INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Bezos Earth Fund is putting $10 million into the Rev. Mozel Sanders Park, a 25-acre riverfront space in Indianapolis’ Haughville neighborhood, and the people who live there helped design every inch of it.
The fund is named for its founder, billionaire philanthropist and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. He launched the $10 billion philanthropic organization in 2020 to fund climate and nature solutions, and it is co-led alongside his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
A Wednesday news release from Indy Parks said the grant, awarded through the Bezos Earth Fund’s Greening America’s Cities initiative, will fund the Haughville Riverfront Vision Plan. Indianapolis is one of only eight cities selected nationally for the program’s second cohort.
The project will plant more than 400 trees, restore native wetlands, and build 2 miles of new trails connecting directly to the Central White River Trail and the regional greenway network.
A community farm and orchard, athletic fields, sports courts, and gathering lawns are also planned.
The total project budget is $10.6 million, with $600,000 coming from the Indy Parks capital budget.
The Central Indiana Community Foundation will administer the grant as fiscal sponsor for The Parks Alliance of Indianapolis. Indy Parks will lead the project’s execution. Design and engineering begin this fall, construction is set to start in 2027, and substantial completion is expected in 2029.
