February 20, 2023
Sasaki Foundation Launches 2023 Call for Proposals
Anna Scherling
Today, the Sasaki Foundation announces our 2023 Design Grants call for proposals. The Design Grants are an annual program seeking interdisciplinary, creative approaches to test new design concepts in communities in Greater Boston, the Gateway Cities, and Metro West. Since 2018, the Sasaki Foundation has received 72 applications representing more than 85 communities, and has awarded $218,500 through the program. Read more about our most recent grant winners here.
The 2023 call is under the 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 actionable 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 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.
Groundwork Somerville in partnership with Sasaki
See You in the Future graphic
image courtesy See You in the Future
We will award $15,000 Action Grants, $7,500 Discovery Grants, and $2,500 Exploration Grants, with a total of up to $50,000 available. Grants include engagement with the Sasaki Foundation and access to design expertise from professionals at Sasaki, a world-renowned design firm. Proposals must have a community focus located in Greater Boston, the Massachusetts Gateway Cities, or Metro West. Interdisciplinary teams must be between two to four people and must include at least one representative from the proposal’s focus community.
If you have ideas on how to foster community building and wellbeing or how to tackle housing or transit inequities, displacement of residents, or climate adaptation, we encourage you to apply for one of our design grants, and to share this opportunity with your networks.
Have an idea but feel overwhelmed by the application? We’re here to help! Attend one of the virtual office hours in March or April, the Design Grants Open House at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 9, or the Design Grants Mixer at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 6.