Climate & Environment
Bezos Earth Fund to Green Eight U.S. Cities with $100 Million Investment
The Bezos Earth Fund announced on 7 July 2026 that it will invest $100 million in eight U.S. cities to convert neglected urban land into parks and wildlife habitats. The funding is part of the Greening America’s Cities programme and follows a first round that brought the fund’s total commitment to $150 million across 11 cities, with a goal of $400 million for urban green spaces nationwide.
The eight cities receiving the new money are Allentown, Pennsylvania; Atlanta, Georgia; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Little Rock, Arkansas; Los Angeles, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
Cleveland will use the grant to transform 600 publicly owned vacant properties in the Hough and St. Clair‑Superior neighbourhoods into a network of naturalised landscapes, pocket parks, gathering areas and urban agriculture sites. The project will address a large concentration of vacant land that has limited tree cover and health challenges for the roughly 17,000 residents of the area.
In Indianapolis, the fund will support a 25‑acre park at Reverend Mozel Sanders Park along the White River. The park will include wetland restoration, additional trees, expanded trails, sports fields, a community farm, an orchard and open lawns. Two miles of new trails will link the park to existing regional greenways.
Salt Lake City will plant trees and create water‑efficient gardens on the 9‑Line trail and on the 2.4‑acre Fleet Block brownfield. The trail improvement will cover 1.7 miles used by more than 500,000 cyclists and pedestrians each year, while the Fleet Block site will become a public green space with a denser canopy.
Los Angeles will expand a five‑acre park on the Watts Towers Arts Center campus, adding space for visitors to explore the campus and participate in arts and educational activities. The site attracts more than 50,000 visitors annually and is a community destination ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
Little Rock’s 30 Crossing project will reclaim a 20‑acre former motorway ramp, creating a new destination park that connects to more than 100 acres of green space along the riverfront. The initial phase is funded by the Bezos Earth Fund and is expected to help attract an additional $60 million to $70 million.
Allentown will redevelop a 1.1‑acre asphalted plot into Franklin Park, featuring shade structures, trees, play areas, a community garden, a basketball court, restrooms and parking for more than 16,000 residents.
Atlanta’s Four Corners Park will cover 4.8 acres in Peoplestown, providing play and recreation areas, flexible gathering spaces, community gardening facilities, composting and environmental infrastructure for more than 3,500 people.
Sioux Falls will transform a 16.3‑acre former quarry into Falls Park, offering trails, water‑edge access and open gathering spaces. The city’s Parks and Recreation Department will maintain the park after construction.
All projects emphasize native plants, trees, recreation facilities and community activities, aiming to improve access to nature and give overlooked land a new purpose.