LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership

About this program

The Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) offers the LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership, selecting a small cohort each year and awarding $25,000 to mid-career and senior-level Fellows (typically 3–5 awards) to advance a year-long, transformational project; travel and lodging stipends are provided and the award is disbursed in three payments tied to completion of three mandatory 2.5‑day residencies in Washington, DC. Fellows participate in three residencies, regular monthly virtual check-ins (including a winter mini‑residency and leadership conversations), and must present final results at a symposium. Applicants must apply as individuals (team projects are permitted only if the applicant is the team lead), be mid- to senior-level (including recent Olmsted Scholars), and propose a forward‑looking project that advances knowledge or drives impactful change beyond the close‑out of existing work. Fellows are expected to commit roughly 12 weeks of focused project work during the fellowship year, which typically requires a break from employment distributed across the year.