{"id":5945,"date":"2026-07-07T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parks.indy.gov\/?p=5945"},"modified":"2026-07-06T20:45:43","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T20:45:43","slug":"bezos-earth-fund-commits-10-million-to-transform-indianapolis-reverend-mozel-sanders-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parks.indy.gov\/es\/bezos-earth-fund-commits-10-million-to-transform-indianapolis-reverend-mozel-sanders-park\/","title":{"rendered":"Bezos Earth Fund commits $10 million to transform Indianapolis’ Reverend Mozel Sanders Park\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Transformational investment in the Haughville Riverfront Vision Plan will reimagine 25 riverfront acres with new trails, wetlands, a community farm, and recreation amenities designed by neighborhood residents<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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INDIANAPOLIS \u2013 Today, Indy Parks and The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis are announcing a $10-million grant from the Bezos Earth Fund<\/a> to transform the 25-acre Reverend Mozel Sanders Park with inspiration from the Haughville Riverfront Vision Plan. Selected as one of eight projects nationally in cohort II of the Bezos Earth Fund’s Greening America’s Cities initiative, the project will plant more than 400 trees, restore native wetlands, build two miles of new trails, and add a community farm and orchard, multi-use fields, sports courts, gathering lawns, and essential park infrastructure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

New trails will connect directly to the Central White River Trail and the regional greenway network, knitting Haughville into the broader citywide and regional park system. The total project budget is $10.6 million, including $600,000 from the Indy Parks Capital Budget. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThroughout Indianapolis history, the White River has played a central role in both our economy and our community. Even today, the vibrant neighborhoods and beautiful natural landscapes on the riverbank are part of what makes our city so unique,\u201d said Mayor Joe Hogsett. \u201cThis generous grant continues the momentum of historic investment in Indy Parks through the revitalization of a beloved riverfront park in the Haughville neighborhood. I want to express my deepest gratitude to the Bezos Earth Fund for identifying Indy as a premier city to invest in, and to Indy Parks, The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis, and the Central Indiana Community Foundation for their dedication to making this project a reality.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reverend Mozel Sanders Park is the next chapter in a sweeping reinvestment of the White Riverway, building on completed and ongoing work at Riverside, Southwestway, and Holliday parks. Native landscapes, expanded wetlands, and green stormwater systems are designed to filter an estimated 1.2 million gallons of stormwater each year, help cool surrounding neighborhoods, and reduce flooding risks. Public art, interpretive signage, and the new Haughville Resilience Trail will honor the neighborhood’s history and the legacy of Reverend Mozel Sanders himself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the Bezos Earth Fund, we want to make the planet a place people can and want to live, and that includes making sure people have green spaces woven into daily life \u2014 places to cool down and get shade, bring their families, or simply walk through on their commute. Those places shouldn\u2019t be a luxury,\u201d said Tom Taylor, CEO and President of the Bezos Earth Fund. \u201cGreening America\u2019s Cities shows what\u2019s possible when communities, local leaders, and partners come together to transform overlooked spaces into something extraordinary. Our hope is that these projects serve as a blueprint for turning vacant land into community assets and encourage even more investment in green spaces \u2014 from government, philanthropy, and others \u2014 in cities across the country.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grant will be administered by Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF) as fiscal sponsor for The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis, while Indy Parks will lead the project\u2019s execution. Design and engineering will begin this fall, with construction set to begin in 2027 and substantial completion expected in 2029. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is what happens when national philanthropy meets local leadership with a clear vision,\u201d said Jennifer Bartenbach, CEO of Central Indiana Community Foundation. \u201cThe Bezos Earth Fund saw what Haughville residents, Indy Parks, and The Parks Alliance have been building together, and chose to back it. CICF is proud to steward this investment, so it delivers exactly what the community asked for \u2014 a stronger, healthier, more connected Indianapolis.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHaughville residents told us what they wanted on this riverfront, and the Bezos Earth Fund is making it real,\u201d said Jenny Boyts, Executive Director of The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis. \u201cReverend Mozel Sanders gave this city fifty years of service \u2014 investing in this park in his name, designed by his neighbors and powered by the work of Friends of Belmont Beach and so many local leaders, is the kind of legacy he earned and the community deserves. This investment will expand access to the river, build space where families can gather and grow food, and prove that great parks are how a city shows up for the people who live in it.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project came out of the Haughville Riverfront Vision Plan,<\/a> a partnership with the Friends of Belmont Beach and Visit Indy, which aimed to serve as a guide for the future of a network of parks, trailways, and open spaces on the west bank of the White River within Indianapolis\u2019 Haughville community. The plan was developed through collaborative activities and interviews with the community during 2023 and was formally adopted by the Indianapolis Board of Parks and Recreation on April 16, 2024. Rendering for the project can be found aqu\u00ed<\/a>.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m grateful to the Bezos Earth Fund for their partnership and support of the transformational Reverend Mozel Sanders Park project,\u201d said Indy Parks Director Brittany Crone. \u201cWe deeply appreciate the support and hard work of our partners at The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis, The Central Indiana Community Foundation (CICF), the Friends of Belmont Beach, and the city\u2019s Office of Sustainability to make this project and opportunity possible. This major project will bring together high-quality greenspace, community connection, recreation, and so much more along the White River.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis grant shows the power of community, and what happens when people come together around a vision. Friends of Belmont Beach has always been driven by the community, and we\u2019ll now have resources to make sure those voices are woven in even more,\u201d said President of the Friends of Belmont Beach Ted Hardy. \u201cWe\u2019re proud to be part of this project, and we\u2019re committed to continuing to support the people who call this place home.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The grant comes as Indy Parks is nearing the completion of major park improvement projects totaling over $150 million, with 40 parks receiving upgrades in 2026 alone.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n