Donations

County Parks welcomes donations from individuals, civic group, clubs or corporations. 

Donations are an important revenue source to help restore and maintain our many park habitats, trails, facilities and underwrite our community programs. In addition, County Parks has a lengthy list of deferred maintenance projects but also a prioritized capital projects and programs plans for FY 2011-2016.

All funds raised through donations are dedicated for use for County Parks’ parks and historic sites. Donations are either used outright or held until adequate funds are used to fully underwrite a project or program.

We invite you to download our donation form. The completed form can be mailed with a check, money order or credit card information to: San Mateo County Parks, 555 County Center, 5^th Floor, Redwood City, CA 94063.

Thank you for your consideration of making a donation. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.

Wish List

San Mateo County Department of Parks offers an amazing variety of natural places for people to experience, study, relax, and recreate in their own communities in their own ways. The Department invites you to find ways to make sure your fifteen County Parks and two Historic Sites are there for you to enjoy.

County Park Rangers work hard to keep the parks healthy and safe for the native wildlife and plants as well as for you. Our busy park rangers restore habitat, maintain trails, picnic areas, campgrounds and other facilities for you. The Rangers have learned to create efficiencies even though the budget and numbers of staff continue to shrink. In addition, they’ve become experts in partnering with other civic and community organizations and countless volunteers.

The Wish List Program is a prioritized list of lower cost equipment, supplies, and programs that a community donor could expect to see purchased or completed within a one-year time frame. The Wish List Program price range is between $1,500 and $25,000 and is composed of several different lists:

• Vegetation and Facility Management Wish List
• Trail and Road Maintenance Wish List
• Interpretation and Visitor Service Wish List
• Department-wide Tools Wish List

Commemorative Benches

San Mateo County Department of Parks is pleased to offer you an opportunity to donate funds for a commemorative bench in a County Park or Historic Site. A commemorative bench can be used to recognize or memorialize individuals, groups or significant local individuals or historic events provided that the individuals or events were related to the park unit or local community.

A minimum donation of $3,500 is requested for a commemorative bench. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law. The bench is dedicated for a ten year period but can also be rededicated for an additional fee.

Each Park or Historic Site has a list of approved sites for benches. We would be glad to share these locations with you.

See a detailed list of specifications and terms.

The eight-foot-long redwood bench has a 3 inch by 12 inch by 1/4 inch brass plaque located on the backrest of the bench. (See example in photo above.) Wording on the plaque should follow one of the following examples:

In Memory of John Doe 2010

In Memory of The Doe Family 2010

Dedicated to John Doe 2010

General Donation Information

View our Guidelines for Donation, Memorial and Sponsorship Contributions.

Contact

For additional information or to make a donation, please contact Cecily Harris, Financial Services Manager at the Parks Department at (650) 363-4027 or charris@smcgov.org.