Representative Image of young skateboarders enjoying free access to a vibrant public skatepark ( AI Generrated Image)
Hawk used the $125,000 he won on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in 2001 to help launch the organisation, according to The Skatepark Project’s account. It was formally founded in 2002 as the Tony Hawk Foundation. Hawk established the nonprofit to address the shortage of public places where young people could skateboard legally.
In 2020, the foundation adopted the name The Skatepark Project. A 2020 announcement about the rebranding reported that the organisation had helped fund more than 600 public skateparks across all 50 states. Its current programmes include grants of up to $25,000 for eligible projects, as well as technical assistance and support for youth activities. A local report described new features and murals being unveiled at the site on 3 February 2026, the same day the City Council adopted the committee report.
The organisation’s grant guidelines specify that projects must provide permanent, public concrete skateparks in underserved communities, remain free to use and involve local users in planning, fundraising and design. The organisation’s grant guidelines also set requirements for community support and project funding. Under the proposal, the Skatepark Project would oversee the design and construction with professional builders and cover the associated costs. The improvements were intended to provide a temporary skating facility while the complex remained subject to redevelopment plans. The Los Angeles example shows that the organisation’s role can extend beyond conventional grants. It can contribute equipment, construction resources and project oversight to help create skating opportunities at existing public sites.
The Augusta project subsequently opened to the public on 5 November 2023, according to the city’s skatepark opening announcement. In Los Angeles, the City Council considered a donation valued at approximately $70,000 for skateboarding features at the West Los Angeles Municipal Complex. The city’s official council record confirms that the council adopted the Government Operations Committee report on 3 February 2026, with all recorded votes in favour.
These estimates should therefore not be presented as a verified count of unique visitors. The organisation’s reported national reach should be distinguished from estimates of park usage. Its reported national reach provides a measure of the scale of its work, while local examples show how individual facilities depend on planning, funding and construction.
The example illustrates the wider role of municipal planning and community investment in establishing public recreational facilities. The Built to Play initiative and Augusta’s grant are separate examples of the organisation’s work, rather than parts of the same programme. Published figures for annual visits vary, and the available material does not establish whether they use comparable dates or counting methods. The organisation’s work also includes temporary facilities developed with local authorities. The donation comprised labour, materials and equipment for four skate obstacles, handrails, ledges, a wedge spine, signage and replicas of courthouse monuments. Across its programmes, The Skatepark Project combines grant funding, technical assistance and partnerships with communities and public agencies. The number of parks alone cannot establish how much access has improved in every community, but the projects demonstrate a sustained effort to make public skateboarding spaces available without entry fees.