The Investment in Philadelphia Parks request for proposals, offered by the William Penn Foundation, supports efforts to increase sustainable funding for Philadelphia’s parks and recreation facilities. This grantmaking opportunity aims to help raise the three-year average annual per capita park spending in Philadelphia from $86 to $95 by 2035, as measured by the Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore®. The Foundation invites proposals for projects that draw on new public and private constituents, employ innovative funding strategies, or target chronically under-resourced areas of the park system.

Overview

A well-funded, well-maintained, and actively programmed parks and recreation system contributes to the environmental, social, and economic health of Philadelphia. The Foundation’s objective is to increase investment in parks, using ParkScore’s consistent and transparent metric to track progress. Philadelphia’s park system ranked 27th nationally as of May 2026, with a score of 63.9 and per capita investment of approximately $120 (three-year average). To build on this momentum, the Foundation seeks proposals that can yield lasting increases in public or private investment.

Funding and Benefits

• Total available funding: $2 million through this RFP.
• Grant size: No minimum or maximum, but requests under $500,000 will be most competitive. The requested amount should be proportionate to the project’s contribution to the overall objective.
• Project duration: One to two years.
• Eligible expenses: Funding may support system-wide applied research, capacity building, communications, advocacy, coalition building, and other appropriate activities.

Eligibility and Activities

Eligible applicants are organizations that can advance investment in Philadelphia’s parks and recreation facilities. Proposals may focus on individual sites or the entire parks and recreation system. The Foundation encourages partnerships that leverage complementary strengths, resources, and expertise. Projects that explore or advance dedicated public funding mechanisms or public-private financing strategies are of particular interest.

Examples of investment strategies that may be proposed include, but are not limited to:

• Dedicated parks tax levies or millage increases
• Municipal parks endowments or conservancy-managed endowment funds
• Special Service Districts or Business Improvement Districts that direct funds to adjacent parks
• Green bonds or infrastructure bonds earmarked for parks and recreation
• Percent-for-parks requirements tied to real estate development
• State or federal grant capture strategies
• Expanded public-private partnership models

Application Process

All applications must be submitted through the William Penn Foundation’s Grants Portal. After reviewing proposals, the Foundation will conduct site visits and gather additional information from a limited number of organizations. Interested applicants are invited to participate in an optional informational webinar on June 23, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET. The webinar recording will be posted on the RFP page. For full details, applicants should download the complete RFP packet from the Foundation’s website.

Deadline and Timeline

• Deadline to respond: July 30, 2026.
• Optional webinar: June 23, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET.
• Project period: One to two years, with start dates to be determined after review.