By Jorge Casuso

June 15, 2026 -- Santa Monica's "generational" plan to build a "Great Park" on Airport land received a major funding boost that will help complete the initial phase of the multi-year project and secure additional funding.

The City Council last Tuesday accepted a $10 million Climate Bond grant from the State that "creates a pathway" towards completing Phase 1 of the Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project (SMACP), staff said in a report to the Council.

The grant, staff wrote, "reflects growing State recognition of the SMACP’s potential to deliver meaningful, lasting benefits to Santa Monica and the broader region."

The grant for the park -- which would be built on 192 acres of land after the Airport closes at the end of 2028 -- also "should serve as a catalyst, opening doors to additional funding opportunities including other state and federal programs," staff wrote.

"While the full buildout of the park will unfold over many years, a well-designed Phase 1 has the power to establish the character and quality of the park, build community trust, and demonstrate what is possible as part of the overarching SMACP effort," staff said.

The Council on Tuesday also accepted a $499,149 LA County grant funded by Measure A, a 2016 voter-approved parcel tax to fund parks and open spaces, which will be used "to implement the planning and pre-design" for the first 20 acres of the park, staff said.

The Santa Monica Airport Conversion Project (SMACP) is both "one of the most significant civic opportunities in the City's history" and one of its biggest financial challenges, staff wrote.

"The scale and ambition of this vision," staff said, "carries with it a significant funding challenge" that will "require sustained investment over multiple phases" from external funding sources.

"Unlike typical municipally funded capital projects, a park of this scope and significance will depend on a diverse and layered funding strategy that draws from State and Federal grants, philanthropic partnerships, and other creative revenue sources," staff said.

The $10 million grant was the result of the City's "sustained collaboration" with State Senator Ben Allen and his office, City officials said.

Allen -- who authored the Proposition 4 Climate Bond approved by California voters in 2024 that authorized the funding -- called the grant a “transformative state investment that will improve our city and region for the better.”

“The scale of this park would provide a generational change that our residents will benefit from long into the future," said Allen, the former chair of the Natural Resources budget subcommittee.

Santa Monica Mayor Caroline Torosis called the grant "a meaningful step toward realizing what Santa Monica has long envisioned for this land.

"The airport conversion gives us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create something lasting: new open space, restored habitat, and infrastructure that will serve residents for decades to come," Torosis said.

"Opportunities like this are rare, and we are grateful to Senator Ben Allen for his leadership and partnership in securing this investment in Santa Monica's future.”

The Great Park Coalition, a civic group that has spearheaded the push to convert the airport land into a park, said the two grants "reflect the strength of the City’s long-term planning efforts and years of extensive community engagement that have helped shape the Great Park.

"With a clear roadmap for implementation now in place, the project is receiving significant support and investment from state and regional partners," the group said in a statement.