Public Spaces

Public Spaces is not accepting any new inquiries at this time. Please visit the statement on our Strategy Revision page for more information.

Our Public Spaces grantmaking strategies support:

PUBLIC SPACE CREATION AND STEWARDSHIP
The creation and stewardship of high-quality, inclusive, sustainable public and community spaces, including support for best practices related to maintenance, programming, and governance.

EQUITABLE ECONOMIC IMPACTS
Investments to enable public and community spaces to generate long-term, equitable economic benefits for neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia and the region.

Requests for project support, time-limited general operating support, and capital support are all eligible for funding. Public and community spaces throughout the five-county region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia) and the City of Camden, NJ are eligible to apply, though most funding will focus on the City of Philadelphia. Eligible requests are those that concern one or more public/community spaces that are freely accessible to the public (e.g., hours of operation and public access periods clearly communicated) and are operated in ways that are welcoming and inclusive (e.g., through signage, programming, staffing, and other policies/practices related to accessibility and inclusion).   

Applications will be reviewed for:

• A commitment to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion, both organizationally and programmatically
• High-quality, people-centered programs or services as demonstrated by:
  • Experience with, or a thoughtful approach to, understanding and integrating community or constituent needs, desires, and perspectives into programmatic or operational decision-making
  • Efforts to promote accessibility and inclusion, such as physical design, signage, staffing, culturally relevant programming, and other organizational governance policies that promote feelings of welcome and belonging
• Benefits to Philadelphians and/or other residents of the region in ways that are equitable and inclusive such as, but not limited to:
  • Providing joyful experiences
  • Supporting physical health, mental wellbeing, and community healing
  • Fostering social engagement and community empowerment
  • Enabling the pursuit of community-specific goals
  • Encouraging interpersonal interactions and relationships within and among diverse populations
  • Reinforcing identity and social ties within local communities and neighborhoods
  • Creating equitable economic impacts
  • Promoting resiliency to social, public health and environmental crises
• A clear definition of the benefits that proposed public and community space work is trying to generate
• A plan to provide benefits in ways that are racially equitable and economically inclusive
• A clear definition of the people the work is trying to engage and its benefit to them
• A plan to engage intended participants that:
  • Reflects an understanding of local context
  • Thoughtfully leverages community and, as applicable, external assets and expertise
  • Seeks to build lasting collaboration through which decision-making power can be shared
• Credible, realistic work plans and budgets
• A plan for addressing relevant systems or policy-related barriers
• An approach for addressing relevant long-term maintenance, operational sustainability, and climate resiliency challenges or opportunities related to the public or community space

Applications for general operating support must demonstrate how general operating support will help them achieve necessary evolution or growth to improve specific practices related to operations, maintenance, and/or programming in ways consistent with these funding guidelines. 

What We DO NOT Fund:

• Places and public spaces that require tickets, purchases, or memberships to access them
• Spaces that are primarily profit-seeking
• Public or private memorials
• Athletic leagues

To learn more about the process for applying to Public Space Creation and Stewardship, or any of the Creative Communities strategies, visit the How To Apply To Creative Communities webpage.

Provides support for projects that have clear and specific economic equity goals related to public and/or community spaces, even if goals are long-term and would be realized after the grant period. Work happening throughout the five-county region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia) and the City of Camden, NJ is eligible for funding, though most funding will focus on the City of Philadelphia.

Funding could support, but is not limited to, the following areas: entrepreneurship, business development, employment, contracting, community land ownership, community organizing, coalition building, advocacy, policy development, and research/analysis.

Applications will be reviewed for:

• A commitment to advancing racial equity and economic inclusion, both organizationally and programmatically
• Provision of people-centered programs or services within the six-county region
• Clear and compelling economic equity objectives related to public and community spaces, including long-term goals that may come to fruition after the grant period
• A clear path toward these objectives with an emphasis on racial equity and economic inclusivity
• An approach that builds on existing community/local assets
• The strength and relevancy of applicant’s relationships, knowledge, and skill sets related to the grant proposal
• Demonstrated understanding of relevant external factors and policy issues with a clear and credible plan for navigating them to achieve desired aims

What We DO NOT Fund:

• Efforts that do not focus on economic equity issues that are directly related to public and/or community spaces

To learn more about the process for applying to Equitable Economic Impacts, or any of the Creative Communities strategies, visit the How To Apply To Creative Communities webpage.

If you have any additional questions, see if our FAQs provide answers, or feel free to reach out to us.