Designated Funds

Centennial Park offers a refuge for visitors to escape the bustle of our thriving city and retreat into an 132-acre ecosystem of beautifully cultivated urban green space. Just as it has for generations, this urban oasis adapts to meet the needs of the community it serves. The Revitalization Fund was created to help underwrite capital projects that advance the Park’s continued evolution.

The Centennial Park Master Plan was developed by Centennial Park Conservancy and Metro Nashville in 2010 to restore, renovate, and revitalize Nashville's central park. Through a public-private partnership, two phases of improvements totaling $21M have already been completed and the $10M Park Plaza/Event Pavilion Phase is currently underway, with more enhancements expanding beyond the Master Plan’s initial designs.

Donations to the Revitalization Fund support improvements throughout the Park and the Parthenon. Such projects include:

• Creation of the Croquet Cafe (underway)

• Creation of a new Event Pavilion (underway)

• Development of Grand New Northside Entrance and Pathways (underway)

• Restoring The Great Lawn (complete)

• Building Musicians Corner amphitheater (complete)

• Revitalizing the Children’s Memory Garden (complete)

• Daylighting Cockrill Spring (complete)

• Cleaning Lake Watauga (complete)

• Creating a home for the Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument (complete)

• Dredging Lake Watauga and redoing the Parthenon parking lot (complete)

• Creating the Ellipse Lawn (complete)

• Other Revitalization Projects (ongoing)

In partnership with Metro Parks, Centennial Park Conservancy is preserving the iconic green space of our city’s central park that champions arts, music, history, education, health, and wellness. This transformation can only take place through the community’s generosity. You can play a vital role in the Park’s ambitious revitalization today for the benefit of future generations.

Sustaining a vibrant future for Centennial Park and its support organization Centennial Park Conservancy (CPC) is one of our many priorities. While fundraising for ongoing annual operations and programming, we are also looking towards a healthy future for our Park and organization. No one knows for certain what the future holds, so the goal of The Sylvia Rapoport Future Fund is to assure that our organization is in a position of strength and readiness to seize opportunities to advance the Park as these occasions arise. 

The Sylvia Rapoport Future Fund was created in 2022 to honor our visionary Founding President. Sylvia has been a pivotal figure in CPC's history and built the foundation of the organization we know today. Her leadership and tireless dedication to Centennial Park have been instrumental in transforming the Park to serve future generations and positioning CPC as a respected organization in our community.

The Fund helps to sustain the future of Centennial Park and CPC by building financial reserves for a variety of forward-looking purposes. These may include:

• Taking advantage of land acquisition to expand the Park's footprint

• Having available funds to underwrite capital improvement projects in the Park

• Ensuring CPC's growing staff has the appropriate facilities to do its philanthropic work

• Providing matching funds to encourage a transformational gift to support high priority projects in the Park

Show your support for the future of our city's beloved central park and the nonprofit support group that helps to sustain its vibrancy as a thriving public space by making a donation to the Sylvia Rapoport Future Fund.

You can directly support the Park’s ongoing beautification needs, ensuring that its natural elements and facilities thrive within this well-maintained gift to our community.

By donating to the Centennial Park Beautification Fund, you are partnering with Centennial Park Conservancy and Metro Parks to help care for Nashville's central park. Combating the deterioration that results from hosting three million annual visitors requires ongoing investment in preserving the Park’s natural resources. Your tax-deductible gift helps ensure the 132-acres of Nashville's green space remains lush and plentiful and its buildings refurbished to pleasantly receive our guests.  All donations will be used to underwrite the Park's many ongoing beautification and maintenance needs which may include:

• Ongoing trash pickup & removal

• Bandshell refurbishment (complete)

• Potential opportunities:

  • Water cleanliness & treatment

  • Tending to flowers & trees

  • Lawn maintenance & restroom cleanliness

  • Manicured beds & pathways

  • Wildlife care including bee colony support

Contributors to the Beautification Fund help seed a majestic oasis where both people and nature flourish. Give today.

The Parthenon is a Nashville treasure. As our city’s iconic landmark and a vibrant museum, it has been a symbol of civic pride since 1897. Centennial Park Conservancy established the Parthenon Preservation Fund in 2021 to support Metro Nashville in caring for the 100 year-old building and its collections. Donors can contribute restricted funds to help underwrite improvements, upgrades, and restoration projects that are not funded by the Metro Nashville budget. By making a donation to the Parthenon Preservation Fund, you are supporting the historic centerpiece of our city and partnering with Centennial Park Conservancy to ensure the Parthenon continues as a vital cultural and educational landmark.

Past projects include: 

• Restoration of the Parthenon Marble Casts (completed)

• Installation of the Art Sentry Security System (completed)

• Restoration of Cowan Collection painting and frames (completed)

• Improvements to the Athens of the South Gallery [i.e. 1897 Exposition] ramp cases and displays (upcoming) 

Supporters of the Parthenon Preservation Fund help ensure that the legacy and impact of our 100-year old Parthenon remains steadfast for locals and visitors both today and for decades to come.

Make a restricted donation to Centennial Park Conservancy's paid Internship Fund to ensure college students have equitable access to professional career paths in the nonprofit, parks, and arts & culture sectors. All donations support Centennial Park Conservancy's unique workforce development opportunities in areas such as event management, marketing, museum management, and fundraising.  Created in 2021, the Fund has ensured that 100% of our interns have been compensated for their work since 2023.