Bezos Earth Fund Awards $100 Million to Eight U.S. Cities

The Bezos Earth Fund distributed $100 million across eight U.S. cities as part of its Greening America Cities program to convert underused urban land into green spaces. Little Rock, Arkansas, received the largest share with a $30 million grant to support the initial phase of 30 Crossing Park. The project will transform approximately 20 to 23 acres of land freed by the I-30 interstate overhaul into a downtown park featuring athletic courts, walking paths, a kayak launch, and wetlands. While the grant supports the start of construction, the total project cost is estimated between $93 million and $128 million.

Other significant awards include $15 million for Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to create wildlife habitats and immersive outdoor areas near Falls Park, and $10.1 million for Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles funding will develop a five-acre park and arts and culture campus at the Watts Towers, featuring an outdoor amphitheater and interactive art installations ahead of the 2028 Olympics. Additional recipients of the funding round include Allentown, Atlanta, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Salt Lake City.

To date, the Greening America’s Cities campaign has distributed $150 million to 11 cities, with a long-term goal of $400 million nationwide. Local leaders in Little Rock, including Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Mayor Frank Scott Jr., described the investment as a catalyst for economic development and a means to reconnect neighborhoods previously separated by highway infrastructure.