Two of the Sasaki Foundation’s signature initiatives are kicking off their 2024 programs with calls for participants. The foundation’s Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) internship program is seeking high school interns by April 26 and design teaching assistants by March 30. Its Design Grants program is calling for proposals by May 1.
SEED applications
SEED is a six-week paid internship that helps introduce high school students in the Boston area to the world of design. Throughout the summer, students work on group projects, spend time with Sasaki professionals in design charrettes, learn valuable hand sketching and computer drawing skills, and become familiar with collaborative project work, office culture, and design fundamentals. Sasaki recently hired two former SEED participants as full-time designers, a testament to the program’s impact.
Applications for the internship program are due April 26, and can be found here. Positions for SEED teaching assistants, design students who help SEED intern teams comprehend and implement design concepts, are also open. Applications for teaching assistantships are due March 30, and can be found here.
More information about SEED is available here.
2024 Design Grants call for proposals
The Design Grants program funds community experts in the Boston area to create design solutions for challenges in their neighborhoods. For the 2024–2025 cycle, which will run from September to June, the Sasaki Foundation will award up to 3 grants of $15,000 to winning teams addressing the theme “Shared Voices: Charting a Course for Community Action,” with emphasis placed on creative community building, new models for housing, transit and mobility access, health and wellness, and climate adaptation.
Working as a team and with special access to Sasaki designers, grant recipients work towards elements of their designs, based on their needs. Outcomes have included marketing collateral, presentations for city officials, outreach materials for community meetings, and design sketches. 2023 grant winners covered a wide range of topics, including childcare in public housing, local food resilience, and improving open space connectivity in Boston’s Chinatown.
Applications for proposals can be found here, and are due on May 1 at noon. Finalist teams will present their project ideas in person at Pitch Night, a public event on June 6, and winning teams will be announced on June 20. Those interested in applying are welcome to sign up here for a time slot at the Design Grant office hours each Friday in March and April, or attend an in-person or virtual mixer, held April 2 and 3, respectively, to meet potential team members.