Landscape Architecture Receives Grant for The Philadelphia Pollinator Project

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) recently announced 41 grant awards totaling nearly $11.5 million with the intention of helping clean up and restore polluted waters, enhancing fish and wildlife habitat, and increasing access to nature throughout the Delaware River watershed.

The College of Architecture and the Built Environment’s Bachelor of Landscape Architecture Lab for Urban and Social Innovation was the proud recipient of one of these grants for “The Philadelphia Pollinator Project.”

In partnership with the National Audubon Society, Inc. Mid-Atlantic, John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), Jefferson will look to improve urban habitat conditions for year-round and migratory pollinators and birds, improve access to and the condition of open space for underserved Philadelphia neighborhoods, and support monitoring and data collection efforts in Philadelphia.

“The main purpose of the grant is to establish a community-centered ecological framework to support social, economic, educational, health and aesthetic benefits for communities in southwest Philadelphia,” shares Kim Douglas, director of the (which) program. “This grant will provide not only important habitat for pollinators, but also educational opportunities for both the community and Jefferson’s landscape architecture program. Our students will have the opportunity for research internships, as well as access to key partners working towards a healthier city for both humans and wildlife alike!”

Learn more about Jefferson’s accredited Bachelor of Landscape Architecture program and the Lab for Urban and Social Innovation.