large and small.
Alphawood’s donation will match contributions of six figures or more, up to $2 million total. And the first to earn that match is an anonymous donor who will, in turn, match smaller donations of $10 to $10,000, up to $100,000 total. The bottom line: high-dollar donors will double their impact with a match from Alphawood. Those who give smaller donations will triple their impact with a match from both the anonymous donor and Alphawood.
“Alphawood Foundation Chicago believes that The 606 is the most exciting public works project underway in Chicago. When completed, it will transform many neighborhoods and enhance the lives of thousands of Chicagoans,” said Alphawood Executive Director James D. McDonough. “We are very pleased to partner with the Trust for Public Land in this project and we hope that our matching gift will inspire others to contribute and thereby create momentum to get this project done,” he added.
The 606 park and trail system is the signature project of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s push to create 800 new parks, recreation areas and green spaces throughout Chicago over the next five years. This ambitious new park and trail system has the elevated Bloomingdale Trail as its centerpiece, connected to five ground-level parks as well as an observatory, wheel friendly event plaza, performance spaces, art installations and other amenities. Locally, the project will provide an urban oasis for the 80,000 people, including 20,000 children, who live within a ten-minute walk. It is also planned as a citywide resource, a transportation alternative as well as a tourist attraction which is already garnering attention nationally and internationally.
The Trust for Public Land is managing private fundraising efforts, including The 606 Mix & Match Campaign, as well as community engagement and other aspects of the project on behalf of the Chicago Park District.
Donors can make their contribution through The 606 website [www.the606.org]. The organization’s Chicago Region Director, Beth White, says the $2.1 million challenge grants mean that holiday season donors at
all levels will have a significant impact on the construction of The 606, a project that will connect communities and serve as an urban oasis for Chicago’s residents and visitors.
“Thanks to the Alphawood Foundation’s leadership, we look forward to welcoming an ever-widening circle of donors who want to be part of The 606,” White said. “We know the opportunity to leverage their dollars will be good news to donors at all levels.”
To date, nearly $70 million in Federal, private and local government funds have been committed for The 606, which is expected to cost approximately $95 million when the initial construction and landscaping phases are complete, with potential for additional art, programming and other enhancements based on fundraising success.
About The 606
The 606 takes Chicago’s legacy of great parks to new heights. This Northwest side project is transforming nearly three miles of unused rail line into the elevated Bloomingdale Trail, linked to five ground-level neighborhood parks, as well as various art installations and other amenities. The park and trail system is named for the 606 zip code prefix all Chicagoans share. Set above city streets, it will serve as both an urban oasis and a new way to explore Chicago on trails for biking, running, and strolling. The 606 also connects parks, people, classrooms and communities; what once physically separated four neighborhoods now will knit them together and attract visitors from throughout Chicago and beyond. It is yet another Chicago icon that brings together innovative urban planning, green space, and the arts. The 606 will change the way you see our city.
For more information visit The606.org (http://The606.org).
About The Trust for Public Land
Founded in 1972, The Trust for Public Land is the leading nonprofit working to conserve land for people. Operating from more than 30 offices nationwide, The Trust for Public Land has protected more than three million acres from the inner city to the wilderness and helped generate more than $34 billion in public funds for conservation. Nearly ten million people live within a ten-minute walk of a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year.
Learn more at tpl.org (http://www.tpl.org/).