The Foundation has supported the work of Prospect Park Alliance in Brooklyn’s flagship park for over two decades. Focusing on the Alliance’s arboriculture work and landscape restoration, the Foundation’s support includes two transformational gifts. In 2008, a major gift helped the Alliance to restore Lakeside, following Olmsted and Vaux’s original design, and created the Shelby White and Leon Levy Esplanade. In addition, five acres of the Lake were excavated to recreate Chaim Baier Music Island, which serves as a crucial wildlife habitat. In 2024, the Foundation committed to the much needed restoration of the natural areas in the Park by establishing the Shelby White and Leon Levy Woodlands Endowment, which enables the expansion of the Alliance’s landscape management team. In addition, the Foundation provides ongoing annual support and assistance in times of crisis, including following Superstorm Sandy and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
