LAF Annual Benefit
In 2022, the Landscape Architecture Foundation (LAF) awarded a total of $422,000 through its scholarships, research, and leadership programs. Of this, $276,000 went to students, an 15% increase over 2021 thanks to the addition of several new scholarships established by generous sponsors.

 
In January, the 2022 recipients of the LAF Medal and Founders' Award were announced: Elizabeth J. Kennedy, FASLA, and The Nature Conservancy. They were honored at an awards dinner in June.
In April, LAF and partners convened over 400 designers, students, and changemakers at the National Building Museum for the Grounding the Green New Deal Summit to explore the intersection of design, policy, and advocacy. The summit built from the Green New Deal Superstudio, a year-long open call which attracted the participation of more than 3,000 students and practitioners in the built environment disciplines. Some 670 design and planning projects were submitted to give form to the goals of the movement-led vision, and a select set was on display during the event.
The $25,000 LAF Research Grant in Honor of Deb Mitchell was awarded to the winning proposal, "Engagement by Design: Intergenerational Communities to Promote Social Equity and Healthy Aging in Place." The Principal Investigators are Drs. Sinan Zhong and Chanam Lee in the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M University.
In May, the 2022 LAF Olmsted Scholars were announced, including the two national winners, Kathryn Finnigan of the University of Colorado Denver and Trecia Cintron of The Ohio State University. This is the 15th year of the program, with 981 LAF Olmsted Scholars named to date.
In June, LAF held its first in-person Symposium and Awards Dinner since 2019. The six landscape architects selected for the 2021-2022 LAF Fellowship for Innovation and Leadership presented their year-long explorations on relational work with community organizations, the science of landscape architecture, Latine/x/a/o voices, evolving narratives for diverse designers, roadsides and the nature of power, and carceral landscapes. Concurrently, the next cohort of LAF Fellows began their fellowship year. LAF marked 5 years of the fellowship with a series of Instagram takeovers by past fellows.
Over the summer, 10 faculty-student research teams finished their study of 10 high-performing landscape projects through LAF's Case Study Investigation program. Their case studies with quantified environmental, social, and economic impacts are being published on LandscapePerformance.org
In November, LAF's sold-out 37th Annual Benefit attracted 600 guests and 24 sponsors who raised $275,000 to support LAF programs and initiatives to increase the influence and impact of landscape architects to create a sustainable, healthier, and more equitable world. With a big new program announcement on the horizon, LAF is gearing up for its most impactful year yet in 2023!