Shelby Farms Park Conservancy

Shelby Farms Park is a 4,500-acre public park in Memphis, TN, among the largest urban parks in the United States. The nonprofit Shelby Farms Park Conservancy (SFPC) operates the Park in a public-private partnership with Shelby County, maximizing taxpayer dollars to create a world-class park for public benefit. SFPC oversees daily operations, fundraises for budget needs, sets the Park's future vision, and stewards its natural resources. VISION: We are giving rise to a celebrated 21st-century park that defines and shapes a great city. MISSION: To manage, operate, restore and improve Shelby Farms Park in partnership with and for the public GUIDING PRINCIPLES: Manage - To build and grow ... read more Shelby Farms Park is a 4,500-acre public park in Memphis, TN, among the largest urban parks in the United States. The nonprofit Shelby Farms Park Conservancy (SFPC) operates the Park in a public-private partnership with Shelby County, maximizing taxpayer dollars to create a world-class park for public benefit. SFPC oversees daily operations, fundraises for budget needs, sets the Park's future vision, and stewards its natural resources. VISION: We are giving rise to a celebrated 21st-century park that defines and shapes a great city. MISSION: To manage, operate, restore and improve Shelby Farms Park in partnership with and for the public GUIDING PRINCIPLES: Manage - To build and grow a strong foundation of financial stewardship for Shelby Farms Park and Greenline Operate - To ensure excellent visitor experience in a clean, green and safe park Restore - To provide excellent stewardship of the landscapes, natural resources and wildlife in our care by creating a healthy, thriving park for people and wildlife Improve - To execute the Park's Master Plan and deliver the public's vision for Shelby Farms Park to achieve its potential as a world-class urban park BACKGROUND: SFPC's mission and vision call us to create a more livable community for everyone. SFPC has proudly built an organization known for excellence, inclusivity, and high-quality amenities and programs that elevate our community's concept of vibrant public spaces. With more than 3 million visits a year, Memphians from every background and neighborhood come together and enjoy the Park, with free and open access 365 days a year. This is important for not only community recreation but for public health as well. After all, health is more than traditional healthcare alone. In fact, research shows that access to public parks like Shelby Farms Park is an established social determinant of health, with fitness and nature providing clear benefits to physical, emotional and social well-being. Parks have been shown to reduce rates of chronic conditions like diabetes, and are a critical part of healthy lifestyles. Parks also bring diverse groups of people together into shared public spaces - creating social interactions between strangers that help create empathy for others and build social cohesion among disparate communities that would not otherwise encounter each other. This is especially critical for urban populations that do not routinely encounter open nature, for under-resourced communities and for those who do not have access to safe outdoor spaces.