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.

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.
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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.


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.
The Sasaki Foundation kicked off its annual Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program in partnership with American Student Assistance earlier this month. SEED is a six-week paid internship structured holistically around introducing young high school students to the world of design. Through the program, we hope to collectively build a culture of equity in the design field by showing young students alternative career paths to industries they may never have known existed or were available to them.

- Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. $1,000 mini-grants are available for projects that promote healthy eating and/or physical activity in children and adults. Up to 13 projects will be funded. Last year’s winning projects included a bike giveaway event, cooking and gardening activities for children, outdoor adventure activities for youth, and a survey of food pantry clients. See the full list of 2022 Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Mini-Grant Winners.
- Youth Mental Health and Wellness. $2,000 mini-grants are available for projects that promote mental health and wellness in Cambridge youth, with a focus on youth age 12-18. Up to six projects will be funded. Last year’s winning projects included a stress reduction program for middle schoolers, mentoring for middle school camp counselors, and trauma training for adults who work with youth. See full list of 2022 Youth Mental Health Mini-Grant Winners.
The health department launched the healthy eating and physical activity mini-grants in 2011 and the youth mental health mini-grants in 2021.
The mini-grants are competitive. All applications are reviewed by representatives from the Cambridge Public Health Department, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation, and other organizations and groups.
“This is the first year we’re administering these two popular awards programs together,” said Josefine Wendel, who oversees population health initiatives at the Cambridge Public Health Department. “We’re excited about partnering with the Sasaki Foundation and expanding the number of projects we can support due to increased funding.”
The mini-grant program is primarily funded by the Cambridge Public Health Department, with a $5,000 contribution this year from the Hideo Sasaki Foundation, a Boston nonprofit. Starting this year, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation will serve as the fiscal agent for the mini-grant program.
The mini-grant guidelines and application are available on the Cambridge Public Health Department website: www.cambridgepublichealth.org/services/mini-grants
The deadline for submission is Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
To learn more about the mini-grant program, contact Dawn Olcott (+1 617 665 3809) at dolcott@cambridgepublichealth.org or Sarah Lincoln (+1 617 665 3874) at salincoln@cambridgepublichealth.org.
Cambridge Public Health Department
The Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) protects and promotes the health of everyone in Cambridge through services, information, policies, and regulations. Main focus areas are communicable disease prevention and control, emergency preparedness and community resilience, environmental health, epidemiology, population health initiatives, regulatory enforcement, and school health.
The Hideo Sasaki Foundation
The Hideo Sasaki Foundation believes design has the power to address the most urgent challenges facing us, from social equity to environmental resilience. Design is an agent of change. And yet, access to design—for communities who need it the most—is often limited. Making change requires collective impact. At the intersection of philanthropy, education, and community, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation is committed to advancing the value of design, inviting diverse partners to co-create change.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure="1_8,3_4,1_8" _builder_version="4.16" use_background_color_gradient="on" background_image="https://www.sasakifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/previous-post.png" custom_padding="100px||100px|" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="3_4" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="PREVIOUS POST" _builder_version="4.19.2" text_font="|600|||||||" text_font_size="20px" text_letter_spacing="2px" text_line_height="24px" global_colors_info="{}"]PREVIOUS POST
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Previous Post Link" _builder_version="4.20.1" text_font="|700|||||||" text_font_size="40px" text_line_height="48px" custom_margin="50px|||" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]Sasaki Foundation Launches 2023 Call for Proposals
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure="1_8,3_8,3_8,1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="100px||100px|" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="3_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="Twitter" module_class="twitter-heading" _builder_version="4.16" text_font="|600|||||||" text_font_size="20px" text_letter_spacing="2px" text_line_height="24px" global_colors_info="{}"][custom-twitter-feeds][/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Follow Us Link" module_class="follow-us-link-wrapper" _builder_version="4.16" text_font="|700|||||||" text_text_color="#ffffff" text_font_size="20px" text_letter_spacing="5px" text_line_height="27px" global_colors_info="{}"]
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="3_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="E-Newsletter Form" _builder_version="4.16" global_colors_info="{}"][gravityform id="1" title="true" description="true" ajax="true"][/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section] [post_title] => Health Promotion Mini-Grants through Cambridge Public Health Department [post_excerpt] => The Cambridge Public Health Department’s Health Promotion Mini-Grant Program will award up to $25,000 in total funding to projects that promote healthy eating, physical activity, or youth mental health. Eligible groups for mini-grants include community organizations, schools, businesses, garden and farm programs, and government agencies that serve Cambridge. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => health-promotion-mini-grants-through-cambridge-public-health-department [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2023-03-09 17:02:31 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-03-09 22:02:31 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.sasakifoundation.org/?p=235079 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) ) [post_count] => 1 [current_post] => -1 [in_the_loop] => [post] => WP_Post Object ( [ID] => 235079 [post_author] => 2 [post_date] => 2023-03-07 16:00:17 [post_date_gmt] => 2023-03-07 21:00:17 [post_content] => [et_pb_section fb_built="1" module_class="mongo-image" _builder_version="4.20.1" background_image="https://www.sasakifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mini-Grants-Flyer.jpg" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_row column_structure="1_8,3_4,1_8" module_class="mongo-image-with-text" _builder_version="4.16" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="3_4" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="Header small text" module_class="slide-big" _builder_version="4.20.1" global_colors_info="{}"]
March 7, 2023
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Header big text" module_class="slide-white slide-massive-2 " _builder_version="4.20.1" custom_css_main_element="font-size:6vw;||line-height:6.2vw;" global_colors_info="{}"]Health Promotion Mini-Grants through Cambridge Public Health Department
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built="1" admin_label="Board of Trustees" module_class="padding-top-0" _builder_version="4.16" background_image="https://www.sasakifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/blog-background.png" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_row column_structure="1_8,3_4,1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_margin="50px|||" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="3_4" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="Post Date" module_class="post-date" _builder_version="4.20.1" text_font="|600|||||||" text_text_color="#d59999" text_font_size="20px" text_letter_spacing="2px" text_line_height="24px" custom_margin="||20px|" text_font_size_last_edited="off|" global_colors_info="{}"]March 7, 2023
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Post Title" _builder_version="4.20.1" text_font="|700|||||||" text_font_size="40px" text_line_height="48px" custom_margin="||50px|" global_colors_info="{}"]Health Promotion Mini-Grants through Cambridge Public Health Department
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure="1_8,3_4,1_8" _builder_version="4.16" background_size="initial" background_position="top_left" background_repeat="repeat" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="3_4" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="Intro" module_class="bod-bio body-text" _builder_version="4.20.1" global_colors_info="{}"]The Cambridge Public Health Department’s Health Promotion Mini-Grant Program will award up to $25,000 in total funding to projects that promote healthy eating, physical activity, or youth mental health.
Eligible groups for mini-grants include community organizations, schools, businesses, garden and farm programs, and government agencies that serve Cambridge.
A project proposal must address one of the categories below and is only eligible for one type of mini-grant (i.e., healthy eating/physical activity or youth mental health) per funding cycle:
- Healthy Eating and Physical Activity. $1,000 mini-grants are available for projects that promote healthy eating and/or physical activity in children and adults. Up to 13 projects will be funded. Last year’s winning projects included a bike giveaway event, cooking and gardening activities for children, outdoor adventure activities for youth, and a survey of food pantry clients. See the full list of 2022 Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Mini-Grant Winners.
- Youth Mental Health and Wellness. $2,000 mini-grants are available for projects that promote mental health and wellness in Cambridge youth, with a focus on youth age 12-18. Up to six projects will be funded. Last year’s winning projects included a stress reduction program for middle schoolers, mentoring for middle school camp counselors, and trauma training for adults who work with youth. See full list of 2022 Youth Mental Health Mini-Grant Winners.
The health department launched the healthy eating and physical activity mini-grants in 2011 and the youth mental health mini-grants in 2021.
The mini-grants are competitive. All applications are reviewed by representatives from the Cambridge Public Health Department, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation, and other organizations and groups.
“This is the first year we’re administering these two popular awards programs together,” said Josefine Wendel, who oversees population health initiatives at the Cambridge Public Health Department. “We’re excited about partnering with the Sasaki Foundation and expanding the number of projects we can support due to increased funding.”
The mini-grant program is primarily funded by the Cambridge Public Health Department, with a $5,000 contribution this year from the Hideo Sasaki Foundation, a Boston nonprofit. Starting this year, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation will serve as the fiscal agent for the mini-grant program.
The mini-grant guidelines and application are available on the Cambridge Public Health Department website: www.cambridgepublichealth.org/services/mini-grants
The deadline for submission is Tuesday, April 4, 2023.
To learn more about the mini-grant program, contact Dawn Olcott (+1 617 665 3809) at dolcott@cambridgepublichealth.org or Sarah Lincoln (+1 617 665 3874) at salincoln@cambridgepublichealth.org.
Cambridge Public Health Department
The Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD) protects and promotes the health of everyone in Cambridge through services, information, policies, and regulations. Main focus areas are communicable disease prevention and control, emergency preparedness and community resilience, environmental health, epidemiology, population health initiatives, regulatory enforcement, and school health.
The Hideo Sasaki Foundation
The Hideo Sasaki Foundation believes design has the power to address the most urgent challenges facing us, from social equity to environmental resilience. Design is an agent of change. And yet, access to design—for communities who need it the most—is often limited. Making change requires collective impact. At the intersection of philanthropy, education, and community, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation is committed to advancing the value of design, inviting diverse partners to co-create change.
[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure="1_8,3_4,1_8" _builder_version="4.16" use_background_color_gradient="on" background_image="https://www.sasakifoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/previous-post.png" custom_padding="100px||100px|" global_colors_info="{}"][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="3_4" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="PREVIOUS POST" _builder_version="4.19.2" text_font="|600|||||||" text_font_size="20px" text_letter_spacing="2px" text_line_height="24px" global_colors_info="{}"]PREVIOUS POST
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label="Previous Post Link" _builder_version="4.20.1" text_font="|700|||||||" text_font_size="40px" text_line_height="48px" custom_margin="50px|||" hover_enabled="0" global_colors_info="{}" sticky_enabled="0"]Sasaki Foundation Launches 2023 Call for Proposals
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[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="3_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][et_pb_text admin_label="E-Newsletter Form" _builder_version="4.16" global_colors_info="{}"][gravityform id="1" title="true" description="true" ajax="true"][/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type="1_8" _builder_version="4.16" custom_padding="|||" global_colors_info="{}" custom_padding__hover="|||"][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section] [post_title] => Health Promotion Mini-Grants through Cambridge Public Health Department [post_excerpt] => The Cambridge Public Health Department’s Health Promotion Mini-Grant Program will award up to $25,000 in total funding to projects that promote healthy eating, physical activity, or youth mental health. Eligible groups for mini-grants include community organizations, schools, businesses, garden and farm programs, and government agencies that serve Cambridge. [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => open [post_password] => [post_name] => health-promotion-mini-grants-through-cambridge-public-health-department [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2023-03-09 17:02:31 [post_modified_gmt] => 2023-03-09 22:02:31 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => https://www.sasakifoundation.org/?p=235079 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [comment_count] => 0 [current_comment] => -1 [found_posts] => 74 [max_num_pages] => 74 [max_num_comment_pages] => 0 [is_single] => [is_preview] => [is_page] => [is_archive] => [is_date] => [is_year] => [is_month] => [is_day] => [is_time] => [is_author] => [is_category] => [is_tag] => [is_tax] => [is_search] => [is_feed] => [is_comment_feed] => [is_trackback] => [is_home] => 1 [is_privacy_policy] => [is_404] => [is_embed] => [is_paged] => [is_admin] => [is_attachment] => [is_singular] => [is_robots] => [is_favicon] => [is_posts_page] => [is_post_type_archive] => [query_vars_hash:WP_Query:private] => ab71baf585eecfd0ba7b0767e92c6c41 [query_vars_changed:WP_Query:private] => [thumbnails_cached] => [allow_query_attachment_by_filename:protected] => [stopwords:WP_Query:private] => [compat_fields:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => query_vars_hash [1] => query_vars_changed ) [compat_methods:WP_Query:private] => Array ( [0] => init_query_flags [1] => parse_tax_query ) )
The Sasaki Foundation fosters equity and inclusivity by engaging diverse groups and individuals in the design of the environment. We sponsor research and programs that empower communities and strengthen education in design.

Events
2023 Design Grants Mixer
April 6, 2023
Join us for our in-person Design Grants Mixer. This event will foster connections between prospective applicants seeking team members to apply for the Sasaki Foundation Design Grants in response to our 2023 call for proposals.
What we do
The Sasaki Foundation is committed to empowering communities by tackling the issue of inequity in design. The Foundation works with communities, civic leaders, practitioners, educators, and others to support research and programs that diversify the voices involved in shaping the built environment.
1
Research & Experimentation
Complex challenges—such as climate change adaptation, affordable housing, mobility and transit access, and community building—require interdisciplinary approaches by a diverse set of stakeholders.
2
Community Learning & Engagement
Meaningfully engaging the public in the design process offers the greatest opportunity for success in sustaining communities.
3
Professional Practice & Growth
Industries that have a diverse talent pool and an inclusive creative process are the most successful. A thriving design industry needs a pipeline of diverse, talented, and passionate practitioners.

History
In 2000, the Hideo Sasaki Foundation was established by Sasaki, a multidisciplinary design firm, and included a bequest from the family of Hideo Sasaki, an internationally renowned landscape architect who was admired for his teaching, critical abilities, and multidisciplinary approach to design. Today, the Sasaki Foundation carries forward Hideo Sasaki’s legacy by blurring the boundaries that separate practice and research, academia and industry, the profession and the public to co-create change to shape the built environment.
Hideo Sasaki
1970s