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
Philadelphia’s urban gardens and farms are national models for how food can be grown hyper-locally, in ways that also promote local land ownership and strengthened communities.
The benefits of gardens for city residents are well documented – they add green space to neighborhoods, positively impact physical and mental well-being, serve as places where community members connect with one another, and are a source of local healthy food options. In most cases, these spaces serve communities that need them the most-in Philadelphia about 70% of active urban gardens and farms are in communities where more than 20% of the population lives below the poverty level.
Despite these many benefits, these spaces are vulnerable. Many gardens occupy land that their stewards do not own and are therefore susceptible to being displaced for development. Effective stewardship can be labor and resource intensive, and in the absence of sufficient resources and sustained leadership gardens can lapse into disuse.
Opportunity Overview
The Foundation aims to support efforts that will contribute to increasing the proportion of Philadelphia’s urban garden and farm parcels that are secure from development or legal threats. We expect to fund work focusing on interventions and parcels that communities have identified as high priorities.
We invite proposals for support of a range of activities that can result in more secure garden and farm parcels, including planning, technical assistance, stewardship, organizing, advocacy, and direct acquisition. The Foundation recognizes that levels of activity and stewardship vary across spaces in Philadelphia that are currently being used as gardens and farms. These spaces also have varied histories and connections to the surrounding community and its current residents. The most competitive proposals will be those that seek to support the preservation of well-established gardens and farms that can demonstrate community involvement and ongoing activity. All proposals should identify the parcel or parcels that are the focus of the proposed work, explain why that parcel or parcels are currently insecure, and explain how, why, and when the proposed work will result in that parcel or parcels becoming secure.
As noted, we also recognize that there are a variety of different approaches to preserving Philadelphia’s urban gardens and farms and we therefore welcome a variety of responses to this RFP. This includes, but is not limited to, proposals that focus on:
- direct acquisition of existing, established, and actively managed urban garden and farm parcels
- strategies to reduce the number of community gardens and farms on private land sold at sheriff sales
- strategies to improve how the public is educated and informed about land access and the sale, transfer, and lease of gardens and farms
- organizing and convenings with clear goals that directly support preservation of urban farms and gardens
- legal and technical support that can help advance this objective
We will also consider work focused on improving long-term stewardship of insecure parcels through strengthened organizational and operational capacity. We will not fund proposals to start up new gardens. All funding will focus on existing and active gardens and farms.
We are requesting proposals for projects up to two years in duration that will result in securing garden and farm parcels in Philadelphia. After reviewing proposals, WPF will conduct site visits and gather additional information from a limited number of organizations.
WPF has $1.5 million available to advance this objective at this time. There is no minimum or maximum that organizations may request, but we aim to attract and fund a range of projects. The grant amount requested should be commensurate with the project's contribution to the overall objective.
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
An informational webinar was held on September 16, 2025: