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RFQs and Opportunities
Explore current RFQs, calls, and professional opportunities from ASLA and partner organizations, supporting practice growth, visibility, and engagement throughout the year.
Current Opportunities
Yakumo Nihon Teien Japanese Garden Rivitalization
Deadline: April 27, 2026
Type: RFPs / RFQs
Location: New Orleans, LA
Description: City Park Conservancy (“CPC”) is requesting qualifications for professional design services to prepare conceptual and schematic design for the revitalization of the Yakumo Nihon Teien Japanese Garden that respect the intended Japanese Tea Garden design. The purpose of this is to obtain responses from interested parties as to their qualifications, the scope of services they would provide and the timeline for which they would perform the identified work. It is intended that the responses, in conjunction with a follow-up interview, will provide adequate guidance for CPC to select a firm (or design team) to perform the services described.
Course Series: What is Ecological Land Care?
Dates: April 22 - May 13, 2026
Type: Event
LA CES Approved?: No
Location: Stony Brook University Southampton Campus, Southampton, New York
Description: Perfect Earth Project presents a four-part introductory course on the basics of ecological land care, and how nature functions as a connected system. We will look closely at different types of landscapes, understand what they need, and learn how to integrate all these discoveries into good, actionable decisions that will help you care for places that are resilient, biodiverse, and welcoming to all forms of life.
What is Ecological Land Care? is the inaugural course of Perfect Earth Project’s first-of-its-kind educational training program focused on teaching ecological land care through applied, experiential education that connects directly to real-world opportunities.
By the end of the course, students will have practiced how to read landscapes to understand their purpose, conditions, and how management choices affect ecological health. They’ll learn the language of the ecological movement, strengthen their observation and plant identification skills, and practice communicating ecological land care choices in ways that respond to real-world concerns and build support and community.
Waterfront Development Opportunity 6-Acre Downtown Site
Deadline: April 30, 2026
Type: RFPs / RFQs
Location(s): Portsmouth, Virginia
Description:
The City of Portsmouth Economic Development Authority is pleased to issue this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for redevelopment of the approximately 6-acre Crawford Bay Site in Portsmouth, VA. This prime downtown waterfront site in the booming Hampton Roads region boasts views of the Norfolk skyline and Portsmouth's historic working waterway and offers immediate access to the Elizabeth River Ferry system. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a landmark destination for the region, that builds upon the City’s significant economic momentum.
We are seeking responses from qualified development teams with experience developing mixed-use destinations in prime locations. This effort will require a development partner with sound financials and a track record of delivering complex projects.
To download the RFQ, please visit our project webpage.
Grayland Plains Water Resilience Project
Deadline: May 11, 2026
Type: RFPs / RFQs
Location(s): Grayland, Washington
Description: Pacific Conservation District (PCD) seeks qualified consultants to redesign a tide gate, complete permitting, and develop concepts for three TBD projects related to the Grayland Plains drainage ditch, located between North Cove and Westport, WA. Projects will reduce flood impacts and prevent salinity intrusion.
Renewable Natural Resources Foundation Grant Program
Deadline for Grants: May 15, 2026
Description: The RNRF Grant Program aims to fund initiatives that foster collaboration and bridge the gap between research, evidence-based practices, and implementation. Our goal is to support projects that engage community partners and stakeholders and contribute to the interconnected environmental, social, and economic systems. By providing these grants, we hope to advance the mission of RNRF and its member organizations, ensuring sustainable and impactful outcomes.
Planning and Small Grants – Up to $50,000
Planning grants are available to support potential collaborators to carry out the initial discussion and investigation to conceptualize a collaborative project and the methods needed to implement the project. Small grants support targeted projects that are limited in scope and budget.
Implementation/Collaboration Grants
Implementation/Collaboration Grants provide up to $200,000 for projects lasting up to 36 months. These grants support the implementation of research and evidence-based practices and encourage collaboration.
NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET): Estimating Biomass and Change with GEDI and the OBIWAN API
Dates: May 21 and May 28, 2026
Type: Event
LA CES Approved?: No
Location: Online
Description: NASA's Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) program is offering a no-cost, two-part, intermediate training introducing key concepts in carbon monitoring using the Online Biomass Inference using Waveforms and iNventory (OBIWAN) application. Developed by the U.S. Forest Service, this tool analyzes forest carbon storage by utilizing lidar data from NASA's Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) mission. Offered in both English and Spanish, the training covers validation approaches, including the use of Forest Service inventory data to assess the accuracy and precision of OBIWAN outputs. Through hands-on activities, participants will apply GEDI-based estimation methods, visualize footprint and gridded biomass products, and use the OBIWAN API to generate and analyze biomass change. Participants will also explore how to compare carbon gains against business-as-usual scenarios, supporting practical, repeatable forest carbon monitoring and decision-making.
Course Dates: May 21 & 28
Time: English Session: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-4); Spanish Session: 2:00 p.m - 3:00 p.m. EDT (UTC-4)
Register
Note: Those who attend both parts of a session live and complete the required homework by the deadline will receive a certificate of completion for the training.
Introduction to Thermal Remote Sensing and Applications in Urban Heat Island Mapping
Dates: May 26 and June 2, 2026
Type: Event
LA CES Approved?: No
Location: Online
Description: New Training Announcement! Join the NASA Applied Remote Sensing Training (ARSET) Program for a training on an Introduction to Thermal Remote Sensing and Applications in Urban Heat Island Mapping. The first session of this two-part, no-cost, online training starts on May 26.
This ARSET training explores the fundamentals of thermal infrared remote sensing and some applications using ECOSTRESS data to analyze urban heat.
Extreme heat events are defined as prolonged periods of excessively high temperatures for multiple consecutive days. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths and can exacerbate accidents, underlying illnesses, and the transmission of some infectious diseases. This intermediate-level training equips participants with the foundational theory and practical skills to leverage thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing to quantify these risks.
The course begins by establishing the physical principles of TIR, including emissivity and blackbody radiation. While these fundamentals are broadly applicable to numerous applications, this training specifically focuses on using data from NASA’s Ecosystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) to identify heat-vulnerable communities and quantify urban heat island (UHI) effects.
In the hands-on component, participants will process ECOSTRESS Land Surface Temperature (LST) data in R – including quality filtering and time-of-day subsetting – and apply the interactive ECOSTRESS LST Downscaling Tool in Google Earth Engine. This tool uses a random forest model to enhance spatial resolution from 70 m to 10 m, translating satellite observations into street-scale thermal maps suitable for urban planning, strategic greenspace placement, and extreme heat early warning systems.
No prior programming experience is required.
Course Dates: May 26 & June 2, 2026
Time: Session A: 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EDT (UTC-5)/Session B: 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT (UTC-5)
Note: Those who attend all parts live and complete the required homework by the deadline will receive a certificate of completion for the training.
Learn more about this opportunity
LAF's Future Now Summit
Dates: June 4-6, 2026
Type: Event
LA CES Approved?: Yes
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Description: The Landscape Architecture Foundation’s (LAF) Future Now: Taking Action for People + Planet by Design summit will bring together the landscape architecture community to inspire innovative ideas and empower individual and collective action. Building on what was started 10 years ago with the release of the New Landscape Declaration, and happening at a time when our values for the planet and people are needed most, this convening affirms the power of leadership, collaboration, and action to drive meaningful change.
When: June 4-6
Where: Detroit Masonic Temple | Detroit, MI
Over the course of two days encompassing 30 lightning talks, keynote speakers, workshops, and panels, summit participants can earn up to 14.75 PDH (LA CES/HSW). An optional third day will include field sessions throughout Detroit. On the first evening, LAF will host a 60th Anniversary Party to celebrate six decades since its founding in 1966.
More than a convening, this is a call to action—an invitation to join LAF as a collective voice committed to continuing the work of shaping a future that designs for climate, biodiversity, equity, and inclusion. Make plans to join us to recenter, celebrate, and find ways to get things done!
Bundled and student pricing is available. The Advance Rate ends April 30.
Learn more about this opportunity
2027 National Design Awards Call for Nominations
Deadline: June 8, 2026
Type: Competition / Award
Description:
The National Design Awards is a Cooper Hewitt initiative launched in 2000 as an official project of the White House Millennium Council. The Awards and its associated public programs seek to increase national awareness of the impact of design in our everyday life.
Please use the online form to nominate exceptional candidates who have made meaningful contributions to the world through design for the 2027 National Design Awards.
Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District Updated Master Plan
Deadline: June 12, 2026
Type: RFP / RFQ
Location: Fair Oaks, California
Description: Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District seeks proposals from qualified consultants to prepare a comprehensive Parks and Recreation Master Plan, including community engagement, needs assessment, priorities, and implementation strategies to guide future parks, facilities, and programming decisions.
The USTA Future Courts Student Design Competition
Deadline: July 1, 2026
Type: Competition / Award
Location: United States
Description: The United States Tennis Association (USTA) presents the Future Courts Student Design Competition, a national challenge that encourages undergraduate and graduate students to bring fresh, innovative thinking to the design of future tennis venues.
Tennis is more than a game; it is one of the world’s great cultural sporting landscapes. With over 100 million players globally and a surging community of 27.3 million in the United States, the classic court archetype is ready for a decisive evolution. We invite students to retool the DNA of the tennis court by prioritizing design expression, sustainability, and innovation. This is your chance to reimagine how people move, play, and gather. Whether responding to shifting climatic conditions or expressing unique cultural traditions, we challenge you to dream without constraints. If you can dream it, you can design it. The deadline to submit an entry to the competition is July 1, 2026.
Eligibility: Contestants must be an undergraduate or graduate student enrolled for the Spring 2026 semester.
Team Size: Submissions can be made by individuals or teams, with a maximum of four (4) members per team.
Prizes:
1st Place: $7,500
2nd Place: $5,000
3rd Place: $2,500
Bonus: The three (3) winning teams will also receive 2026 US Open Grounds Passes for each team member to the US Open in New York City during the first week of the tournament.
Graham Foundation Grants
Deadline for Grants to Individuals: September 2026
Deadline for Grants to Organizations: 2/25/2026
Description:
The Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts fosters the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society. The Graham realizes this vision through making project-based grants to individuals and organizations and producing exhibitions, events, and publications.
This program supports innovative, thought-provoking investigations in architecture; architectural history, theory, and criticism; design; engineering; landscape architecture; urban planning; urban studies; visual arts; and related fields of inquiry.
Landscape Architecture Foundation Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership
Deadline: September 15
Type: Fellowship
Description:
The LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership was established to foster transformational leadership capacity and drive positive change beyond the traditional scope of landscape architecture practice.
The $25,000 fellowship is an opportunity for landscape architecture 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.
LAF selects a six-member cohort of Fellows and recent LAF Olmsted Scholars for the LAF Fellowship through a competitive application process based on a proposed project. Selected Fellows receive a $25,000 financial award and participate in three 2.5-day residencies over the course of a year, as well as monthly conference calls. Their projects must demonstrate the potential to bring about impactful change to the environment and humanity and have the capacity to grow the leadership potential of landscape architects.
Rome Prize Fellowships
Deadline: November
Type: Fellowship
Location: Rome, Italy
Description:
For over one hundred thirty years, the American Academy in Rome has awarded the Rome Prize to support innovative and cross-disciplinary work in the arts and humanities. Each year, the Rome Prize is given to about thirty artists and scholars who represent the highest standard of excellence.
Landscape Architecture Foundation Deb Mitchell Research Grant
Deadline: December
Type: Grant
Description:
The LAF Research Grant in Honor of Deb Mitchell supports research projects that are relevant and impactful for the professional practice of landscape architecture.
Each year, one $25,000 grant will be awarded to support a research project that can be completed in a 12- to 18-month period. The research must generate knowledge and insights relevant to the practice of design in order to increase landscape architecture’s capacity and impact.
The Principal Investigator must be trained as a landscape architect and currently engaged in the field of landscape architecture as a researcher, educator, professional practitioner, or in some other capacity. Preference is given to research teams that represent partnerships between professional practice and academic/research institutions.
Lighter. Faster. Stronger. Stainless Steel Rooftop Aquatics
Date: 7/18/2024 - 7/31/2026
Type: Other
LA CES approved?: Yes
Location(s): US
Description:
Lunch and Learn Opportunity
Eligible for 1 AIA HSW, 1 GBCI, 1 LACES HSW PDH, 1 RCEP
The one-hour course will summarize the design, manufacturing, and installation process for welded stainless steel swimming pools, spas, and water features. It will further outline the benefits of specifying this pre-fabricated system for elevated and rooftop installations including enhanced sustainability, streamlined installation, and reduced liability with a watertight vessel.
Learning Objectives
By completing this course, the design professional will be able to:
- Explain why stainless steel aquatics offer a sustainable, long-term solution
- Define why prefabricated aquatics streamline the onsite construction process
- Describe the manufacturing steps that ensure a watertight stainless pool or spa
- List six benefits of using welded stainless steel vessels for swimming pools, spas, and water features, especially in elevated locations
Please contact Meg Taiclet at [email protected] to schedule a date.