changelabsolutions.org 7 Fund: The Support Network for a Complete Parks System Greater economic inequality within a given population is linked to worse health outcomes for the entire group.31 Local governments can choose to close the growing gap between affluent households and vulnerable groups struggling to make ends meet by coordinating their efforts and distributing resources equitably throughout their jurisdiction. Deliberately allocating funds and collaborating across sectors to prioritize communities that have further to go to reach optimal health and prosperity have the potential to improve population health and advance health equity.32,33 Parks can be supported by blending or braiding funding across departments, since parks often advance the mandates of many other sectors such as public health and community services. Collaboration across the public sector is a defining characteristic of the Complete Parks approach, and various departments can lend support in terms of training and capacity building, community engagement, coordination across sectors, public communications, data systems, and strategic planning, for example. How to Measure: The indicators for the Fund element examines the distribution of spending and appropriations. The dollar amount, how resources are distributed geographically, and who benefits from the funding are all important aspects of equitable funding. Creating a Complete Parks system requires resources, so assessing the Fund element involves looking at the variety of funding sources for parks.
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