Sasaki Foundation

In 2024, 2018 Design Grants alum Charles River Floating Wetland from the Charles River Conservancy (CRC) continued to make waves in ecological innovation and community engagement. In partnership with MIT Sea Grant, CRC installed a solar-powered fish camera on the floating wetland to count and identify the fish in the Charles River, capturing over 1200 hours of footage. The CRC expanded engagement with 38 kayak trips and a riverboat tour to the floating wetland. The CRC also experimented with planting tomatoes on the floating wetland to explore the potential of hydroponic methods as an approach to promoting food justice. And tomorrow the wetland comes out of hibernation and heads back to its typical spot near the Longfellow Bridge! Have an idea to impact your own community? Apply for one of our 2024 Design Grants! Learn more: https://lnkd.in/enDAE6j6

Throughout the semester, we're highlighting each of our Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) interns. Meet Raeanna Gray from Mattapan! Raeanna is designing an outdoor recreation space with a garden to give Mattapan residents access to organic foods and a safe space to gather. Her program highlight so far is that the garden could potentially be sponsored by a nonprofit food organization.

It's not too late! Join the Sasaki Foundation TOMORROW, March 12, for our Is It Racist? Is It Sexist? Workshop. This interactive workshop with Betsy Leondar-Wright, coauthor of the book Is it Racist? Is It Sexist?, will help you unpack your own values and habits in judging ambiguous situations, let you practice tricky conversations about racism, and offer recommendations for more effective antiracism. Lunch provided with free registration. Register today: https://lnkd.in/eBQiz2Zp

The Sasaki Foundation is again partnering with the Cambridge Public Health Department on this year's Health Promotion Mini-Grants. The program will award up to $20,000 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. Learn more and register for one of this week's live info sessions: https://lnkd.in/eSFgnFTe

Happy International Women's Day to all the women in our lives, and especially to our trustees and full-time staff who identify as women!

Thank you to our partners at the Boston Children's Museum for hosting a wonderful site visit for our Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) interns. Designers and educators Joel Reider, Robin Meisner, and Savannah M. showed students the thought and intention that goes into designing spaces that encourage play and learning. DESI interns also got to share their feedback and give suggestions on redesigning the Construction Zone exhibit to make it feel more welcome to kids of all ages and genders and their parents.

Join the Sasaki Foundation next week on March 12 for our Is It Racist? Is It Sexist? Workshop. This interactive workshop with Betsy Leondar-Wright, coauthor of the book Is it Racist? Is It Sexist?, will help you unpack your own values and habits in judging ambiguous situations, let you practice tricky conversations about racism, and offer recommendations for more effective antiracism. Lunch provided with free registration. Register today: https://lnkd.in/eBQiz2Zp

Throughout the semester, we're highlighting each of our Designing Environmental and Social Impact (DESI) interns. Meet Ariyana Isabella Velasquez from Brighton! Ariyana is designing the rear of 100 Holton as an inviting communal space. Her program highlight so far is "being able to get insight from people from different fields and getting their insight."

Interested in applying for the 2025 Design Grants but don't know where to start? If you've checked out the overview video and FAQs but still have questions, sign up for a slot at our office hours, Fridays in March and April! And if you're looking for team members, don't miss our Design Grants Mixers, online on April 1 and in person on April 2. Register today: https://lnkd.in/eGGYJxac

Don't miss your chance to sponsor the Sasaki Foundation's Design Grants Pitch Night and support equity in design! Our Design Grants program funds community experts to create design solutions for challenges in their neighborhoods. Pitch Night, a public event showcasing the finalists, is only three months away. As Pitch Night sponsor,?you'll gain publicity around the event and throughout the year and have opportunities to engage with the winning teams. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ecpQW3ws