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] 

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. 

Announcing The Garden Conservancy Award

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

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.

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
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. 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.

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.