The Alice Ferguson Foundation’s mission is to inspire environmental stewardship by giving people the tools to understand, appreciate, and protect nature. Since its inception the Foundation has impacted the lives of over one million students through our curriculum and programs and trained over 3,000 teachers and park rangers to deliver high-quality, STEM-focused environmental education.
Since 1954 the Foundation has shared the wonder and excitement of outdoor hands-on learning with students and residents of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. The Foundation is located in Accokeek, Maryland at Hard Bargain Farm, a historically significant property consisting of several farm buildings, a barnyard with student-friendly animals, an organic education garden, and the country home of Henry and Alice Ferguson. Among the historically significant buildings at Hard Bargain Farm is our state-of-the-art environmental center completed in 2016 as only the 13th project in the world to achieve the prestigious full Living Building Certification as well as the LEED Platinum Certification.
The certification means that our building meets net-zero energy, water, and carbon-neutral requirements as well as being fully constructed of non-toxic components. Included in the environmental center complex at Hard Bargain Farm are our bunkhouses built for visiting classes to stay in on overnight field trips as well as our brand-new educational pavilion, also built to green, net-zero standards and providing students the opportunity to learn in a living classroom environment. The Foundation is committed to inclusivity and providing access to nature for all community members. Because of this, the boardwalk spanning our wet meadow, our bunkhouses, our environmental center (Living Building), and our educational pavilion are all built to meet the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Alice Ferguson Foundation is a longtime partner of school systems throughout the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Our programs are designed to bolster student academic achievement in STEM subjects critical to students’ future educational and professional paths. This connection is vital, particularly as school systems recognize and invest in environmental literacy as a criterion for student achievement and, in the case of Maryland, a requirement for high school graduation. The Foundation provides transformative environmental education experiences for thousands of DC region students each year.
