"The Longwood Foundation has approved a $750,000 grant to the Delaware Botanic Gardens to help it begin work on phase one of the garden, located on Pepper Creek near Dagsboro, Delaware. The grant will be provided in two components: an immediate grant of $500,000 plus the remaining $250,000 when the garden has raised an additional $500,000 in cash or pledges. This two-for-one challenge expires March 25, 2017.
"On behalf of my dedicated Board, our outstanding Advisory Council, and our hundreds of loyal members and supporters, we are humbled and honored by this Longwood Foundation Leadership Grant,” said Susan Ryan, president of the Delaware Botanic Gardens.
"The next eighteen months will be our greatest challenge,” she continued. “We must start and complete the construction of Phase One of the garden. We must raise an additional $500,000 by March 2017 to qualify for the $250,000 challenge grant. We must begin the Piet Oudolf Meadow Gardens. And we must continue to attract members and donors to help fulfill our plans to open this inspiring garden."
Based in Wilmington, Delaware, the Longwood Foundation was established in 1937 by Pierre S. du Pont to support the people, environment, and communities of Delaware and southern Chester County in Pennsylvania. It has made more than $2 billion in grants to date. P.O. Box 1390 | Ocean View, DE 19970 | www.delawaregardens.org
DBG’s Phase One, called "Open the Garden Gates," will launch the first major features of the master plan. Included in the $4.1 million project will be construction of basic infrastructure and utilities for the 37.5-acre site, the creation of two major garden venues—the Meadow Gardens by the internationally acclaimed designer Piet Oudolf and the Woodland Gardens with ADA-accessible paths. In addition, the project’s first phase will feature an outdoor living classroom, including a wetlands habitat, as well as a temporary visitor facility housed in an all-season pavilion…"
