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About the Practice Grant 

About the Practice Grant 

About the Practice Grant 

About the Practice Grant 

About Practice Grant 

Eligibility

Applicants from all career stages who are dedicated to the field of landscape are welcome to apply. This includes but is not limited to those working in landscape architecture and design, landscape ecology, landscape planning, and landscape gardening. Applicants must indicate a description of the project in relation to a land-based practice; an accredited landscape architecture degree or professional license is not required.

Timeline

Applications for 2024 will open in Fall 2023.

Funding

The Practice Grant awards from $2,000 to $20,000 in project funding.  One recipient will receive the Practice Grant + The Garden Conservancy Award. 

Eligibility

Applicants from all career stages who are dedicated to the field of landscape are welcome to apply. This includes but is not limited to those working in landscape architecture and design, landscape ecology, landscape planning, and landscape gardening. Applicants must indicate a description of the project in relation to a land-based practice; an accredited landscape architecture degree or professional license is not required.

Timeline

2023 Award Winners were announced in April. Applications for 2024 will open in Fall 2023. 

Funding

The Practice Grant awards from $2,000 to $20,000 in project funding. One recipient will receive the Practice Grant + The Garden Conservancy Award.

 

Eligibility

Applicants from all career stages who are dedicated to the field of landscape are welcome to apply. This includes but is not limited to those working in landscape architecture and design, landscape ecology, landscape planning, and landscape gardening. Applicants must indicate a description of the project in relation to a land-based practice; an accredited landscape architecture degree or professional license is not required.

Timeline

Applications for 2024 will open in Fall 2023. 

Funding

The Practice Grant awards from $2,000 to $20,000 in project funding. One recipient will receive the Practice Grant + The Garden Conservancy Award. 

Eligibility: Applicants from all career stages who are dedicated to the field of landscape are welcome to apply. This includes but is not limited to those working in landscape architecture and design, landscape ecology, landscape planning, and landscape gardening. Applicants must indicate a description of the project in relation to a land-based practice; an accredited landscape architecture degree or professional license is not required.

Timeline: Applications for 2024 will open in Fall 2023

Funding: The Practice Grant awards from $2,000 to $20,000 in project funding. One recipient will receive the Practice Grant + The Garden Conservancy Award. 

Eligibility: Applicants from all career stages who are dedicated to the field of landscape are welcome to apply. This includes but is not limited to those working in landscape architecture and design, landscape ecology, landscape planning, and landscape gardening. Applicants must indicate a description of the project in relation to a land-based practice; an accredited landscape architecture degree or professional license is not required.

Timeline: Applications for 2024 will open in Fall 2023. 

Funding: The Practice Grant awards from $2,000 to $20,000 in project funding. 

One recipient will receive the Practice Grant + The Garden Conservancy Award. 

The Practice Grant seeks to open access and expand approaches to landscape design by funding individuals and groups committed to alternative practices. Grants are awarded to applicants working to develop land-based* practices and is offered in support of applied research and realized projects. The Practice Grant aims bridge the gap between applied, and often informal land-based practices and professional practice.

The Practice Grant aims to expand ... 

  • The community of landscape designers and builders by providing opportunity to  individuals and groups currently excluded from professional practice

  • The methods of how landscapes are built by investigating alternative approaches and  techniques for design, construction, and management

  • The temporal framework of landscape projects by prioritizing projects that work in synch with landscape time, in alignment with soil, air, water and plant cycles 

The Practice Grant was initiated to encourage alternative forms of land-based practice by providing funding and a network of support and exchange to Grantees. For any questions please contact [email protected] 

To practice is to repeat, to do, to act. It encompasses action and embraces momentum.

The Practice Grant seeks to open access and expand approaches to landscape design by funding individuals and groups committed to alternative practices. Grants are awarded to applicants working to develop land-based* practices and is offered in support of applied research and realized projects. The Practice Grant aims bridge the gap between applied, and often informal land-based practices and professional practice.

The Practice Grant aims to expand ... 

  • The community of landscape designers and builders by providing opportunity to  individuals and groups currently excluded from professional practice

  • The methods of how landscapes are built by investigating alternative approaches and  techniques for design, construction, and management

  • The temporal framework of landscape projects by prioritizing projects that work in synch with landscape time, in alignment with soil, air, water and plant cycles 

The Practice Grant was initiated to encourage alternative forms of land-based practice by providing funding and a network of support and exchange to Grantees. For any questions please contact [email protected] 

To practice is to repeat, to do, to act. It encompasses action and embraces momentum.

The Practice Grant seeks to open access and expand approaches to landscape design by funding individuals and groups committed to alternative practices. Grants are awarded to applicants working to develop land-based* practices and is offered in support of applied research and realized projects. The Practice Grant aims bridge the gap between applied, and often informal land-based practices and professional practice.

The Practice Grant aims to expand ... 

  • The community of landscape designers and builders by providing opportunity to  individuals and groups currently excluded from professional practice

  • The methods of how landscapes are built by investigating alternative approaches and  techniques for design, construction, and management

  • The temporal framework of landscape projects by prioritizing projects that work in synch with landscape time, in alignment with soil, air, water and plant cycles 

The Practice Grant was initiated to encourage alternative forms of land-based practice by providing funding and a network of support and exchange to Grantees. For any questions please contact [email protected] 

To practice is to repeat, to do, to act. It encompasses action and embraces momentum.

The Practice Grant seeks to open access and expand approaches to landscape design by funding individuals and groups committed to alternative practices. Grants are awarded to applicants working to develop land-based* practices and is offered in support of applied research and realized projects. The Practice Grant aims bridge the gap between applied, and often informal land-based practices and professional practice.

The Practice Grant aims to expand ... 

  • The community of landscape designers and builders by providing opportunity to  individuals and groups currently excluded from professional practice

  • The methods of how landscapes are built by investigating alternative approaches and  techniques for design, construction, and management

  • The temporal framework of landscape projects by prioritizing projects that work in synch with landscape time, in alignment with soil, air, water and plant cycles 

The Practice Grant was initiated to encourage alternative forms of land-based practice by providing funding and a network of support and exchange to Grantees. 

For any questions please contact [email protected] 

To practice is to repeat, to do, to act. It encompasses action and embraces momentum.

Practice Grant 2023 Award Winners

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The Practice Foundation congratulates the 2023 Practice Grant Award Winners. The selected projects represent a range of alternative practices and a deep commitment to working with the land. Three outstanding teams will receive awards up to $15,000, as well as in-kind support from the Practice Foundation.

The quantity and quality of applications for the 2023 Practice Grant was extensive and exceptional. The jury was impressed by the depth and range of projects and applicants. In addition to their broad regional representation, teams and individuals demonstrated significant diversity in their commitments to caring for the land and their approaches to expanding landscape practice.

We thank the 2023 Selection Jury for generously sharing their experience, wisdom and support. The 2023 Selection Jury included: Jenny Evans (Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation, Florida Association of Native Nurseries), John Koepke (Landscape Architect and Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota College of Design), Thaïsa Way (Director of Garden & Landscape Studies at Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Professor Emerita at the University of Washington in the College of Built Environments). 

Press Release.

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Strawberry Lane Collective

Dennise Mofidi, Jasmine Barber, Dorian Campbell, and Dawn Cohoe

Milwaukie, Oregon, USA

Rotate, Graze, Grow tests the rotational grazing of blackbelly sheep to manage aggressive English Ivy (Hedera helix) and Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) at a cooperative farm. The project values the health of the soil in cities, introducing regular testing and mycoremediation to monitor each newly established management practice. The project is part of a larger effort to establish the farm as a land-trust that increases access to land for BIPOC growers. The team includes farm-to-market programs Pharm to Body (‘Spore Sistaz’: Dennise Mofidi, Jasmine Barber,), Otter Paws (Dorian Campbell), and Maple Twig Design & Nursery (Dawn Cohoe).

Rotate, Graze, Grow is the recipient of the 2023 Practice Grant & The Garden Conservancy Award.

Strawberry Lane Collective

Dennise Mofidi, Jasmine Barber, Dorian Campbell, and Dawn Cohoe

Milwaukie, Oregon, USA

Rotate, Graze, Grow tests the rotational grazing of blackbelly sheep to manage aggressive English Ivy (Hedera helix) and Himalayan Blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) at a cooperative farm. The project values the health of the soil in cities, introducing regular testing and mycoremediation to monitor each newly established management practice. The project is part of a larger effort to establish the farm as a land-trust that increases access to land for BIPOC growers. The team includes farm-to-market programs Pharm to Body (‘Spore Sistaz’: Dennise Mofidi, Jasmine Barber,), Otter Paws (Dorian Campbell), and Maple Twig Design & Nursery (Dawn Cohoe).

Rotate, Graze, Grow is the recipient of the 2023 Practice Grant & The Garden Conservancy Award.

 

San Bruno Mountain Watch + Test Plot

Chris Chou, Yoni Carnice and Jen Toy

Daly City, California, USA

On Ticky Tacky Hillsides works within San Bruno Mountain Park to increase access to an underserved side of the mountain through long-term landscape stewardship. The project will be designed, installed, and maintained with the neighboring community, prioritizing the unique cultural values of diverse  residents. The plan includes hiring a ‘Stewardship Fellow’, along with providing guidelines for experimental planting, species management, multi-lingual signage, accessible seating, and public design workshops events. The project is a collaboration between San Bruno Mountain Watch (Chris Chou and Yoni Carnice), an organization that leads community-based ecological restoration programs, and Test Plot (Jen Toy), a land-based practice that celebrates the labor involved in caring for the land.

 

OTIS Fresh Farm

Mabel Gladly and Pooj Rav

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Cultivating the Commons: Fenceless Farming, expands the efforts at OTIS Fresh Farm to engage neighbors and retain accessibility of a busy community thoroughfare. In lieu of fencing, the design will install diverse, pollinator-friendly bioswales to create a buffer along the heavily trafficked urban edge. This increases efficiency for on-going maintenance and grades the remaining land to establish a farmstand and community meeting place. The bioswales are also part of an applied research project to test, document, and share guidelines for the use of Midwest friendly grains as a native grain cover crop. OTIS Fresh LWCA is a cooperatively run and trans-owned farm on Chicago's south side that grows vegetables and herbs sold through their CSA program. The co-owners in the workers cooperative are Mabel, the founder of Grow-Op Chicago, and Pooj, an environmental chemist and community organizer.

Application

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Applications are currently closed and will open again in Fall 2023.

Our primary selection criteria include a demonstration of feasibility, a clear method or practice, a committed client or partner, and an available project site. We are looking for applied research and design ideas that are ready to go and need additional funding to be realized. 

One of primary objectives of the Practice Grant is to develop a more expansive and inclusive community of landscape designers, cultivators and builders through this opportunity to fund work by individuals and groups currently outside of conventional professional practice. With this is mind, please reach out with any questions; we are happy to discuss your application and are open to considering substitutions to application requirements. We provide support through all phases, including the application.

To apply please download the application form below and submit all documents to [email protected]

Please note: The Practice Grant is a project grant given in support of work defined in the proposal. We are not able to fund indirect costs including overhead and administration expenses that support an organization’s general operation.

Applicants for projects in the U.S. and Canada are eligible to apply. 

2023 Practice Grant Application (Applications Closed) 

Practice Grant Application

The Garden Conservancy Award

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Due to the generous support of The Garden Conservancy, one recipient of the 2023 Practice Grant will receive the The Garden Conservancy Award.

2022 Practice Grant Award Winners 

The Practice Grant aims to expand the ways we approach landscape architecture and design by funding individuals or collectives committed to alternative design practices. The grant is offered in support of creative and ambitious land-based practices*, and open to applicants eager to overcome the restrictions met by professionalization.

Practice Foundation congratulates the 2022 Practice Grant Awardees! Their proposals represent a range of alternative practices and a deep commitment to working with the land. Three outstanding teams were selected for awards up to $10,000, as well as in-kind support from the Practice Foundation.

The quantity and quality of applications for this inaugural Practice Grant call was extensive and exceptional. The jury was impressed by the depth and range of projects and applicants from 28 U.S. states and 4 Canadian provinces. In addition to their broad regional representation, teams and individuals demonstrated significant diversity in their commitments to caring for the land and their approaches to expanding practice.

The 2022 Selection Jury included: Peter Del Tredici (PhD, Senior Research Scientist Emeritus, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University), Emily Wettstein (Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia), Lenore Macdonald (Vice Chair, Scholarship Committee, The Garden Club of America). 

Bernard Singleton + Janelle Dunlap, North Carolina USA
Alkebu-Lan Botanical Gardens 

Civic Studio, Louisiana USA
Seeds + Beats 

Ariel Page + Guy Dobyns, Washington USA
Mulching/Terracing/Living 

In addition to the Awardees, five finalists were selected by the jury for their outstanding applications: 

  • Utē Petit, Louisiana USA
  • Emily Knox, Alabama USA
  • Ssi Ya Gi (Grace Lee, Hannah Pae, Hyunch Sung), California USA
  • Prospering Backyards (Maru Garcia), California USA
  • Groundwork RVA + Cohort (Chloe Hawkins), Virginia USA

We thank the 2022 Selection Jury for generously sharing their experience and wisdom through the challenging process of evaluating so many worthy applications and appreciate their ongoing partnership. The 2022 Selection Jury included: Peter Del Tredici, PhD (Senior Research Scientist Emeritus, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University), Emily Wettstein (Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Virginia School of Architecture) and Lenore Macdonald (Vice Chair, Scholarship Committee, The Garden Club of America).

More on the Awardees...

Bernard Singleton + Janelle Dunlap, North Carolina USA
Alkebu-Lan Botanical Gardens is an orchard composed of drought tolerant and low maintenance African crops, situated at Nebedaye Farms. The project focuses on the link between the health of the soil and the health of the supporting community, by increasing awareness and experience with undervalued edible plants. Singleton is a passionate farmer, gardener and co-owner of Nebedaye Farms, committed to introducing people to the land through the foods of the African diaspora. Dunlap is a social advocacy artist and the resident beekeeper at Nebedaye Farms. 

Civic Studio, Louisiana USA
Seeds + Beats expands a meadow planting at the New Orleans Mosquito, Rodent, and Termite Control Board in the Gentilly neighborhood by designing on site in alliance with the adjacent residential community. The project takes collaboration seriously, by engaging hands-on, in situ design, sidestepping costly construction documents, and acknowledging the inability for professional standards to solely meet community needs in the public realm. Aron Chang is an urban designer, co-lead for the Water Leaders Institute, and a co-founder and member of Civic Studio, a design collective focused on multi-disciplinary projects that support learning and dialog on critical civic issues.

Ariel Page + Guy Dobyns, Washington USA
Mulch/Terrace/Live is an applied research project that introduces novel forms of terracing to re-establish plants across clear cut, formerly forested land in the Pacific Northwest. Long-term stewardship of the land includes the process of documenting management practices including steps to controlling aggressive species with minimally invasive methods, approaches to low-input soil building, with demonstrated alternatives to annual cultivation with the introduction of seedlings. Page is a restoration gardener, working primarily with perennial edible plants through her company Planetary Garden Care. Dobyns is a hiking guide, member of the Conservation Futures Committee in Jefferson County, and co-founder of the Many Trees Project.

Content

The Practice Grant aims to expand the ways we approach landscape architecture and design by funding individuals or collectives committed to alternative design practices. The grant is offered in support of creative and ambitious land-based practices*, and open to applicants eager to overcome the restrictions met by professionalization.


Mulch/Terrace/Live Manual                                                                        

(2022 Award Winners) Ariel Page + Guy Dobyns, Washington USA

(Download)

Mulching/Terracing/Living is an applied research project that introduces novel forms of terracing to re-establish plants across clear cut, formerly forested land in the Pacific Northwest. Long-term stewardship of the land includes the process of documenting management practices including steps to controlling aggressive species with minimally invasive methods, approaches to low-input soil building, with demonstrated alternatives to annual cultivation with the introduction of seedlings. 

This manual describes techniques for clearing invasive species, remediating soil on a clearcut slope, and encouraging the development of food-bearing terraces through slow processes of observing, mulching, planting, and observing again. At its simplest, it is a technical manual for developing food forests in a degraded clearcut slope in the Pacific Northwest, and the techniques described are site-based and specific.

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Donate

If you are interested in supporting the Practice Grant please consider donating. 

If you are interested in supporting the Practice Grant please consider donating. 

The Practice Grant is an initiative of the Practice Foundation and is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3).                   EIN: 85-4128040

The Practice Foundation is a nonprofit regranting organization committed to opening access and expanding approaches to the design of the living environment.  It is the mission of Practice Foundation to support land-based practices rooted in diverse communities, spaces of injustice and across rural and remote regions. As landscape designers, architects, gardeners, and academics we initiated the Practice Foundation because we identified a gap between the needs of emerging landscape designers and makers, and their access to opportunities for project development and implementation.

We believe in the value of practice itself, the measure of daily rituals and the reprise of community action. Some of the smallest, dedicated actions accumulate as powerful tools in the face of rapid climate change, loss in biodiversity, and unchecked development.