ULI Foundation governor Ron Nahas has pledged a $300,000 matching gift to UrbanPlan, a program he cofounded in the early 2000s through ULI San Francisco that has transformed young people’s understanding of the built environment.

With his gift, Nahas aims to accomplish several goals: significantly expand the program to new markets so that additional district councils, high schools, universities, and students participate; modernize and enrich UrbanPlan’s curriculum and teaching materials so they can be accessed through digital platforms; expand UrbanPlan for Public Officials workshops to engage more public sector leaders; and build staff capacity to deliver the program and assess its impact.

The gift will be made over four years, and is contingent on other ULI members matching his gift with their own donations, as well as increased support for UrbanPlan from the ULI Foundation Annual Fund and other ULI sources.

Nahas also seeks to create a long-term source of funding for UrbanPlan, he noted during a Friends of UrbanPlan event at the ULI Spring Meeting in Seattle where he announced the gift. The event drew current and former UrbanPlan volunteers, including Rick Dishnica, a ULI Foundation governor, who said UrbanPlan could reach 15,000 students and 750 public officials over the next three years through the Nahas gift. Since its founding, UrbanPlan has engaged more than 40,000 students, more than 2,600 member-volunteers, and 150 public officials.

Donate today to match Ron Nahas’s generous $300,000 gift to UrbanPlan.