Landscape Architecture Foundation

TO SUPPORT THE PRESERVATION, IMPROVEMENT AND ENHANCEMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT.

LEADERSHIP: THE LAF FELLOWSHIP FOR INNOVATION AND LEADERSHIP WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2016 TO FOSTER TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP CAPACITY AND INNOVATION TO ADVANCE THE FIELD OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. THE $25,000 FELLOWSHIP IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MID-CAREER OR SENIOR-LEVEL PROFESSIONALS TO DEDICATE THE EQUIVALENT OF 3 MONTHS' TIME OVER THE COURSE OF ONE YEAR TO NURTURE EMERGING IDEAS AND TO THINK DEEPLY. IT IS DESIGNED AS A TIME TO REFLECT, RESEARCH, EXPLORE, CREATE, TEST, AND DEVELOP IDEAS INTO ACTION. EACH YEAR, 3-5 FELLOWSHIPS ARE AWARDED THROUGH A COMPETITIVE APPLICATION PROCESS BASED ON A PROPOSED PROJECT. RECIPIENTS RECEIVE A $25,000 FINANCIAL AWARD AND PARTICIPATE IN 3 THREE-DAY RESIDENCIES OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR, AS WELL AS MONTHLY CONFERENCE CALLS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

RESEARCH AND INFORMATION: RESEARCH IS A KEY PART OF LAF'S STRATEGY TO INCREASE OUR COLLECTIVE CAPACITY TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE. SINCE 1986, LAF HAS INVESTED OVER $3 MILLION IN RESEARCH INITIATIVES. THE LANDSCAPE PERFORMANCE SERIES (LPS) LAUNCHED IN 2009 IS LAF'S STRATEGIC RESEARCH PROGRAM, AN ONLINE INTERACTIVE SET OF RESOURCES TO SHOW VALUE AND PROVIDE TOOLS FOR DESIGNERS, AGENCIES AND ADVOCATES TO QUANTIFY BENEFITS AND MAKE THE CASE FOR SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE SOLUTIONS. LAUNCHED IN 2011, THE CASE STUDY INVESTIGATION (CSI) PROGRAM IS A UNIQUE RESEARCH COLLABORATION THAT MATCHES LAF FUNDED STUDENT FACULTY RESEARCH TEAMS WITH PRACTITIONERS TO DOCUMENT THE BENEFITS OF EXEMPLARY HIGHPERFORMING LANDSCAPE PROJECTS.IN 2019, LAF ADDED AN ANNUAL $25,000 RESEARCH GRANT TO GENERATE KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHTS RELEVANT TO THE PRACTICE OF DESIGN IN ORDER TO INCREASE LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE'S CAPACITY AND IMPACT.

COMMUNICATIONS: DEVELOPS RESOURCES FOR THE FOUNDATION TO EFFECTIVELY IMPLEMENT PROGRAM GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, MEASURE PERFORMANCE, AND SHOW THE VALUE OF SUSTAINABLE LANDSCAPE SOLUTIONS AND AN INTEGRATED APPROACHTO PLANNING AND DESIGN. THE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ADVANCES BOTH THE PROFESSION OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND THE CAPACITY OF SUSTAINABILITY LEADERS WORKING IN OTHER PROFESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. IN 2018, LAF LAUNCHED A REDESIGN OF THE LAFOUNDATION.ORGWEBSITE TO MORE EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE ITS PROGRAMS AND INITITAIVES. LAF ALSO DEVELOPED CONTENT FOR ITS GROWING COLLECTION OF VIDEO, AUDIO AND TEXT INTERVIEWS WITH ESTABLISHED AND EMERGING LEADERS IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE AND ALLIED PROFESSIONS TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR THESE THOUGHT LEADERS TO SHARE KNOWLEDGE, INSPIRATION AND INSIGHTS.

SCHOLARSHIPS; LAF IS THE LEADING SOURCE OF NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS. SINCE 1986, LAF HAS AWARDED MORE THAN $1.8 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO 636 STUDENTS. LAF'S LEADERSHIP IN LANDSCAPE AWARDS SUPPORT NEW GENERATIONS OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS BY RECOGNIZING LEADERSHIP, REWARDING SUPERIOR STUDENT PERFORMANCE, AND ENCOURAGING DIVERSITY. THE OLMSTED SCHOLARS PROGRAM IS THE PREMIER NATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP AWARD RECOGNIZING AND SUPPORTING LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS WITH EXCEPTIONAL LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL WHO ARE USING IDEAS, INFLUENCE, COMMUNICATION, SERVICE, AND LEADERSHIP TO ADVANCE SUSTAINABLE DESIGN AND FOSTER HUMAN AND SOCIETAL BENEFITS.