Check out our newly released 2020-2021 Design Grants Research Report to learn more about our third cohort’s work, offering innovative solutions to address gender inequities, economic mobility, and displacement, with an ongoing impact in Greater Boston and beyond. The report also highlights updates from our Design Grants alumni along with the latest on the Mobility Innovator, a year-long initiative in 2020, funded by the Barr Foundation and in partnership with Sasaki, that addresses mobility challenges in the Boston region through the lenses of resiliency and equity.

In June 2020, the Sasaki Foundation awarded $45,000 to three research teams, who spent the next ten months advancing and implementing projects that promote equity in design. The team members also met with Sasaki designers who provided design guidance and a deep breadth of knowledge about solutions to the challenges they faced.

The Sasaki Foundation continued to focus on the areas of housing, mobility, climate, and community building, under the theme of Shared Futures: Charting a Course for Action. This theme recognizes that multiple futures are at stake, and we can make a difference by acting now. The projects are already having a significant impact in their respective communities and will remain as open source research with links to the project websites, to help communities that may be tackling similar issues. Metrics highlighting the impact of these projects are included in the report.

Through our research grants, the Sasaki Foundation seeks to harness the power of design thinking to promote equity and empower local communities, tackling global challenges through local action. The Sasaki Foundation plans to launch the next Design Grants call for proposals in early 2022. The program will continue to provide teams with access not only to designers at Sasaki—an award-winning international design firm—but also to the Sasaki Foundation’s broad network of startups, designers and planners, community groups, artists, civic leaders, and entrepreneurs.

For more information about the work of the Sasaki Foundation visit our website and subscribe to our newsletter for upcoming programs and opportunities.