Tennessee communities invited to compete for $25,000 grants to build local dog parks

Randy and Jenny Boyd, with the Boyd Foundation, are once again awarding 16 communities across Tennessee with $25,000 prizes in 2021 through their Dog Park Dash initiative. Applications are now open for communities of all sizes to apply and win grants to build new dog parks or enhance existing dog parks.

Applicants are encouraged to work with community leaders to fill out the application online that opened Monday, March 1. The deadline to apply is April 15th. Qualified applicants will be notified and then encouraged to gather community support during a social engagement period from May 1st to May 31st. Winners will be announced by June 15, 2021.

“Our Tennessee Dog Park Dash encourages people to come together to make their community a better place for both people and pets. Jenny and I are honored to be able to help,” said Randy Boyd, co-founder of The Boyd Foundation. “And we hope the Dog Park Dash takes us one step closer to making Tennessee the most pet-friendly state in the nation.”

In 2018, the Boyd Foundation announced a commitment of $3 million and launched the Dog Park Dash to build 100 dog parks across the state of Tennessee. To date, Dog Park Dash has already awarded 67 deserving communities with their local grants. A full list of previous winners can be found at dogparkdash.com.

“Dog parks not only improve the health and quality of life for our pets, but for their owners too,” said Harrison Forbes, Grant Administrator for Dog Park Dash and pet expert. “We believe every community should have the opportunity to have a dog park, no matter their size.”

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel

The East Tennessee Economic Development Agency markets and recruits business for the 15 counties in the greater Knoxville-Oak Ridge region of East Tennessee. Visit www.eteda.org

Published March 11, 2021