The power of design belongs to all of us. This is the mantra of the Hideo Sasaki Foundation and a sentence I say over and over again in our work. We are honored to walk this walk every day. Thank you for joining us on our mission towards building a more equitable design industry. Together we have accomplished so much, and we still have lots of work to do!

Our fifth cohort of Design Grants teams wrapped up their projects in June 2024, positively impacting the communities of Chinatown, East Boston, Roxbury, South Boston, and Revere. And our sixth cohort, which will complete their projects in June 2025, is already doing incredible work. Accessible community engagement tools for planning processes. Spatial analyses to support equitable and community-led development. Youth-created home gardening toolkits. They are truly designing with and within the community. We also continued our partnership with the Cambridge Public Health Department on the Health Promotion Mini Grants, which in 2024 funded 15 community organizations working towards a healthier Cambridge.

Through the lens of community learning, our 2024 events sparked conversations around hosting meaningful internships, spatial justice in practice in Boston neighborhoods, the power of women in the design industry, and the role of design education in building a more representative industry. These programs brought more than 1,350 people together from Greater Boston and, thanks to virtual platforms, around the country.

Reflecting on design education, some of the most powerful work we do is creating space for young people to explore careers in design. Our Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) internship maintained 2023’s growth with 58 high school and college interns. We created the Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) after-school employment program, launching with 14 high school and college interns. We are grateful for the meaningful experiences, volunteer design professionals, and support we receive from state and local funders.

Looking forward, we remain focused on issues of equity in shaping our communities, despite various efforts to dismantle this important work. We continue to engage communities equitably, to expand the pipeline so our workforce represents the communities we serve, to build a strong network of connected and empathetic practitioners, and to amplify community voices. The Hideo Sasaki Foundation is well-positioned to grow through our next strategic plan, which launches in 2025. We are hopeful for the future of this work and honored you would come along the journey with us.

Read more in our 2024 Annual Report, and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date in 2025.