The Improvement of Public Spaces Grant is designed to improve and protect the natural and built environment in communities around the region.
Donor Name: William Penn Foundation
State: Pennsylvania and New Jersey
City: Philadelphia and Camden
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 04/25/2025
Size of the Grant: Not Available
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
This Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks projects that enhance public spaces through inclusive design, ensuring that all people—regardless of ability, age, gender, or background—can fully enjoy and benefit from these essential community assets. They invite creative, community-driven solutions that identify and remove barriers that prevent specific populations from engaging and enjoying public spaces, as well as solutions that design and develop interventions that make public spaces more inviting and welcoming to specific populations that might otherwise be dissuaded from enjoying them.
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, urban farms, parks, parklets, recreation centers, libraries, public health centers, and community centers. Improvements in right-of-way areas like sidewalks that are contiguous to the public space are eligible for funding through this RFP.
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 believes that the most competitive proposals are likely to be those that include robust partnerships that leverage complementary strengths, resources, and expertise.
Grant Period
Proposals should have project terms of 1 – 3 years and can include planning.
Eligible Improvements
Examples of eligible improvements include but are not limited to:
- Multi-Sensory and Multi-Language Wayfinding Systems: Implementing navigation aids in multiple languages and utilizing visual, tactile, and auditory cues can assist individuals with varying abilities in orienting themselves within public spaces. For example, tactile maps combined with audible instructions can guide users effectively
- Gender-Inclusive Facilities: Providing restrooms and changing areas that are safe and accessible to all genders ensures that everyone feels comfortable using public amenities. This can include the design of single-occupancy restrooms or facilities that accommodate non-binary and transgender individuals
- Culturally Responsive Improvements: Designing or improving areas to reflect and accommodate the cultural practices or pastimes of the local community can make public spaces more welcoming
- Adaptive Recreational Equipment: Installing playgrounds and fitness areas with equipment designed for users of all abilities allows children and adults to engage in physical activities alongside their peers, promoting inclusivity and physical well-being
- Playful Learning Projects: Improvements that make spaces more welcoming, inviting, and useful for families and children ages 0-8 by encouraging children to explore, experiment, and engage with their environment in ways that promote cognitive, social, and physical development.
Eligibility Criteria
- 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
- Proposed projects must occur in Philadelphia or Camden.
For more information, visit WPF.
