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Hudson River Park Friends

Why does the Park need Friends?

Hudson River Park Friends is an independent, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to the completion, care and enhancement of Hudson River Park, and is the designated fundraising partner of the Hudson River Park Trust. 

Friends creates opportunities for private contributions to and participation in the Park’s operations and growth to guarantee its future for generations of New Yorkers, Americans and visitors from around the world.

To help meet a growing need for resources as Hudson River Park expands and matures, Friends expanded its mission in 2011 to focus on generating private philanthropic support for New York’s premier waterside park. 

Friends works in partnership with the Hudson River Park Trust to identify fundraising opportunities so that sufficient funding is available to complete the Park, augment operating resources, fund public programs, build an endowment, and guarantee that the Park remains in world-class condition.

Founded in 1999, Friends is the principal advocacy organization working to garner public dollars for Hudson River Park’s construction and monitor Park progress under the Hudson River Park Act. Friends’ advocacy efforts helped secure over $250 million in capital funding to design and build Hudson River Park, and to hasten the relocation of incompatible municipal facilities on designated parkland. 

Tens of millions of dollars of State, City and private capital construction and new design are underway to complete the Park with the support of the Governor, Mayor, our local elected officials and our loyal supporters. Friends welcomes involvement from all sectors of the community to become part of this important goal.

Get to Know Friends

The Friends Board of Directors represents a broad range of professional, community, and civic interests, and each member embraces our goal of helping to create a world-class park for everyone.

Learn more about our Hudson River Park Friends staff members.

You'll find Hudson River Park Friends Annual Reports and Financial Information here.

Our Founders Council is made up of former Hudson River Park Friends Board members whose commitment and many years of service to our organization and to the Park, quite literally, created Hudson River Park.

Learn about the founding and history of Hudson River Park Friends.

This report explores the impacts and benefits of Hudson River Park on surrounding neighborhoods and NYC at large.