Design Impact

Design Impact enters hibernation. 🌿

Rooted in Cincinnati, with partners and communities across the country — this organization was built on the belief that co-design, practiced with care and in genuine partnership, could help change things. We still believe that.

We want to say this clearly and from the heart: thank you.

Though we were headquartered in Cincinnati, the relationships and partnerships that shaped this organization stretched across the country. To every team member, local neighbor, and national collaborator who poured themselves into this work — you were always the reason this organization existed.

As we close, we are passing stewardship of Design Impact back to co-founder Ramsey Ford. We hope that the future iteration of this vision meets the needs of the community — and continues to grow toward what the work has always called for.

With gratitude and love,
Design Impact

Last week, Director of Strategy, Impact, and Design for Liberation, Sarah Robertson, joined an incredible panel at the Engagement Scholarship Consortium conference, where the conversation went deep on what it really means to center communities in research. We're grateful to our partners at Oklahoma State University and AcademyHealth for this vital conversation.

Some powerful insights from the day:

▪️ Shared interest is the greatest enabler of collective change

▪️ It's not enough to anticipate what's needed; we need to be ready to get out of the way and shift full creative control to communities

▪️ Art is healing, and a valid research method

▪️ Budgets are moral documents

▪️ When communities own research, we build the fabric for stronger communities while organizing ourselves around the needed changes to the system

And this compelling insight: "Just because it's soft doesn't mean it's not powerful; a feather falls lightly but lands heavy."

Want to talk more about art as healing and building capacity for community-led research? Reach out, we'd love to connect! 💬

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Our latest piece explores what happens when you blend creative problem-solving and co-design to move from survival mode to strategic action 📝, complete with three design moves that actually work (including impromptu dance parties! 🎉🪩💃).

Check out the article on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/design-impact_codesign-equitycentered-strategicplanning-activity-7376601328560631808-jEqE?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAAH2mRABH2i7gVt34Y6pN3MdmkvGxrYrS98

Dr. Curtis recently traveled to Pittsburgh to talk about using co-design as an approach for community-led research with our partners at AcademyHealth.

Designing a program is a whole lot easier (and more fun!) when you bring friends along!

We are in Oak Brook, IL, co-desiging a program framework, bringing together experts from across disciplines and regions to build a content framework.

"We are living through a period of upheaval. In this world of uncertainty, one thing is clear: The need for coordinated, collective action is urgent."

At Design Impact, we see this in our work by bridging differences through inclusive design processes that bring diverse voices together, and co-creating the equitable futures our communities deserve.

The Block-Bridge-Build framework offers a powerful lens for how we can approach community-centered design and social change.

This article reminds us that transformation isn't just about opposing what's wrong; it's about creating authentic relationships across difference and co-designing solutions that center justice.

Worth the read for anyone working at the intersection of design, democracy, and social change.

Read more: https://nonprofitquarterly.org/block-bridge-and-build-a-framework-to-forge-a-more-democratic-future/

Grappling with a complicated social issue you need help sorting through? Reach out to us at [email protected]

Block, Bridge, and Build: A Framework to Forge a More Democratic Future - Non Profit News | Nonprofit Quarterly Amid rising authoritarianism, people in US-based movements need to work together in new ways. Here are some diverse approaches to help guide collective action.

This resource from the Annie E. Casey Foundation outlines five levels of youth engagement, from consultation to fully youth-led work, that can transform how we approach community-centered design. At DI, we know that meaningful partnership with today's youth isn't just about inclusion; it's about building more effective, sustainable solutions together.

Check out: https://www.aecf.org/blog/strategies-for-youth-engagement?gad_source=1&gad_campaign[…]YeUavJp4v1LnOSvKXQwdUIR3Rzg_6Fn7MoEtQYAD4EjZ86GthoCYJsQAvD_BwE to learn more!

🚨 UPDATE🚨

All items have been claimed 🙌🏽
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Turns out you don't need office chairs when your office is everywhere! 🪑✨

We're giving away chairs and whiteboards to good offices or homes, since we've fully embraced the remote life. ✨FREE✨ to anyone who wants them: just hit up [email protected]!

First come, first serve (but you do have to come pick them up in Cincinnati at 1628 Hoffner St. 😉)"

What's up for grabs?:
1 - 10 x 4 ft whiteboard
1 - 4 x 6 ft whiteboard
2 - 4 x 6 "rolling" whiteboards
10 red rolling office chairs

🚨 Publication alert! 🚨

Our work designing and facilitating the Community Research for Health Equity (CRHE) cohort is featured in Stanford Social Innovation Review

Congrats to our project partners at RWJFoundation and AcademyHealth on a powerful article, “Let Communities Lead Research.”

This article offers vital insights for how philanthropy can evolve to truly support community-driven research by removing barriers, rethinking traditional grantmaking, and trusting communities to define their own research priorities and solutions.

Shouts out to Academy Health’s CRHE collaborative team, DI’s Curtis Webb, PhD & Sarah Strassel Robertson, RWJF, and especially the community organizations leading this vital research. This is what equitable research looks like. 👏🏽 👏 👏🏾

Read the whole piece to learn more about how we can transform research to serve justice and community empowerment: https://bit.ly/4lutsv3

Let Communities Lead Research (SSIR) Funders who care about justice should enable communities to lead their own research projects. | Open access to this article made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

🌟 Excited to share highlights from our recent Co-Creation Workshop in Chicago with IFF!

We explored how to move beyond traditional top-down processes toward truly collaborative problem-solving that centers equity and shared power.

Key takeaways:

✨ Co-design isn’t just coordination, it’s about creating conditions where everyone can shape outcomes

✨ Building trust quickly through transparency and naming what we bring/need

✨ Asking open-ended questions rooted in curiosity rather than assumptions

✨ Using structured decision-making to navigate power dynamics and avoid consensus swirl


The energy in the room was incredible as teams practiced the full co-design process, learning to ensure that all voices are heard and valued.


When we design processes that honor multiple perspectives and distribute leadership, we create solutions that truly serve the communities we’re working with.

Bonus: co-facilitators Desiré Bennett + Sarah Robertson enjoyed perfect weather, dining al fresco during their time in the Windy City 🙌🏽

Service Restored - Design Impact is Back!

We apologize for the technical disruption, inconvenience, and any delays this may have caused to our communications and response times this week.

Please resume regular contact with our existing d-impact.org email address.

If you sent us an email during the interruption, please know that we may not have received it. We kindly ask that you resend any emails from this period to our respective email addresses to ensure we respond promptly to your inquiry.

We appreciate your patience and partnership.

The Design Impact Team

We’re currently experiencing technical difficulties with our email and calendar system and expect to restore full service within 24-48 hours.

If you need to reach us urgently during this time, please contact us via this platform or contact us through our backup email at [email protected]

We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this quickly. Normal communications will resume shortly.