By John Nichols, Pre-K–12 Practice Leader, Designing Futures Foundation

In 2008, HMC Architects established its Designing Futures Foundation (DFF) to give back to the communities the firm serves. In its short three year life, the DFF has granted numerous scholarships, sponsored research, funded design competitions, and participated in other philanthropic initiatives.

Thus far, the cornerstone of the DFF has been its perpetual scholarship program, where students pursuing careers in heath care, design, or education are supported through high school and up to five years in a California college/university. The firm arranges mentoring for students in this program as well.

Just this month, we’re proud to announce that the DFF launched The Community Project, an initiative that empowers our staff to create, lead, and complete their own community projects. Staff can propose their project ideas to the DFF board for funding consideration, and if selected, will leverage the DFF’s resources to fulfill the project. The Community Project is intended to promote community volunteerism from HMC staff, address challenges facing communities, and benefit the profession of architecture.

If you’re affiliated with a healthcare, education, or civic institution, and have an idea for a project that fits our program, please reach out to us.

I’m looking forward to seeing the projects that our staff comes up with, and watching their projects take shape and impact the community. We’ll be sharing our Community Projects via the blog, and hope that it inspires others to get involved in their own communities.