Design Impact

Design Impact enters hibernation — and with it, the close of a remarkable chapter. Headquartered in Cincinnati, our roots ran deep here — and our reach extended far beyond. For years, we were honored to partner with organizations, practitioners, and communities across the country, all united by a belief that co-design, practiced with humility and care, could help shift the conditions that harm people. To every team member who gave their time, brilliance, and heart to this work: thank you. You were the work. What we built together will outlast any structure. To the organizations, practitioners, and community members — locally and nationally — who trusted us with your visions and your challenges: we are honored to have walked alongside you. You changed us more than we changed anything. As Design Impact enters this resting place, stewardship returns to co-founder Ramsey Ford. We hope the next iteration of his vision rises to meet what the community demands of us all. Thank you, Cincinnati. Thank you to our national partners and co-design community. Thank you for believing that co-design — done well and done together — could change things. Serving Design Impact these past five years has been a true honor. With gratitude and love, Teresa L. Gonzalez   #CoDesign #DesignImpact #Cincinnati #National #Equity #Creativity #Leadership

If you're working on systems change in your community, this free toolkit is worth your time. 26 tools, real case studies, and a framework built through deep collaboration with residents and partners. Kudos to Sarah Strassel Robertson & Daniela Vollmer for all of their work on this critical project. And thank you to Cincinnati Children's for their deep collaboration with residents and community partners! This is what it looks like when we resource communities to lead their own transformation. Check it out and share with your networks! #codesign #SystemsChange #CommunityLedChange #HealthEquity #DesignImpact

Last week, Director of Strategy, Impact, and Design for Liberation, Sarah Strassel 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! 💬 #CoDesign ##CommunityLedResearch #EngagementScholarship #ArtAsHealing #CommunityResearch #ResearchJustice #DesignImpact

Tired of strategic meetings that get hijacked by the latest crisis? Our latest piece, crafted by DI's Sarah Strassel Robertson, 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! 🎉🪩💃). #CoDesign #EquityCentered #StrategicPlanning #CollaborativeChange  #TraumaInformed #DesignImpact

"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://lnkd.in/gvAM7cdE Grappling with a complicated social issue you need help sorting through? Reach out to us at hello@d-impact.org #BlockBridgeBuild #CommunityDesign #SocialChange #Democracy #EquitableDesign #ICYMI

🚨 UPDATE🚨 All items have been claimed 🙌🏽 ——————————————— 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 teresa@d-impact.org! 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

We're proud to celebrate the publication of this powerful piece in Stanford Social Innovation Review! 🎉 At DI, we've been honored to partner on this work that centers community leadership and expertise. The Community Research for Health Equity (CRHE) program exemplifies what's possible when we shift power dynamics in research, moving from extractive approaches to ones that build community capacity and generate solutions rooted in lived experience. 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 AcademyHealth'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 #CommunityLedResearch #HealthEquity #ResearchJustice #CommunityVoices #LivedExperience #CoDesign

🌟 Excited to share highlights from our recent Co-Creation Workshop in Chicago with IFF (CDFI)! 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 🙌🏽 #CoDesign #EquitableDesign #CollaborativeLeadership #SocialInnovation #CommunityEngagement #DesignImpact

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 designimpact2025@gmail.com We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this quickly. Normal communications will resume shortly.