Philadelphia boasts more than 10,000 acres of park land. These include sprawling, historical gems like Fairmount Park and John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, where nature lovers flock to connect with the outdoors. But they also include hundreds of smaller, yet equally special green spaces rooted in neighborhoods throughout the city: the Discovery Center in Strawberry Mansion; community-led gardens and farms in communities throughout the city; and more. For decades, the William Penn Foundation has quietly provided millions of dollars in funding to keep Philadelphia’s public spaces healthy and thriving for things like bird watching, outdoor recreation, and civic connection. Jazmine da Costa, Program Officer at the Foundation, will share the Foundation’s history of environmental funding in Philadelphia, its goals for supporting parks and green spaces, and some of the most impactful grants she’s made in her years at the Foundation.

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Jazmine da Costa manages grantmaking at the William Penn Foundation under its Environment and Public Space program related to investment in parks, improvement of public spaces, and preserving urban gardens. Jazmine is a graduate of the Yale School of Management and the Yale School of the Environment. She holds an MBA and Masters of Forestry, with a focus on real estate and natural areas land management. She earned her undergraduate degree in anthropology from Princeton. Outside of work, Jazmine is a member of the LGBTQIA+ Philadelphia Freedom Band and enjoys backpacking, meditation, and making people laugh.