If an application has already been started in response to this RFP, please visit the Proposals in Progress section in the Grants Portal to view and/or continue the application process.
Background
The William Penn Foundation has a long history of making grants to support public spaces that have played a defining role in Philadelphia’s civic life.
From Independence National Historical Park and City Hall to neighborhood parks, recreation centers, and community plazas across Philadelphia and Camden, public spaces have served as sites of assembly, protest, celebration, dialogue, and collective decision-making. They are not only community amenities, but important settings where democracy and community engagement are manifest.
As the nation celebrates its Semiquincentennial in 2026, and at a time when democracy, civic trust, and social cohesion face real strain, the role of public space takes on renewed importance. The accessibility, safety, and design of public spaces shape who participates in public life, whose voices are heard, and whether communities gather across differences.
However, many public spaces face deferred maintenance, safety concerns, and infrastructure barriers that limit their use and diminish their ability to serve as welcoming venues for civic participation. Strengthening public spaces through thoughtful capital investment is essential to ensuring that they continue to function as places that reflect and support our communities.
In recognition of this moment, the William Penn Foundation, joined by the Knight Foundation, is committing funding to improve existing public spaces so they can continue to serve as shared civic assets for neighborhoods across Philadelphia and Camden. We seek to strengthen places where differences can be navigated constructively, helping to bridge divides, strengthen civic culture, and reinforce democracy in action at the community level.
Opportunity Overview
This Request for Proposals (RFP), issued jointly by WPF and the Knight Foundation, seeks capital projects that strengthen and ignite existing public spaces in Philadelphia and Camden as centers of community gathering, social connection, and civic life.
Together WPF and the Knight Foundation are making a total of $5 million available to support improvements to public spaces that strengthen democracy. At least 70% of funding in this RFP will support capital projects.
Eligible projects must focus on physical improvements to existing public spaces that are managed, free, and open to the public. These include, but are not limited to, parks, open plazas, urban gardens, urban farms, recreation centers, libraries, public health centers, and community centers. Public rights-of-way, such as sidewalks, streets, and bus shelters, are not considered public spaces in and of themselves. However, infrastructure elements contiguous to and functionally connected to eligible public spaces may be funded if improvements clearly enhance access, safety, or usability of the adjacent public space.
Programming and public art are eligible only if they are clearly and directly integrated with the proposed physical improvement. Such elements must demonstrably enhance the long-term function of the space as a place that strengthens civic life as defined in this RFP.
Proposals that include programming and/or public art must reflect the following:
- Programming and public art may not exceed 20% of the total project budget.
- Programming and public art must be directly related to a physical improvement proposed for funding through this grant and may not be proposed as standalone activities.
- Preference will be given to permanent or durable installations and recurring civic uses that extend beyond a single event or short-term activation.
- Temporary events, festivals, performances, or short-duration activations will not be prioritized for funding.
Operational expenses may be included if they are directly tied to the implementation of capital improvements.
Proposals should describe how improvements to a public space will advance at least one of the following:
- Social cohesion: Strengthen trust, connection, and a shared sense of belonging among community members through sustained, positive interaction in public space.
- Relationship-building across lines of difference: Create opportunities for interaction and mutual understanding among people of different backgrounds, identities, perspectives, or lived experiences.
- Sharing diverse ideas and perspectives: Support environments in which a range of viewpoints, experiences, and forms of expression can be encountered respectfully in public space.
- Participation in democratic processes: Enhance the ability of residents to gather, deliberate, express viewpoints, and engage in civic life within public space.
Eligible examples include but are not limited to the following types of improvements:
- Safety and Risk Mitigation: Improvements that reduce physical or environmental hazards and enhance safety for public space users. Examples include improved lighting, repairs to uneven surfaces, traffic-calming measures, safer pedestrian crossings, and heat- or flood-mitigation features.
- Access and Orientation: Physical accessibility and navigation improvements that enhance a public space’s ability to function as a venue for public gathering and civic activity. Examples include multi-language signage, tactile or audible wayfinding systems, improved pathways and entrances, and reconfigured open-space layouts that better support public use.
- Dignity, Comfort, and Basic Amenities: Amenities that support comfortable, safe use of public spaces by people of all genders, ages, and abilities. Examples include gender-inclusive restrooms, accessible seating, shade, and weather protection.
- Cultural Relevance and Belonging: Physical design improvements that reflect the history and identity of the surrounding community and reinforce the public space as a shared gathering place. Note, murals and public art displays will not be eligible for funding through this RFP.
- Inclusive Recreation and Physical Activity: Infrastructure designed to support participation by users of all abilities. Examples include adaptive playground equipment and accessible fitness infrastructure.
These categories are examples only. The Foundation recognizes that there are many different tactics or approaches that could be used to advance the objective stated above. Applicants are encouraged to propose other capital improvements that clearly strengthen a public space’s role as a place of community gathering and strongly demonstrate alignment with the below criteria.
Organizations that propose projects in partnership with other applicants will be considered on their individual merits. However, the Foundation recognizes that making significant progress on the objective is difficult and encourages organizations to include partnerships that leverage complementary strengths, resources, and expertise to reach proposed goals.
There is no minimum or maximum grant amount that organizations may request but it is unlikely any individual grant would exceed $500,000. We expect to attract and fund a range of projects of different types and sizes. The grant amount requested should be commensurate with the contribution that the project will make to the overall objective. We are especially eager to receive applications from small organizations and/or from organizations that are led by individuals who are members of groups with a history of discrimination. Projects that demonstrate a diversity of committed funding sources are likely to be more competitive.
Proposals should have project terms of 1 - 3 years. Project plans should be largely complete at the time of application, though applicants can propose up to three months to finalize those plans. The proposed project, inclusive of all physical improvements, must be completed within the term of the grant.
Applicants requesting funding for capital improvements have an opportunity to receive technical assistance in addition to grant funding, if selected through this RFP. If you are interested in the opportunity below, please indicate it via a checked box in the application.
WPF works with Green Building United to provide optional, free, hands-on technical assistance (TA) to grantees to ensure that sustainability and climate resilience are factored into capital projects funded by WPF. Free TA is available to grantees in the planning, design, or early construction phases of their projects.
TA can help organizations reduce operational costs, including energy costs; prepare for extreme weather; access financial incentives; and meet other sustainability goals. To date, support has included one-on-one discussions, design reviews with relevant professionals, and facilitated site visits to peer organizations who have addressed similar sustainability/resilience challenges. Organizations that are selected to advance beyond the written proposal stage of the review process will have the opportunity to learn more about free TA from Green Building United during their site visit with WPF staff.
Full Request for Proposals (RFP) and Application
Download the full RFP packet for more information about this opportunity including eligibility, review criteria, learning and insights, budget, and link to an application template.
All applications must be submitted through the Grants Portal.
Webinar
Interested organizations are invited to participate in an optional informational webinar on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET. Following the live webinar, a recording will be posted to this page.