2026 Linchpin Award Nominees
The Linchpin Award celebrates the individuals, firms, and organizations whose behind-the-scenes contributions keep community-driven design moving forward.
These are the advisors, collaborators, and advocates who go above and beyond to ensure neighborhood voices remain at the center of the design process.
Congratulations to this year’s nominees:
• Kelly Maiello Architects
• OZ Collaborative
• CICADA
• WRT
Their dedication and expertise strengthen the partnerships that make transformative work possible.
Collaborative volunteers help us select this year’s winner by checking your emails and casting your vote.
#Leverage2026 #CommunityDesign #DesignEquity #Architecture #Planning CommunityDevelopment
2026 Anchor Award Nominees
The Anchor Award honors the partnerships that make community-driven design possible.
This award recognizes the collective efforts, expertise, and resources of organizations, firms, funders, and community stakeholders who work together to bring impactful projects to life.
Congratulations to this year’s nominees: • Mt. Airy USA • Allegheny West Foundation • Philadelphia Division of Housing & Community Development / Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha, Inc. • Puentes de Salud • ACHIEVEability
These collaborations demonstrate what is possible when partners unite around a shared vision for stronger communities.
Collaborative Volunteers help us choose this year’s recipient by checking your emails and casting your vote .
#Leverage2026 #CommunityDesign #DesignEquity #Collaboration #PhiladelphiaNonprofitsCommunityDevelopment
We were honored to convene at AAMP as they mark 50 years of cultural preservation and leadership. Their legacy set the stage for a critical dialogue on how Philadelphia’s Black institutions can build the partnerships, resources, and resilience needed to thrive for the next 50 years.
Behind every project, every milestone, every moment of impact—there’s a volunteer who made it possible.
Your dedication is the reason this work moves forward.
Your generosity is what makes it meaningful.
Today we recognize you. Thank you for everything you do.
Happy Volunteer Recognition Day!
From sketch to critique to new ideas.
The room was filled with conversation, collaboration, and critical feedback as competitors worked alongside volunteer professionals during the Grounds for Debate charrette.
Stronger ideas. Sharper thinking. A shared commitment to design as a tool for civic life.
The John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture, in partnership with AlA Philadelphia and the Community Design Collaborative, is pleased to announce the 2026 design competition, Grounds for Debate.
��Monday, March 2, 12:00 PM Eastern:Registration deadline and deadline to submit questions.
��Saturday, March 7: Design Charrette at the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
(Participation in the Design Charrette is mandatory for entry into the competition.)
* Tuesday, March 31, 12:00 PM Eastern: Submission deadline.
All projects must be submitted digitally by 12:00 PM EST.
��Early June: Award notifications issued.
��Late August: Results publicly announced.
��Fall 2026: DesignPhiladelphia Festival opens with an exhibition featuring competition winners.
See link in bio for full competition prompt, eligibility and registration!
The John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture, in partnership with AlA Philadelphia and the Community Design Collaborative, is pleased to announce the 2026 design competition, Grounds for Debate.
* Monday, March 2, 12:00 PM Eastern:Registration deadline and deadline to submit questions.
* Saturday, March 7: Design Charrette at the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
(Participation in the Design Charrette is mandatory for entry into the competition.)
* Tuesday, March 31, 12:00 PM Eastern: Submission deadline.
All projects must be submitted digitally by 12:00 PM EST.
* Early June: Award notifications issued.
* Late August: Results publicly announced.
* Fall 2026: DesignPhiladelphia Festival opens with an exhibition featuring competition winners.
See link in bio for full competition prompt, eligibility and registration!
/pages/2026_GroundsForDebate
We’re proud to share the first project update from our Preserving Black Presence Initiative.
Preserving Black Presence (PBP) is a two-year effort to combat cultural erasure and disinvestment by strengthening Black heritage spaces through community-centered design.
Our first site partner, The Colored Girls Museum @thecoloredgirlsmuseum , is a living monument stewarded by Vashti DuBois @vashtidubois — honoring the stories and everyday brilliance of ordinary colored girls.
From immersive site visits to community engagement to our first design review, this work is grounded in listening, care, and collective imagination.
This is what preservation looks like when it is participatory.
More to come.
#PreservingBlackPresence #CommunityDesign #BlackHeritage #CulturalStewardship #DesignForEquity
The John Stewardson Memorial Fellowship in Architecture, in partnership with AIA Philadelphia and the Community Design Collaborative, is pleased to announce the 2026 design competition, Grounds for Debate.
* Monday, March 2, 12:00 PM Eastern:Registration deadline and deadline to submit questions.
* Saturday, March 7: Design Charrette at the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19106. (Participation in the Design Charrette is mandatory for entry into the competition.)
* Tuesday, March 31, 12:00 PM Eastern: Submission deadline. All projects must be submitted digitally by 12:00 PM EST.
* Early June: Award notifications issued.
* Late August: Results publicly announced.
* Fall 2026: DesignPhiladelphia Festival opens with an exhibition featuring competition winners.
See link in bio for full competition prompt, eligibility and registration!
/pages/2026_GroundsForDebate
Thirty-five years ago, a group of young architects asked a radical question:
What if design belonged to the people most impacted by it?
That question sparked the Community Design Collaborative—and still guides the work today.
As we celebrate 35 years, we’re gathering around what comes next.
Save the date for Leverage 2026.
Every post-it, every sketch, every idea on the map starts with someone who believes in a better future for Philly.
Someone like you.
Your gift powers community-led design that turns underused lots into parks, reimagines schoolyards and health clinics, and more. These places are where belonging is built by design.
There’s still time to make your mark on the map before midnight.
Make your tax-deductible gift to design a Philly where we all belong:
/
#DesignAPhillyWhereWeAllBelong #MakeYourMark #BelongingByDesign #PhillyNonprofits
Still looking for a meaningful gift this holiday season?
Give the gift of belonging.
Honor someone you care about by supporting community-driven design where healing and connection thrive.
This year, Philly Truce was awarded the Paul Sehnert Award for Community Design. The Sehnert Award honors both a visionary project, and the legacy of a beloved board member who believed in designing a better city.
Your gift continues that legacy: transforming spaces, building futures, and making room for everyone.
Make a tribute gift in honor or memory of someone today check link in bio or visit:
Select donation options on the form to leave a gift message.
#DesignAPhillyWhereWeAllBelong #BelongingByDesign #DesignEquity #TributeGiving #PhillyNonprofits
