Increasing Green Stormwater Infrastructure

The William Penn Foundation, through its Environment and Public Space program, is issuing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to fund initiatives that increase green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) in the cities of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden, New Jersey. This effort aligns with the Foundation's long-standing mission to enhance environmental conditions across Greater Philadelphia by investing in both natural and built environments. The central objective of this RFP is to support the installation of an additional 600 acres of green stormwater infrastructure by the year 2035. Eligible projects may focus on capital improvements, policy or systems change, community outreach and education, or other approaches that contribute to this objective. The Foundation welcomes diverse proposals with either a localized or citywide impact and emphasizes the importance of clearly demonstrating how the proposed work will advance the RFP’s stated goal. This RFP is an intentional shift towards transparency and accessibility in the Foundation’s grantmaking, responding to prior feedback that application processes were too complex and lacked clarity. Grants will support one- to three-year projects. The Foundation expects to distribute up to $8 million through this RFP, with no set minimum for funding requests and a general ceiling of $2 million per project. Approximately $1 million of this amount is earmarked for organizations with annual budgets under $500,000. Projects showing diverse funding sources are likely to be more competitive. Additionally, WPF encourages partnerships, especially those that include historically marginalized groups, and offers optional free technical assistance via Green Building United to support sustainable and climate-resilient design in capital projects. Eligibility is limited to 501(c)(3) public charities or those operating under such a fiduciary, as well as government entities. Projects must be based in and benefit residents of Philadelphia or Camden. Evaluation criteria include alignment with the objective, identification of beneficiaries, community engagement, collaboration, organizational capacity, project design and feasibility, inclusion of historically excluded constituencies, estimated stormwater impact, cumulative effect with other projects, and the potential to advance other WPF objectives. The proposal submission process opens on June 18, 2025, and closes at 5:00 PM ET on July 25, 2025. An optional informational webinar will be held on June 24, 2025, at 3:00 PM ET. Selected applicants will be notified between August 6–11, 2025, with site visits scheduled between August 11 and September 5, 2025. Final decisions will be made by the WPF Board on October 24, 2025, and project implementation can begin in November 2025. All grantees will participate in a Learning Community and are required to submit brief annual reports. For general inquiries, applicants are encouraged to contact Program Officer Nathan Boon at nboon@williampennfoundation.org.

Applicants are encouraged to leverage additional funding sources and can request free technical assistance from Green Building United for projects involving capital improvements.