February 10, 2023

Shemar Stewart first joined the Sasaki Foundation’s Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program as an intern in 2018, and has served as a teaching assistant every summer since. The SEED program inspired him to switch his major to architecture, and he has used his experience to guide more students through the program. Shemar just graduated from UMass Amherst and is now starting a year-long internship at Sasaki. Estefany Benitez, Sasaki Foundation Program Manager, recently sat down with him to talk about his SEED experiences and career path so far.

August 30, 2022

This summer, the Sasaki Foundation hosted our fifth annual Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program. SEED is a six-week paid internship for high school students from the Boston area. With the help of teaching assistants, Sasaki design mentors, and partner organizations, the students learn about careers in the design field and develop their own projects.

e-Newsletter

Stay updated with the latest stories, news, and events.

January 18, 2022

Although 2021 was a year of remote work and staff transitions, the Sasaki Foundation continued our impact through active community-based research, public programming, and design education. We’re proud of the work we and our partners accomplished this past year.

September 21, 2021

This summer, the Sasaki Foundation hosted our fourth annual Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program. SEED is a six-week paid internship for high school students from the Boston area. With the help of teaching assistants and Sasaki design mentors, the students learn about careers in the design field and develop their own tactical urbanism project.

February 11, 2021

In 2020, the Sasaki Foundation celebrated our 20th anniversary. While the year brought many unexpected challenges, the COVID-19 pandemic and the summer of racial reckoning highlighted the importance of our work in harnessing the power of design thinking to promote equity and empower local communities. Thanks to generous donors, thoughtful partners, and engaged research teams, we were able to adapt, deliver on our mission, and celebrate impact in the communities we serve.

August 27, 2020

This summer, the Sasaki Foundation held the third annual Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program, a six-week paid internship for students from Greater Boston high schools that is structured holistically around introducing young students to the world of design. The program is an intensive deep dive into collaborative project work, with Sasaki designers leading workshops and lessons with students each week. Due to COVID-19, the program took place virtually, incorporating a few in-person site visits.

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March 24, 2026

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Hideo Sasaki Foundation Launches Search for Next Executive Director

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March 24, 2026

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Hideo Sasaki Foundation Launches Search for Next Executive Director

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The Hideo Sasaki Foundation Board of Trustees would like to share an update with our community as the Hideo Sasaki Foundation looks towards its next chapter.

After four years of leadership, Jennifer Lawrence has departed from her role as Executive Director. During a period marked by the challenges and disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jen played an important role in advancing the foundation’s strategic pillars of research, public programming, and design education. Her leadership helped expand educational and employment opportunities for youth and young adults, strengthened partnerships with municipalities and community organizations, and elevated key public programs such as the Celebration of Design and initiatives inspired by the legacy of Hideo Sasaki. She also supported the development of a talented team that will continue to drive the foundation's mission forward.

Jen’s contributions have shaped the foundation’s trajectory, reinforced program collaborations, and positioned the organization for its next phase of transformation. We thank her for her service and wish her the very best in her future endeavors.

At this time, the Board of Trustees is launching a search for the Hideo Sasaki Foundation's next Executive Director. This transition presents an exciting opportunity to continue strengthening the foundation’s programs, partnerships, and impact while advancing our mission to support design education, research, and public engagement.

The Board of Trustees will lead the search process, with support from staff to provide perspective and input at key points. The board anticipates the search will take place over the coming months. The position will remain open through April, and semi-finalist and finalist interviews will take place in late April and May, with the goal of welcoming a new Executive Director by June 2026. Timing may evolve as the process continues.

We encourage you to share this opportunity with leaders who reflect the breadth and diversity of the field.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we embark on this exciting next chapter together.

 

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A message from Jennifer Lawrence

Serving as Executive Director of the Hideo Sasaki Foundation for the past four years has been a profound honor. What makes this organization truly special is not any single program or initiative, but the extraordinary community that surrounds it. Staff, grantees, partners, educators, students, and designers all believe deeply in the power of design to shape more just, resilient, and inclusive places.

I had the privilege of working alongside an exceptionally skilled and thoughtful staff whose care, creativity, and commitment bring the foundation’s mission to life every day. Together, we supported Design Grants that challenged assumptions and expanded possibility, public programs that fostered dialogue and connection, and design education efforts that invested in the next generation of thinkers and practitioners. These efforts reflect a shared belief that design is not just about form, but about people.

I learned endlessly from the grantees, partners, and students I worked with, through their curiosity, rigor, generosity, and willingness to imagine new futures. Their work affirmed, again and again, that the foundation’s greatest strength lies in its community and the relationships that sustain it.

It has been a privilege to serve this ecosystem and to contribute, in some small way, to the ongoing legacy of Hideo Sasaki’s vision.

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Hideo Sasaki Foundation Releases 2025 Design Education Snapshot

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March 24, 2026

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Hideo Sasaki Foundation Launches Search for Next Executive Director

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March 24, 2026

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Hideo Sasaki Foundation Launches Search for Next Executive Director

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The Hideo Sasaki Foundation Board of Trustees would like to share an update with our community as the Hideo Sasaki Foundation looks towards its next chapter.

After four years of leadership, Jennifer Lawrence has departed from her role as Executive Director. During a period marked by the challenges and disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic, Jen played an important role in advancing the foundation’s strategic pillars of research, public programming, and design education. Her leadership helped expand educational and employment opportunities for youth and young adults, strengthened partnerships with municipalities and community organizations, and elevated key public programs such as the Celebration of Design and initiatives inspired by the legacy of Hideo Sasaki. She also supported the development of a talented team that will continue to drive the foundation's mission forward.

Jen’s contributions have shaped the foundation’s trajectory, reinforced program collaborations, and positioned the organization for its next phase of transformation. We thank her for her service and wish her the very best in her future endeavors.

At this time, the Board of Trustees is launching a search for the Hideo Sasaki Foundation's next Executive Director. This transition presents an exciting opportunity to continue strengthening the foundation’s programs, partnerships, and impact while advancing our mission to support design education, research, and public engagement.

The Board of Trustees will lead the search process, with support from staff to provide perspective and input at key points. The board anticipates the search will take place over the coming months. The position will remain open through April, and semi-finalist and finalist interviews will take place in late April and May, with the goal of welcoming a new Executive Director by June 2026. Timing may evolve as the process continues.

We encourage you to share this opportunity with leaders who reflect the breadth and diversity of the field.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we embark on this exciting next chapter together.

 

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A message from Jennifer Lawrence

Serving as Executive Director of the Hideo Sasaki Foundation for the past four years has been a profound honor. What makes this organization truly special is not any single program or initiative, but the extraordinary community that surrounds it. Staff, grantees, partners, educators, students, and designers all believe deeply in the power of design to shape more just, resilient, and inclusive places.

I had the privilege of working alongside an exceptionally skilled and thoughtful staff whose care, creativity, and commitment bring the foundation’s mission to life every day. Together, we supported Design Grants that challenged assumptions and expanded possibility, public programs that fostered dialogue and connection, and design education efforts that invested in the next generation of thinkers and practitioners. These efforts reflect a shared belief that design is not just about form, but about people.

I learned endlessly from the grantees, partners, and students I worked with, through their curiosity, rigor, generosity, and willingness to imagine new futures. Their work affirmed, again and again, that the foundation’s greatest strength lies in its community and the relationships that sustain it.

It has been a privilege to serve this ecosystem and to contribute, in some small way, to the ongoing legacy of Hideo Sasaki’s vision.

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Hideo Sasaki Foundation Releases 2025 Design Education Snapshot

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the power of design
belongs to all of us
2019 SEED high school internship
Incubator at Sasaki | Watertown, Massachusetts
the power of design
belongs to all of us
Team at the Incubator at Sasaki
Watertown, Massachusetts
the power of design
belongs to all of us
Team at the Incubator at Sasaki
Watertown, Massachusetts
the power of design
belongs to all of us
Patron touching art in the Please Touch the Art exhibit
Mosesian Center for the Arts | Watertown, Massachusetts | photo courtesy Matt Jatkola

The Hideo Sasaki Foundation works to advance equity in the design of the environment. We sponsor research and programs that empower communities and strengthen education in design.

Poster for A Celebration of Design: The Eras Tour, featuring 9 photos of Hideo Sasaki with bright color overlays, and a larger image of Hideo Sasaki in the middle

Events

Climate Action for Busy People

May 7, 2026

Join us on Thursday, May 7, for a conversation with author Cate Mingoya-LaFortune. Cate will sit down for a conversation about her book with Sasaki’s Director of Sustainability, Tamar Warburg, AIA, LEED AP BD+C. Climate Action for Busy People is a hopeful and realistic roadmap for individuals and groups who want to boost climate preparedness and move the needle towards environmental justice. Their conversation will explore what we all can do to move towards more resilient futures.

What we do

Our values build on more than six decades of work by Hideo Sasaki, focusing on the following priority areas.

1

Research & Grants

Large-scale, complex challenges require cross-disciplinary thinking. That’s why we convene experts and innovators from all backgrounds. Our research and grants bring issues of inequity in design to the forefront.

2

Community Learning

Informed and engaged residents are central ingredients of a successful community. That’s why we host public programs that amplify a diversity of voices and address socially relevant topics as we work toward systemic change.

3

Design Education

A thriving design industry relies on a pipeline of diverse, talented, and passionate practitioners who infuse new ideas and disrupt established patterns. That’s why we provide youth with opportunities to discover and explore careers in design.

History

The Hideo Sasaki Foundation is named after Hideo Sasaki, a Japanese American landscape architect who came of age in WWII. Hideo was a pioneer of modern design, a leader, and an educator. He articulated—and proved—the value of interdisciplinary design while breaking down the traditional barriers between practice and teaching.

The Hideo Sasaki Foundation was established by Sasaki, a multidisciplinary design firm founded by Hideo, with support from Hideo’s family and friends. Continuing Hideo’s legacy, we sit at the intersection of research, practice, education, and community-driven processes. We advance equity in design, inviting diverse partners to co-create change.

 

Hideo Sasaki

1970s