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 prestigious 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.

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.

is your park a fit for this pilot?

City maintenance is inconsistent. Volunteer cleanups are powerful but episodic. Major capital improvements often overlook long-term care.
This pilot explores a new layer of park sustainability:
Small, recurring contributions from the people who use and love the park.
If successful, this model could:
- Increase per-park maintenance funding
- Create local living-wage jobs
- Reduce reliance on seasonal city staffing
- Provide a replicable framework for parks citywide
We are not asking your board to fund cleaning. Cleanings will instead be funded if and when neighbors contribute to the crowdfunding.
We are asking for:
- A primary point of contact
- Help sharing information through your newsletter/social channels
- Permission to table or engage at key park moments
- Honest feedback as we test messaging and approach
Your role is collaborative — not financial.
We’re seeking parks that:
- Have an active Friends group or engaged leadership
- Experience recurring litter challenges
- Host regular events or have consistent foot traffic
- Are open to testing innovative funding approaches
We aim to work with a diverse cohort across neighborhoods and park sizes.

What This Means for Your Park

If selected for the pilot, your park will receive:

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