About Us
The mission of the Central Park Conservancy is to preserve and celebrate Central Park as a sanctuary from the pace and pressures of city life, enhancing the enjoyment and wellbeing of all.
Central Park is New York City’s 843-acre backyard, an essential space that welcomes over 42 million visitors annually. The City of New York has entrusted the Central Park Conservancy with the complete day-to-day care of this iconic public space, which requires dedicated expertise that we’ve honed during our 40-year history. Over 300 Conservancy employees tend to the Park’s complex maintenance, restoration, and architectural needs—from horticulture, tree and turf care, trash management, visitor services, and much more—resulting from massive use.
As the stewards of the Park, the Conservancy is committed to serving the public’s best interests and providing the oversight and expertise necessary to ensure that this world-class greenspace is accessible to all. Funded primarily by individual donations, we will raise and invest nearly $100 million into the Park’s care this year with the sole mission of protecting and improving Central Park in perpetuity. Not only does this allow the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation to allocate nearly its entire budget to other parks, but we help generate more than $1 billion in annual economic activity and 5,000 local jobs—a true partnership with the City for the people of New York.
Our Work
The Conservancy works year-round, rain or shine, to maintain and restore every inch of the Park—but our efforts go well past its perimeter.
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Projects
Restoration Work
Like any living thing, Central Park is constantly changing. The Conservancy is committed to ensuring that this evolution is thoughtful—both considerate of today’s visitor and true to the Park’s original purpose. -
Our Work
Park Operations
Conservancy crews work year-round to maintain landscapes, water bodies, stonework, benches, playgrounds, and facilities for more than 42 million visitors each year. -
Things To Do
Community Engagement
Central Park is for the people, and the Conservancy offers a variety of public programs designed to deepen the community’s engagement with the Park and cultivate appreciation through personal, meaningful, and memorable experiences. -
In the Five Boroughs and Beyond
Since its earliest days, the Conservancy has provided critical assistance and support to parks throughout New York City and across the globe through the Institute for Urban Parks and Five Borough Program.
Central Park Conservancy: Our Story
Our Values
Guiding Principle
Central Park is a masterpiece of landscape architecture created to provide a profoundly democratic space and green respite for the City and all its people and to establish New York as one of the great cities of the world. The Conservancy honors its commitment to this iconic public space by applying its deep expertise in urban park management; by partnering with the community and the City of New York; and by marshalling all of the resources necessary for the Park’s long-term care. The Conservancy’s work is founded on the belief that citizen leadership and private philanthropy are key to ensuring that the Park and its essential purpose endure.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
The Central Park Conservancy’s work is guided by the belief that Central Park, and all public parks, must be managed and actively protected as an inclusive and democratic space for all.
Working closely with our New York City partners, we will always strive towards creating and sustaining a sense of belonging for all visitors and advocating for equitable and accessible public use of the Park.
In service of this belief, we are committed to fostering a workforce and organizational culture that is as diverse as Central Park itself and the dynamic city it serves.
Core Values
Commitment
We hold ourselves accountable for the care of Central Park, recognizing both its fragility and its importance to New York City and to the world.
Expertise
We develop our expertise in the service of our mission and share our knowledge to elevate the field of urban park management.
Integrity
We value and demonstrate sound moral and ethical principles in the workplace.
Collaboration
We value the power and effectiveness of working with our colleagues, with the City, and with the public to accomplish our goals as the principal steward of the Park.
Revitalizing New York City
Central Park is not just a park—it’s a major tourist attraction and economic generator, with an immense impact on the fiscal, social, economic, environmental, cultural, physical, and mental health of the City and its residents. The Conservancy is dedicated to caring for this essential greenspace and honored to offer the people of New York a place of respite and renewal throughout the seasons.
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The Environment
The Conservancy creates sustainable landscapes—including lawns, woodlands, water bodies, and more—that provide environmental benefits to all New Yorkers. -
Wildlife
Our Operations team’s year-round care of the Park allows many species to find habitat and nourishment within its 843 acres. -
Physical and Mental Health
We employ a diverse staff responsible for horticulture, trash management, visitor services, restoration, and more so that New Yorkers can use the Park to benefit both their physical and mental health. -
Tourism
Four decades of the Conservancy’s work has made Central Park a top tourist destination as well as a beloved spot for locals. -
The Economy
The Conservancy’s rescue and restoration of the Park and our continued daily maintenance have made New York a more attractive destination, supporting tourism, real estate, and tax revenue. The financial impact is more than $1 billion in annual economic activity and revenue for New York City.
Leadership
The Conservancy’s board and senior leadership work together toward the common goal of preserving and enhancing Central Park for future generations.
The Park Needs Us
Central Park is New York City’s backyard—which means it needs all who visit to get involved in its care. Your donations, membership, volunteering, and stewardship of the Park keep it a vital public treasure and thriving habitat. The Central Park Conservancy was born of community activism, and 40 years later we continue to partner with the public and rely on our community—people like you, who need Central Park. The Park needs you, too.