The Friends of David Mugar Way (the “Friends”) was founded in 2025 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Friends are dedicated to the stewardship and beautification of David Mugar Way, transforming this urban corridor into a vibrant green space that connects the Boston Public Garden to the Esplanade.

Our landscape plan is designed to be eco-friendly by using native plantings that will conserve water, provide a natural habitat for pollinators, and help capture carbon emissions from passenger vehicles and trucks. We will also utilize sustainable, pesticide-free maintenance practices to further benefit both the community and the planet.

The David Mugar Way roadway is an important gateway into the historic Back Bay and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, attracting over seven million tourists annually. It is our hope that residents and visitors alike will be able to enjoy an improved aesthetic experience as they walk this historic area of Boston.

The Friends is supported primarily through grants from other nonprofit entities and contributions from private individuals and corporations.

Our work is strictly volunteer — which means 100% of every donation goes directly toward the beautification and upkeep of the median.

We’d like to give special thanks to the following friends and supporters:

The Garden Club of the Back Bay

The Beacon Hill Garden Club

The Esplanade Association

Friends of the Public Garden

Offshoots, Inc. Landscape Architects

Governance and Transparency

The Friends believe in the importance of transparency to the communities we serve. The following governance-related policies are available upon request; reserves, discrimination, whistleblower, conflicts of interest and document retention. The Friend’s most recent tax return, IRS Form 990, is available upon request. All requests will be handled within 30 days. Please email support@friendsofdavidmugarway.org.

The Friends has earned our Gold Seal of Transparency from Candid.Org! To keep up with our accomplishments, financial statements and other background updates, check out our Candid Nonprofit Profile Friends of David Mugar Way | Candid.