LA FOUNDATION

What LA FOUNDATION does

The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit foundation founded in 1966 that serves as the philanthropic, research, and leadership arm of the U.S. landscape architecture profession. It funds and administers the Olmsted Scholars Program (which honored 97 students in 2026), a portfolio of named scholarships (awarding $168,500 to 25 recipients in 2026), and research initiatives conducted in collaboration with academic and professional bodies. LAF's core deliverables are programmatic — student recognition, direct financial aid, and sponsored research — rather than technology products or commercial services.

The foundation's business model is that of a traditional 501(c)(3) discipline foundation: revenue is generated from individual donations, corporate sponsorships from design and landscape architecture firms (including Landscape Forms, Sasaki, and SmithGroup), event-related income, and significant in-kind operational support from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), which contributes $125,000+ annually. Strategic research and curriculum partnerships with CELA and the McHarg Center extend the foundation's reach into academic programs. LAF occupies an effectively monopolistic position as the only national foundation dedicated exclusively to landscape architecture, with no public revenue disclosure available and no visible technology or AI capability layer.

Name

LA FOUNDATION

Legal name

Landscape Architecture Foundation

Website

https://lafoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LAF is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit foundation, founded in 1966, that supports the landscape architecture profession through scholarships (e.g., 97 Olmsted Scholars, $168,500 in awards in 2026), research, and leadership programs, funded by donations, corporate sponsorships, and ASLA in-kind support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Non-Profit Foundation Services for Landscape Architecture

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK)

Keywords

• Landscape architecture foundation
• Research scholarships leadership
• Professional fellowships grants
• Nonprofit landscape performance
• Design education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: LAF relies on donations from individuals who provide financial support to fulfill its mission of supporting the preservation, improvement, and enhancement of the environment through landscape architecture.
2. Corporate Sponsorship: Corporate sponsors including Landscape Forms, Sasaki Associates, Ironsmith, DuMor, Smithgroup, Brightview, OLIN, and EDSA provide financial support. ASLA provides over $125,000 of in-kind support annually.
3. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from event tickets including the Annual Benefit and Gala Dinner. Proceeds support LAF programs and initiatives.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

LAF is a non-profit foundation that supports the landscape architecture profession through three interconnected pillars: research, scholarships, and leadership. The foundation awards scholarships and fellowships to students and professionals, funds research through grants and case study investigations, and convenes the profession through summits and declarations addressing climate change, biodiversity, and equity.

Product overview

The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of interconnected programs rather than a unified software product. Its core offerings include: research programs (Case Study Investigation, Deb Mitchell Research Grant, Landscape Performance Series), scholarship programs (Student Scholarships, LAF Ignite), leadership programs (LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership, Olmsted Scholars Program, LAF Honors awards), and convening initiatives (Future Now Summit, Green New Deal Superstudio, Grounding the Green New Deal). The foundation also provides educational resources through recorded webinars and the Landscape Architecture Research Exchange. These programs work together to advance the landscape architecture profession through funding, recognition, knowledge generation, and community building.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LAF: Abbreviated name for Landscape Architecture Foundation used in communications and branding
• Green New Deal Superstudio
• New Landscape Declaration
• Future Now Summit
• Landscape Architecture Research Exchange
• LandscapePerformance.org

Products and services

• Case Study Investigation (CSI) Program Research program in which faculty-student research teams collaborate with design firms to assess and document the performance of exemplary landscape projects, producing Case Study Briefs that quantify environmental, social, and economic benefits for the landscape architecture profession.
• Deb Mitchell Research Grant Annual research grant funding projects that advance landscape architecture design practice, awarded to researchers conducting practice-relevant studies.
• Landscape Performance Series Knowledge resource documenting 200+ built landscape projects with quantified environmental, economic, and social benefits, providing evidence-based tools for the landscape architecture profession on the LandscapePerformance.org website.
• Student Scholarships Portfolio of named scholarship awards for undergraduate and graduate landscape architecture students, totaling $168,500 distributed to 25+ recipients annually across programs including the LAF Honor Scholarship, ASLA Council of Fellows Scholarships, EDSA Minority Scholarship, Kenneth R. Brooks MLA Research Scholarship, and LandDesign EDI Scholarship.
• LAF Ignite Scholarship and mentorship program supporting students from underrepresented groups in landscape architecture, pairing scholarship recipients with practicing landscape architecture professionals for career guidance and mentorship.
• LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership $25,000 fellowship supporting senior, mid-career, and emerging landscape architecture professionals in pursuing innovative ideas and leadership projects, with cohorts that include senior-level practitioners, mid-career professionals, and recent Olmsted Scholars.
• Olmsted Scholars Program Premier national leadership recognition program for landscape architecture students, awarding $25,000 graduate and $15,000 undergraduate scholarships to exceptional student leaders, with recognition at the LAF Board of Directors.
• Landscape Architecture Research Exchange Research initiative connecting landscape architecture professionals and academics around shared research interests through webinars, virtual events, and video submissions, developed in partnership with the Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA).

Quantifiable outcome

• 97 students honored as Olmsted Scholars in 2026
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• National Building MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 April 2022Partnered with LAF to present the Grounding the Green New Deal Summit on April 9, 2022 at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. The summit was part of the Museum's Climate Action Weekend.
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASLA provides over $125,000 of in-kind support annually to LAF. ASLA is a key partner in major initiatives including the Green New Deal Superstudio and Grounding the Green New Deal Summit.
• Weitzman School of Design McHarg CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Green New Deal Superstudio and Grounding the Green New Deal Summit. Billy Fleming, Wilks Family Director of the McHarg Center, was a featured speaker at the summit.
• Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes (CRCL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Green New Deal Superstudio and Grounding the Green New Deal Summit. Kate Orff, Founding Principal of SCAPE and Director of CRCL, was a key organizer and presenter.
• Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Green New Deal Superstudio and Grounding the Green New Deal Summit. CELA also partners with LAF on the Landscape Architecture Research Exchange initiative to connect professionals and academics around shared research interests.
• Landscape FormsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of LAF. Landscape Forms also partners with LAF on the Landscape Forms Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Scholarship and the Landscape Forms Scholarship in Memory of Peter Lindsay Schaudt, FASLA ($5,000). Peter Schaudt was a dedicated member of Landscape Forms' Board of Directors.
• Sasaki AssociatesmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of LAF. Sasaki has participated as a General Sponsor for the Grounding the Green New Deal Summit.
• SmithGroupmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of LAF and Lead Sponsor of LAF's Landscape Performance Series. SmithGroup professionals have participated as reviewers for the Green New Deal Superstudio.
• BrightviewmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of LAF. Brightview served as a Supporting Sponsor for the Grounding the Green New Deal Summit.
• OLINmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of LAF.
• EDSAmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of LAF. EDSA partners with LAF on the EDSA Minority Scholarship.
• DuMormajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLead Sponsor of LAF's Landscape Performance Series.
• IronsmithmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of LAF.
• KOMPANmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerLead Sponsor of LAF's Landscape Performance Series.
• LandDesignmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate sponsor of LAF. LandDesign established the LandDesign Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Scholarship (two $5,000 winners) to assist BIPOC students in landscape architecture.
• VectorworksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LAF webinars including Design Research and Responsive Landscapes webinars.
• Maglin Site FurnitureminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of LAF webinars including Design Research webinar and the Landscape Architecture Research Exchange initiative.
• JJR Roy FundmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerFounding Partner of LAF's Landscape Performance Series.
• Design WorkshopmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Sponsor of LAF's Landscape Performance Series.
• SWA GroupmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual Sponsor of LAF's Landscape Performance Series.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• National Building Museum: A nonprofit institution that convened the Grounding the Green New Deal Summit with LAF. Its programming on climate, design, and policy overlaps with LAF's mission and convening activities, making it a relevant peer in the built-environment nonprofit space.
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center: A nonprofit research and education center focused on native plants and sustainable landscapes. It shares LAF's emphasis on landscape performance, environmental stewardship, and education, with comparable research and convening functions.
• American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation: The foundation associated with ASID, focused on interior design research, education, and scholarships. As a design-discipline foundation, it mirrors LAF's structure of scholarship, research, and leadership programs but operates in a parallel design field.

Broad incumbents

• AIA Foundation: The philanthropic arm of the American Institute of Architects, focused on architecture education, research, and equity. It mirrors LAF's structure as a professionally-aligned foundation serving a related design discipline with scholarship and research programs.
• Urban Land Institute (ULI): A larger nonprofit focused on land use, real estate, and urban development. ULI overlaps with LAF's audiences in landscape architecture and urban planning, and both organizations engage corporate sponsors and produce research, though ULI's scope is broader.
• Trust for Public Land: A national nonprofit that conserves land and creates parks. It shares LAF's emphasis on the environmental and social benefits of landscape, with overlapping corporate sponsors and parallels in research, advocacy, and grantmaking models.

Direct peers

• Architecture Foundation: A nonprofit dedicated to engaging the public with architecture through research, advocacy, and education. Like LAF, it is a discipline-specific foundation that convenes practitioners, funds research, and runs public-facing programs.
• The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF): A nonprofit focused on educating and engaging the public about landscape architecture as a cultural endeavor. TCLF shares LAF's mission of advancing the profession through education, advocacy, and recognition, with overlapping audiences in design professionals and students.
• Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA): The academic counterpart organization for landscape architecture educators. CELA partners with LAF on the Landscape Architecture Research Exchange and co-sponsors flagship events like the Green New Deal Superstudio, making it a directly comparable peer in the research and education ecosystem.
• American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA): The primary professional association for landscape architects in the U.S. ASLA is LAF's closest institutional partner and provides over $125,000 of in-kind support annually. Both organizations serve the same professional community with overlapping programming in advocacy, education, and recognition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@lafoundationorg/playlists
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/landscape-architecture-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/lafoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about LA FOUNDATION