More funding for Allegheny County and City of Pittsburgh parks is proposed in the Allegheny Regional Asset District’s 2026 preliminary budget, which the group released Thursday.
The proposed budget is $146.7 million — a record for RAD, which is funded by the county’s 1% sales tax. It’s 3.8% higher than last year’s then-record budget.
The figure includes about $40 million in operating and capital funds for county parks, and more than $13 million for City of Pittsburgh Parks — in all, a 31% rise in funding for parks and trails in the county. Funding for parks accounts for 37.4% of RAD’s total preliminary budget.
“We see an opportunity in front of us to boost funding to places that are open for everyone to enjoy, 12 months per year,” said RAD board chair Dusty Kirk.
The budget is not final. There is still time for the public to comment in person, by phone or in writing before RAD takes a final vote Nov. 20. A copy of the budget is here.
Under the budget, RAD would also continue to be the county’s largest supporter of public libraries, allocating some $40 million in operating funds, or about 27% of the proposed 2026 budget.
In all, RAD proposes to fund 107 organizations of all sizes, from the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium, the National Aviary, Pittsburgh Symphony and Heinz History Center to small dance and theater troupes.
The beneficiaries include three “regional assets” that did not receive funding last year, including Alumni Theater Company, the Moonshot Museum and Texture Contemporary Ballet.
The cultural groups receiving the most operating funds under the budget would include the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Zoo, Phipps, the Aviary, the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and Heinz History Center. (WESA’s sister music station, WYEP, is slated to receive $50,000 in operating funds from RAD for 2026.)
Capital grants for the parks would help fund projects at sites including the North Park Boathouse, Boyce Park Pool and South Park Golf Course.
Other large capital grants include $1.1 million for the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium to make accessibility improvements, replace HVAC and more; $750,000 for the National Aviary to renovate its veterinary hospital; $750,000 for Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens to replace steam pipes in its west wing; $500,000 for Renziehausen Park to improve its tennis courts; and $405,785 for the Senator John Heinz History Center to conduct window and lighting replacement for energy efficiency.
RAD also proposes to allocate $750,000 to its long-running Project Grants program, which supports connections among group along with accessibility and inclusion. Connections include “strategic alliances” that can help organizations weather difficult financial times.
Other assets funded by RAD include the Sports & Exhibition Authority (primarily for paying down debt on sports stadiums and the David L. Lawrence Convention Center) and Pittsburgh Regional Transit.
Those wishing to comment on the budget before the final vote can email [email protected], call the RAD offices at 412-227-1900), fax 412-227-1905, write to RAD at Allegheny Regional Asset District, 436 Seventh Avenue, Suite 2201, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219; or speak at RAD’s public-comment hearing Thu., Oct. 23, at Downtown’s Koppers Building Conference Center (advance registration is required).