Improvement of public spaces – Aug 1

Posted by William Penn Foundation on July 23, 2024

William Penn Foundation invites applications to improve public spaces in the greater Philadelphia region

Founded in 1945 by Otto and Phoebe Haas, the William Penn Foundation (WPF) aims to play an important role in improving the quality of life in greater Philadelphia.

To that end, the foundation has issued an RFP to improve public spaces and contribute to making improvements in a variety of ways, including by increasing activation and stewardship, expanding and diversifying usership, and improving the quality of facilities. The goal of the effort is to produce safer, better maintained, more active, welcoming, and higher-quality public spaces.

Grants made through this RFP will focus on the need for better and more equitable improvements through capital investments, maintenance, operations, and programming of existing public and community spaces. WPF is also eager to support work focused on improving the long-term stewardship of existing public spaces through investments in the physical site and/or at an organizational level through staffing, governance, and personal changes.

WPF has $4.5 million available to advance this objective. There is no minimum or maximum that organizations may request. At least one-third of the total amount awarded under this RFP will be reserved for grants to organizations that have budgets under $1 million per year and/or are led by individuals who are members of groups with a history of discrimination or exclusion. Projects that demonstrate a diversity of funding sources will also be more strongly considered.

Proposed projects must occur in the Philadelphia or Camden. Public spaces are defined by WPF as those that are managed, free, and open to the public. Public spaces include but are not limited to urban gardens or farms, parks, parklets, recreation centers, libraries, and community centers.

Applicants must be recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as 501(c)(3) public charities or operate under a public charity fiduciary. Public charities include community-based organizations, schools and educational institutions, and other types of public-serving groups. Government entities are also eligible to apply.

Applicants are asked to submit a proposal on the foundation online submission system by August 1, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET. A WPF team will review all proposals and notify applicants by August 16, 2024, if they have been selected to move forward in the review process. Site visits will be conducted between August 19 and September 6, 2024, with project implementation to begin by November 2024.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the William Penn Foundation website.

Deadline: August 1, 2024 at 5:00 p.m. ET