Balboa Park Conservancy

The Balboa Park Conservancy is being formed as a new public benefit, non-profit entity to assist and partner with the City with governance, fund-raising and management of Balboa Park.

The Conservancy will operate as a private nonprofit organization under the sanction of a 501(c)3 corporation.  We operate as partners with the city through a memorandum of understanding between both parties wherein the city is the owner of the park and the conservancy manages and controls the projects and activities it undertakes in the park.

The Conservancy carries out its management responsibilities by raising funds and carrying out capital improvement and major deferred maintenance projects in the Park, funding and organizing volunteer and other community programs in the Park, and assisting the City with the governance issues it faces in the Park.

Why is a Conservancy Necessary?

The City has the responsibility to manage and maintain Balboa Park. But in recent years, the City has not had sufficient resources to fully commit to the funding needed. As competition increases for limited public financial resources, a look at the past portends that the City will not be able to provide adequate resources necessary to fulfill Balboa Park’s management and operational needs, to address major maintenance, repair and replacement requirements and to implement already approved and future capital improvement projects.

Therefore, the City of San Diego should not act alone in financing and operating Balboa Park, but must build on existing partnerships, identify new partnerships, increase private donations, identify or create new sources of revenue, and provide a process to ensure that donations for projects and services match priorities.

Reference: "The Soul of San Diego: Keeping Balboa Park Magnificent In Its Second Century" (January 2008, Trust for Public Lands) and "The Future of Balboa Park: Funding, Management and Governance" (December 2008, Balboa Park Committee)