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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Media Contact: Reggie Cunningham, rcunningham@aiadc.com

WASHINGTON, DC, November 2, 2025 -- The Washington Architectural Foundation (WAF), in partnership with the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB), the USDA Forest Service, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, has launched the DC Mass Timber Accelerator, a new program that will provide funding, technical assistance, and professional education to help development teams explore mass timber construction in active projects across the District. 

The Accelerator will award $160,000 in total funding across several eligible projects located in the District, supporting project-specific analysis and design work during the critical early phases of development. Through a competitive Request for Proposals process, WAF and program partners will seek projects representing a range of building uses, scales, heights, and affordability levels, with an emphasis on projects where mass timber has the potential to contribute to successful, sustainable development. 

The program comes as Washington, DC, continues to consider how new development can meet the needs of a growing, evolving city while contributing to the quality of its built environment. Mass timber offers architects, developers, and public officials an opportunity to explore a building system that combines design possibilities with the potential for efficient construction and lower-carbon development. 

“DC has a remarkable design community and a long tradition of architecture that responds to the people and places around it. This program gives project teams an opportunity to bring that same level of thoughtfulness to an emerging generation of buildings, while gaining practical experience with mass timber and evaluating where it can deliver meaningful benefits,” said Kimberly Bender, Executive Director of the Washington Architectural Foundation and AIA|DC. 

The Accelerator will support teams in examining technical and financial feasibility, including considerations such as design, construction schedules, costs, building performance, and life-cycle impacts. The SLB-funded program WoodWorks, a nonprofit staffed with experts in wood design and construction, will serve as a technical assistance partner, providing expertise on mass timber design, engineering, code compliance, and construction viability. The American Wood Council, another SLB-funded program, will provide support related to building codes and standards. 

“Great cities aren’t shaped simply by how much gets built, but by how thoughtfully we build,” said Ryan Flom, Chief Marketing Officer of the Softwood Lumber Board. “The DC Mass Timber Accelerator gives architects and development teams the resources to explore what mass timber can contribute to the places they are creating—from sustainability and construction efficiency to the experience and quality of the finished building. We want teams to ask not only whether a project can be built with mass timber, but whether mass timber can help them build it better.” 

The DC Mass Timber Accelerator joins the SLB’s growing network of Accelerator Cities, which since 2022 has invested $2.1 million in programs in Boston; New York City; Georgia; Santa Monica; Portland, Oregon; and Alabama. The model brings together design and development teams, technical experts, public-sector stakeholders, and funding partners to address barriers to mass timber adoption through real-world projects. 

The Accelerator brings together funding and support from the SLB, USDA Forest Service, an anonymous donor, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, with WAF administering the program. In addition to direct project awards, the Accelerator will provide technical assistance, professional and public engagement, and opportunities for participating teams to share findings and lessons learned with DC’s broader architecture and development community. 

The program is now open and accepting proposals.

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About the Washington Architectural Foundation (WAF) 

The Washington Architectural Foundation (WAF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity dedicated to educating and engaging the greater Washington, DC community - including students, teachers, professionals, and the public - to demonstrate the transformative power of architecture. Founded in 1989, WAF delivers exhibitions, scholarships, youth programs, and community education across all eight wards of the District, with initiatives like Architecture in Schools bringing hands-on design education to Wards 5, 7, and 8, and Architects in the City connecting AIA|DC members with local nonprofits for volunteer service days. 

WAF is the foundation arm of AIA|DC, the Washington chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and is funded primarily through grants and donations from firms, foundations, and individual supporters across the region. 

About the Softwood Lumber Board 

The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is an industry-funded initiative established to promote the benefits and uses of softwood lumber products in outdoor, residential, and non-residential construction. The SLB invests in strategic programs and initiatives that drive demand and grow markets for softwood lumber products in the United States. Learn more about the SLB at www.softwoodlumberboard.org. 

About the Forest Service 

Established in 1905, the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the nation’s foremost federal forestry organization. The agency is a world leader in forest research, providing leadership in the sustainable management, conservation, use, and stewardship of natural and cultural resources on national forests and grasslands in the United States. Dedicated Forest Service employees manage the National Forest System, which consists of 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering 193 million acres in 43 states, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The agency’s renowned fire management organization provides critical expertise in making communities and infrastructure safer. Moreover, the agency helps communities; state, local, and tribal governments; forest industries; and private forest landowners improve conditions in both urban and rural areas. In total, the Forest Service helps to steward about 900 million forested acres in the U.S., including 130 million acres in urban areas, which most Americans now call home. 

About the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities 

The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is a not-for-profit public charity collaborating with partners in the public and private sectors to advance systemic, transformative, and sustainable change for the health and vitality of the nation’s working forests and forest-reliant communities. To learn more about the Endowment, please visit our website at www.usendowment.org.