$100 million has been raised for FDR Park’s redevelopment. About $150 million is left to go.

Renovating South Philadelphia’s FDR Park is slated to cost more than $250 million. The eye-popping price tag has been just one point of scrutiny among the project’s fiercest critics: How can a city with so many budget priorities secure so much funding for one project?

The answer is one grant at a time, according to the Fairmount Park Conservancy, which is fundraising for the park plan. This week, the department announced a major milestone: $100 million has been secured for the 348-acre park. A $10 million grant from the William Penn Foundation announced Tuesday helped the conservancy reach the $100 million mark.

“Like a shark swimming in the water, that’s how much I look for funds,” joked Maura McCarthy, CEO of the conservancy, of how she and her team operate.

Making FDR Park climate resilient and bringing amenities, such as state-of-the-art playing fields, will require funding from local, state, and federal agencies, as well as philanthropic and corporate entities, the conservancy has said.

“FDR is one of Philadelphia’s largest public outdoor spaces, serves thousands of visitors, serves many diverse communities, so it seemed like an obvious investment for the foundation,” said Shawn McCaney, executive director of the William Penn Foundation, which has donated millions to Philly parks and public spaces over the past decade.

To date, the city has committed $50 million over five years and the Philadelphia International Airport has coordinated another $30 million in funding. Other funding sources include $50,000 from the Widener Memorial fund, and $250,000 from the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation. Through a conservancy campaign, the plan was able to get another $2.4 million from multiple individual donors. So far, most funding has been directed to amenities such as the welcome center and the permanent home to the Southeast Asian Market, McCarthy said.

According to the conservancy, the latest grant will help complete what’s been called the “nature phase” of the project, a four-year, $45 million plan that transforms 33 acres of the southwest portion of the park into a tidal wetland by 2026, among other undertakings.

The wetland transformation is being funded by Philadelphia International Airport to compensate for wetlands and waterways affected by its air cargo facilities expansion. It is the only portion of the nature phase being worked on at the moment.

The additional funding from the William Penn Foundation means other portions of the nature phase can begin.

The funds will help pay for the restoration of Shedbrook Creek, which McCarthy says resembles more of a muddy ditch in some areas, and new boardwalks and overlooks for the 23-acre Sedge Meadow wetland. The healthiest wetland in the park, known as the Forested Wetland, will get some minor restoration work through the latest funding.

The reimagining of FDR Park was a response to constant flooding in low-lying areas. Without drastic change, landscape architects said the park designed in 1914 by the famed Olmsted Brothers would be rendered unusable in a wetter future brought on by climate change.

But for many, their relationship with FDR Park changed during the height of the pandemic. The grounds of the former golf course, which closed because of flooding and lack of profit in 2019, opened to the public and its manicured greens soon resembled an oasis where families could hike, picnic, walk their dogs, and bird-watch.

The space was soon dubbed “the meadows” and plans to use 33 acres of the former golf course for the airport-funded wetland project drew opposition. So did a proposal to use another 42 acres for 12 multipurpose fields, as well as baseball and softball fields.

Critics questioned the cutting of trees to create a new wetland and protested dedicating so much space for fields, suggesting the city invest in amenities for neighborhood parks across the city instead. Plan skeptics also bristled at the way their questions — including how such a large endeavor would be funded — were addressed.

McCarthy is aware of the ongoing concerns, especially on the funding front. She is confident, though, that she can win over critics as they see more of the plans for the park, and see those changes become a reality, and is bullish on her team’s ability to raise another $150 million. The conservancy is still looking for funding opportunities, and McCarthy hopes to be on the path to securing another $20 million by year’s end.

“I think that the William Penn Foundation investment is really a testament to the fact that this is a legitimate vision for how not just this park, but how all of our parks, could eventually be managed right in a way that brings environmental value, social value, and economic value to the city as a whole,” she said.