Nature Sacred 2024 National Call for Projects

For more than 25 years, Nature Sacred has worked with 100+ communities to create green spaces — Sacred Places — that reflect their visions and dreams. 

We are seeking applications from those interested in designing a Sacred Place in partnership with Nature Sacred. We invite communities who lack access to nearby nature spaces to submit a site for consideration to become a Sacred Place. 

• Nature Sacred’s full scope of design services. This includes 4 community engagement sessions (2 Steering Committee Meetings & 2 larger design charettes) and typically takes 4–7 months. Working with the Firesouls and Design Advisors, Nature Sacred will manage and directly fund this process, including all event costs and landscape design fees.  
• A comprehensive design plan with all documents needed so that Firesouls can manage the construction of their Sacred Place. This, along with Nature Sacred’s facilitation of the design process, is equal to approximately $50,000 of in-kind services. 
• $10,000 in construction funding (provided as a grant upon final design approval) to get your community started bringing your green space — Sacred Place — dreams to life! 
• A signature Nature Sacred bench and journals. 
• Lifetime membership in our Firesoul Network, supporting community leaders and ongoing programming and site needs for years to come. 

• A site for the eventual Sacred Place. To be considered, interested parties should have a site in mind and have ownership or other form of control over the proposed site (typically through a long-term lease). 
• Partnership in the design process. To ensure that the final design is truly community-led, Firesouls will work closely with Nature Sacred to manage the design process. This includes attending kick-off meetings with Design Advisors and assisting with logistics and attendee support for community engagement sessions. Approximately 20 hours of time. 
• Additional funding for the construction of the Sacred Place. To supplement the $10,000 in funding Nature Sacred will provide for construction, projects must have an additional $40,000 available to construct their site. This can be a blend of in-kind and capital investments. 
• Construction management. Nature Sacred and their Design Advisors will be on hand to provide guidance on the design implementation during the construction process. However, Firesouls and partners are responsible for the construction management of the Sacred Place, including managing community build days and retaining contractors if necessary to build the site. 

To present your project for consideration, we require that you complete an online questionnaire.  

Note that this link will take you outside of the Nature Sacred website to a ClickUp form. Though the form will automatically save your progress, we still recommend that you compile and polish your answers in a separate document before filling out the questionnaire. To aid with your preparation, we have included below a downloadable PDF of the questionnaire. 

Preparing your responses and completing the questionnaire should take 30-45 minutes. 

Proposed projects are evaluated according to the following criteria: 

• The community has a specific site selected, and has determined their goals and general direction for the space.
• Site adheres to Nature Sacred’s guiding principles. 
• The community has a need for high-quality, nearby nature spaces or a need for seeking healing and well-being through connection to nature.

Throughout the evaluation process, Nature Sacred may request additional information about the proposed site, including but not limited to virtual meetings, site visits, and 1-2 minute walkthrough videos of the site.

In order to move forward with a project, MOUs must be signed within 30 days of receipt. Once signed, we will reach out to establish a general design timeframe for your project. Please note that all selected projects will initiate their Nature Sacred design process only in fall of 2024 or later.

The Nature Sacred design process uses a series of four engagement sessions to inform final design documentation, a process that typically takes between four-seven months to complete. We work with our partners to set a timeline that works for you and your community.

Five of the selected selected sites in this Call for Projects will receive $10,000 in grant funding to be used for construction. This grant funding is awarded only after the design and engagement process is concluded, and after Nature Sacred approves the final design.

Selected Projects Timeline:

• 5/31/2024: MOUs must be completed and returned to Nature Sacred.
• Fall of 2024 and beyond: Project initiation
• 4-7 months after project initiation (varies): Completion of design and engagement process; awarding of construction funding upon Nature Sacred approval of design.
• 6+ months after design completion (varies): Completion of site implementation and integration of site into Nature Sacred Firesoul Network.