A dedicated bench is a great way to connect to your favorite place in the parks, celebrate a milestone or honor someone special.

Donation Interest Form

New Benches

10 Year Term – $5000

You may wish to add a bench to the park system, and this may be done in most of our regional or neighborhood parks. New bench placements take into consideration space availability and maintenance concerns and will adhere to our park system Master Plans.

Refurbished Benches

10 Year Term – $2500

A refurbished bench refers to the improvement of an existing park bench to excellent condition. We check the bench pad and ends for needed repairs and add new wooden slats. Any undedicated bench may be refurbished.

Plaque

All dedicated benches include a plaque that is professionally engraved with your inscription. We do not limit lines or characters and will assist you with this process. Our standard park bench plaque is 3”x 8” and is made of weather-coated zinc.

Bench Design

Our standard bench style is most common, though some parks have a bench style unique to that park. We will follow the design standard of each park, and if still available, will purchase a new bench. Both standard and unique benches can be refurbished as part of our program.

Installation Season

For existing benches, we would work together to select a bench and create the memorial plaque that would be attached to the backrest of the bench. The bench will be refurbished, and the plaque installed during non-winter months. We will queue up requests occurring in the winter months until work can resume in springtime.

For a new bench, we must first select an approved location. Then we install a concrete pad prior to installing the new bench with its memorial plaque. We will queue up requests occurring in the winter months until work can resume in springtime.

Bench Terms

The dedication agreement term is ten years, and the full donation must be made before work or engraving is done. For both new and existing benches, the renewal donation is $1500 per additional ten-year term. Bench installation and maintenance will be handled by MPRB. Patrons are responsible for updating contact information throughout the term of the agreement. If a patron is not found at the expiration of the term, MPRB reserves the right to make the bench available for re-dedication.

Donation Interest Form
Donation Interest Form

There are various options for dedicating a tree in Minneapolis parks.

New Tree

Reserve a specific tree of your choice before October 1, to be planted during our spring planting season  mid-April to early June.

Planned New Tree (Spring Planting)

After October 1, you may reserve a tree from among those we’ve planned for spring planting mid-April to early June. We can let you know what is available in your preferred location.

Existing Tree

Dedicate a tree that has been in the ground one or more years. The advantage here? You can see the actual tree and the “start” it has had, and you’ll hopefully avoid new tree loss. This option also allows for dedication with very little waiting.

Terms of Tree Dedication

  • A dedicated tree is linked to a $500 tax-deductible donation to Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. The donation must be made prior to a tree reservation or medallion engraving.
  • Both new and existing trees are guaranteed for 5 years from date of dedication. Trees that fail will be replaced at the next available planting season.
  • All dedicated trees bear a 5” round medallion, metallic gold in color and made of rigid plastic. The medallion is professionally engraved with your personal message. We don’t limit lines or characters but will work with you to suggest appropriate layout.

How will I be notified when it is time to renew my memorial bench or tribute tree?

  • Effective Feb 1st, 2024
    • all donors must supply a “next of kin” contact at the time of making their donation.
    • If no “next of kin” contact has been saved for the donor, and the donor’s original contact information does not produce a viable communication connection, the memorial bench or tree will be released back into available inventory for other donors when the memorial period expires.
    • All plaques or medallions will be removed and stored with the donor’s original file. We will send these items to the donor at their request.
  • For all donor records established prior to Feb 1, 2024, the following policy will apply:
    • When the donor’s memorial is nearing expiration the Memorials and Tributes team will reach out to the original donor via phone, email, and USPS mail to alert the donor that the memorial period requires renewal.
    • If the original donor cannot be reached, the Memorials and Tributes team will attempt to find a next of kin contact (e.g., child, spouse, etc.) and offer them the opportunity to extend the renewal. There is no guarantee here that a next of kin contact will be found.
    • If no renewal contact is successful, the bench or tree will be released back into available inventory for other donors.
    • All plaques or medallions will be removed and stored with the donor’s original file. We will send these items to the donor at their request.

Are there other amenities available for dedication?

Currently, benches and trees are the only amenities available for dedication through the MPRB. Contact our partner organizations who offer other options:

Minneapolis Parks Foundation (People for Parks Fund) – Benches and pavers at the Lake Harriet Bandshell and Bde Maka Ska.

The Friends of  Loring Park – Benches and garden bricks in Loring Park

What happens to my dedicated tree or bench if there is construction in the park?

We reserve the right to remove and/or relocate benches or trees when they interfere with site safety, maintenance, or construction activities. We will attempt to notify you in advance of any action that needs to be taken. In the event a bench or tree must be permanently removed, we will work with you to find a new location and replace your dedicated tree or bench.

May I ask interested family and friends to donate toward my dedication?

We appreciate you encouraging others to donate to the parks. We recommend that you gather the gifted funds and then forward them to us as you complete the agreement for your dedicated bench or tree.

May I request a different style bench?

Because we have design standards for benches throughout our system, we will choose a bench design which meets the standards for the location.

How big will the newly planted tree be?

The size of the tree will vary by species; we plant ornamental and fruit trees, all the way up to large shade trees. Typically, our new trees will be 5-12’ tall and 1.5” in diameter.