Urban Green Spaces Planning Grant

Posted by on June 06, 2011

TKF Foundation Invites Planning Grant Applications for Urban Green Spaces
Deadline: September 1, 2011

After more than fifteen years of creating contemplative green spaces in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore, Maryland, the TKF Foundation has announced the creation of the Open Spaces Sacred Places (OSSP) National Awards Program.

In 2012, the program will fund the creation of significant new OSSPs specifically designed to provide opportunities to document the human and social benefits of natural areas in urban settings. The program seeks to generate research that may help encourage decision-makers to support contemplative green spaces as a public investment and essential civic amenity. Grants will be awarded from a total funding pool of $5 million to cross-disciplinary teams that conceptualize, plan, design, and implement a physical space; conduct associated research studies; and disseminate findings.

As part of this new program, the foundation has issued a Request for Planning Grant Proposals, an optional first-phase grant opportunity that will provide funding to teams for a planning period in advance of the national awards application deadline. Applicants may apply for a planning grant of up to $50,000. Up to ten planning grants will be awarded to enable recipients to assess needs and resources, forge necessary community and institutional relationships, build capacity and assemble robust project teams, and develop site and research design approaches. Planning grants will be announced December 15, 2011. The planning period will be from January 1 to June 30, 2012.

Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organizations that are classified as public charities and not as private foundations. Projects must have both an institutional and a community-based partner.

Following the planning phase, TKF will issue a second RFP for fully developed OSSP award applications. These awards will be open to any project proposal that meets the eligibility criteria and will not be limited to recipients of a planning grant.

The RFP will be available at the OSSP Web site on February 1, 2012, and proposals will be due on June 30, 2012.

Visit the OSSP Web site for complete program information and the planning grants RFP.

http://www.opensacred.org/