A Commitment to Collaboration

The Solomon Foundation’s mission is to provide a complete and connected network of beautiful parks and greenways connecting people to open spaces.

Our Values

Access

We believe everyone regardless of age, income, race, or ability deserves access to a network of beautiful parks and greenways.

Empowerment and Belonging

We believe everyone should have a sense of ownership, comfort and belonging in their community’s shared public spaces.

Collaborative Visioning

We believe that the knowledge and values of community members together with the expertise of experienced designers should inform the design of pubic spaces in their neighborhoods.

Shared Stewardship

We believe everyone can steward our parks and trails by showing up and doing the work when needed.

Excellence

We insist on quality in design, construction, and stewardship for communities most in need of sustainable open space.

Learning

We value the opportunity to learn from and with our partners. We grow from our past successes and, even more so, from our setbacks and seek to share what we have learned.

Our History

In 2005, David Solomon and Herb Nolan launched the Lawrence and Lillian Solomon Foundation with the purpose of providing thought leadership for the enhancement and expansion of Greater Boston’s parks and greenways. Over the first decade they developed an effective public/private partnership model that emphasized private support for upfront planning and design leading to public funding and implementation of key greenway and park projects. During this time, they helped grow a network of greenway advocates inside and outside of government and helped them become better advocates. The result was a number of innovative designed and built projects that would otherwise never have been built.

In 2016, recognizing the power of this methodology and wanting to expand its impact, the Barr Foundation offered support for a new technical assistance and regranting program at the Solomon Foundation: A Greener Greater Boston (AGGB). With that support, the foundation was able to engage communities further from the center of Boston and fund ambitious planning and design studies.

The History of Greenways

Leadership

DAVID SOLOMON

President

David has had a keen interest in parks since his youth when he enjoyed runs through Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. Reflecting his recognition that the improvement of green spaces make a unique and lasting contribution to the social, economic, and environmental health of cities, he made Greater Boston’s major parks and greenways the focus of the Foundation. As President, David guides the Foundation’s overall direction and manages its investments. David enjoys exploring the area’s major parks and greenways.

HERBERT NOLAN

Executive Director

Herb helped start the Solomon Foundation with David Solomon in 2005 and has been a creative force behind dozens of park and greenway projects since then. Trained as a landscape architect, Herb worked with the Nation Park Service and with major design firms on both the west and east coasts for thirty years before joining the foundation. His experience in both the public and private sectors have helped him form the kinds of partnerships needed to advance complex projects. When he’s not delivering kids to school, Herb bikes to work through an Olmsted park he worked to restore.