Preserving Urban Gardens and Farms in Philadelphia

Background

Philadelphia’s urban gardens and farms are nationally recognized models for growing food hyper-locally, promoting local land ownership, and strengthening 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, of course, are a source of local healthy food options. In most cases, these spaces serve communities that need them the most. About 70% of Philadelphia's active urban gardens and farms are in communities where more than 20% of the population lives below the poverty level; approximately 67% of the gardens are also in areas where the population of people of color is greater than 50%.  

Despite these many benefits, these spaces are under threat. They are vulnerable to gentrification pressures, and they confront a variety of other factors that prevent growers from owning or leasing the land that they steward. 

Opportunity Overview

The Foundation aims to support efforts that will contribute to increasing the preservation of Philadelphia’s urban garden and farm parcels. We expect to fund work focusing on interventions and on 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.

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 gardens and farms
• strategies to reduce the number of community gardens and farms on private land sold at sheriff sales
• strategies to strengthen the infrastructure and capacity for tracking and monitoring the status of Philadelphia’s urban garden parcels
• 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 through strengthened organizational and operational capacity. We will not fund proposals to start up new gardens, but rather will be focusing on existing ones.

We are requesting proposals for projects of one to two years that will result in securing and preserving of 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 $3 million available to advance this objective currently. 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 evaluation, budget, and link to an application template.

All applications must be submitted through the Grants Portal.

Webinar

An informational webinar took place on September 24, 2024: