Call for Proposals
Our Design Grants fund community experts to create design solutions for challenges in their neighborhoods. We are reimagining the Design Grants program and will issue a new call for proposals at a later date. During this pause, please continue reading to learn more about our selection process and the types of projects we have funded in the past. You can also view recordings of our Pitch Nights. (Finalists pitch their project ideas to a jury at Pitch Night, a public event.) Stay tuned!
2025 Theme:
Shared Voices: Charting a Course for Community Action
The challenges in addressing environmental resilience, displacement, affordable housing, access to mobility choices, meaningful public engagement, and other social equity considerations in planning and design are so broad and complex, they require a shared approach to facilitate all the necessary conversations and deliver solutions. Most of these challenges faced by Massachusetts communities are not limited to local neighborhoods—their effects are felt and shared across the Commonwealth and beyond. Multiple futures are at stake, and we can make a difference by acting now.
The Hideo Sasaki Foundation recognizes the need for interdisciplinary approaches, diverse community voices, and regional cooperation as key drivers to find shared solutions and create shared impact. Types of projects the foundation will fund: groundbreaking community programs, art installations, innovative prototypes, neighborhood dialogues, advocacy campaigns, place-based interventions, community design processes, data collection and analysis, digital tools.
Timeline
- Call for Proposals issued February 2025
- Deadline to submit applications April 24, 2025 (noon)
- Finalists announced May 13, 2025
- Pitch Night for finalists, open to the public May 29, 2025
- Design Grants winners announced June 18, 2025
- Grant period begins September 2025
- Grant period ends June 2026
Jury
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Timothy Gale
Jury Chair | Sasaki and Hideo Sasaki Foundation
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Eudad Gonzalez
Turner Construction Company
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Nigel Jacob
New Urban Mechanics Labs
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Liz Luc Clowes
Boston Food Forest Coalition
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Julia Wallerce
Metropolitan Area Planning Council
FAQs
Design Grants Guidelines
Who can apply?
The Design Grants fund teams of two to four people to create design solutions for challenges in their neighborhoods. The only team member requirement is including a community representative. Past teams have included designers, artists, community leaders, nonprofit organizations, activists, community organizers, data scientists, urban planners, neighborhood experts, creatives, students, municipal staff, and more. (Note, teams must partner with a public charity to serve as fiscal agent. The public charity is not required to be part of the project team.)
What are design solutions?
We are looking for projects and strategies that address the needs of the community and will benefit from time with design experts. Design to us is a broad idea. At its core, it’s a creative process that is about imagining new ideas. Design often results in a tangible, physical outcome in a community, like an installation or physical prototype. Design can also lead to a community program, communications campaign, or other non-physical product. If your project will shape and influence the built environment, it is a design solution.
Do the proposed projects need to be new or can they build upon existing work?
We are open to both existing and new projects. However, you must plan to complete the work outlined in your proposal during the grant period (September 2025-June 2026).
Can our project be part of a larger ongoing process?
Yes, if you can complete the work outlined in your proposal during the grant period. Your application should explain how the grant-supported work will result in independent and measurable outcomes.
Support and Feedback
Do you provide support to develop an idea into a proposal that meets the criteria?
We are hosting weekly office hours and can answer questions sent to info@sasakifoundation.org. You can also download a Word document, available in the online application, to think through your answers offline. That said, we are not able to directly help with grant writing. We are a small staff with limited capacity, and we want to ensure all teams have equal access and opportunity. We welcome feedback on what you would find helpful in the application process. If we see a pattern we can provide more centralized resources.
Grant Funding and Benefits
What kind of support can we expect from Sasaki designers if we win?
As a winning team you will lead your project. We recruit volunteer designers to supplement your work through design sessions. These sessions stimulate discussion, generate ideas, and lead to draft concepts. We also host monthly lunch and learns, with designers leading conversations on topics relevant to the cohort. Sasaki does not provide pro bono design services for Design Grants winners. You will not receive construction documents or engineered designs.
Are the grant funds restricted?
No. However, you must include a high-level budget in your application to demonstrate your project’s feasibility. Keep in mind grant funding is intended to give your team capacity to move your project towards implementation. Design Grants are not intended to provide operational or capital funding.
Application Details
What is the application process?
Teams submit applications by April 24, 2025. The Sasaki Foundation Board of Trustees and Design Grants jury evaluate the proposals based on the criteria listed in the call for proposals. Selected finalists present their ideas in person at Pitch Night, a public event on May 29, 2025. After Pitch Night, the board and jury reassemble to select grant winners.
Can we submit our proposal before the deadline?
Yes, you can submit your proposal any time before noon on April 24, 2025. We recommend submitting as soon as you are ready to avoid any last minute technical issues.
