Our Non-Profit Partners
AIGA advances design as a professional craft, strategic advantage and vital cultural force. As the largest community of design advocates, we bring together practitioners, enthusiasts, and patrons to amplify the voice of design and create the vision for a collective future. We define global standards and ethical practices, guide design education, enhance professional development, and make powerful tools and resources accessible to all.
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is a community of people —designers, industry representatives, educators and students — committed to interior design. Through education, knowledge sharing, advocacy, community building and outreach, the Society strives to advance the interior design profession and, in the process, to demonstrate and celebrate the power of design to positively change people's lives. Its more than 30,000 members engage in a variety of professional programs and activities through a network of 48 chapters throughout the United States and Canada.
Artisan’s Asylum is a singular environment for making. We are a 52,000 SF fabrication wonderland where imagination comes alive. We foster the conditions for freedom of thought, collaboration and agency necessary for anyone to build the things they’re passionate about. Artisan's provides nearly 1200 members with access to 160 personal studios, 15 shared workshops, and open spaces for collaboration. We are open to makers, hobbyist and creative individuals eager to pursue their passion and connect with like-minded individuals. Our brand new facility in Allston/Brighton is available and accessible to anyone in our community who has a desire to learn, make and teach.
Artists For Humanity is a powerhouse of art and design, harnessing the power of mentorship and paid professional experiences to inspire teens to build their future. AFH offers creative solutions, transforms spaces, and builds social equity in collaboration with the business community and in public art. With studios in Boston and NYC, AFH teens sit at the table with industry professionals where their opinions are valued. In collaboration with professional studio mentors, teens bring fresh eyes to the creative process. 400+ teens are employed to design, build, animate, code, photograph, film, paint, and experiment with diverse materials and media to create compelling solutions in response to our clients’ needs. By hiring AFH, our partners bring the future into their business. They contribute to economic vitality and thriving local communities—creating new networks and advancing efforts to build a more equitable world.
The BAC provides excellence in design education emerging from practice and accessible to diverse communities. We are the largest independent college of spatial design in New England. Architecture and design is all we do, so the people who come to study, teach, and work here are crazy about design. All of our professional degrees are accredited so you can earn your architectural licensure or interior design certification after graduation.
The Boston Preservation Alliance is an independent, nonprofit organization that brings people and organizations together to influence the future of Boston’s historic buildings, landscapes, and communities. We envision Boston as a continually vibrant, world-class city that respects, protects and celebrates its historic resources for the valuable contributions they make and one that prioritizes harmony and enduring quality in new development. Through advocacy and education we guide thoughtful change that simultaneously stewards the historic character that defines our city.
The Boston Society of Landscape Architects is the Massachusetts and Maine chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and the first local chapter of ASLA. From Portland to Provincetown, the Berkshires to Bar Harbor, New Bedford to Boston, BSLA connects, convenes, and celebrates landscape architects and the greater design community, as we strive to support landscape architects in every stage of career, and advance the creation of extraordinary environments throughout the region and the world.
BSA Space, Boston’s leading cultural institution for architecture and design, is home to the Boston Society of Architects/AIA (BSA) and the BSA Foundation. The BSA is one of the oldest chapters of the American Institute of Architects. The BSA Foundation, a charitable organization, supports activities that illuminate the ways that design improves the quality of our lives. All exhibitions at BSA Space are supported by the BSA Foundation. BSA Space is open weekdays 9:00 am–5:00 pm. Admission is free and open to the public. For more information visit architects.org/bsaspace
cultureNOW has been creating a virtual museum of the world outside for the past 20 years. The digital collection consists of the built environment (architecture) with cultural insertions (public art) overlaid through time (history) with the people who had impact (both current and historical figures) and their events and stories. The database links more than 17,000 sites, 50,000 images, 2500 original podcasts and videos and 52 self guided tours. The app and website won an NYC Big Apps 2.0 Award in 2011 and the AIA National Collaborative Achievement Award in 2012. The new version has many new features including historical maps and photos pinned to google maps, image recognition, playlists, calendars, and user accounts allowing people to save sites and make their own tours.
Established in 1950, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is the largest park of its kind in New England encompassing 30 acres, 20 miles west of Boston. In 2009, deCordova changed its name from deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park to deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum to emphasize its renewed focus on sculpture and to support the institution’s goal of becoming a premier Sculpture Park by 2020. Providing a constantly changing landscape of large-scale, outdoor, modern and contemporary sculpture and site-specific installations, the Sculpture Park hosts more than 60 works, the majority of which are on loan to the Museum. Inside, the Museum features a robust slate of rotating exhibitions and innovative interpretive programming. deCordova joined The Trustees in July of 2019.
Design Museum Everywhere is a public, nonprofit museum. Our mission is to educate the world on the role of design in our lives and to unite the community in ways that enrich our collective work, make businesses more competitive, and solve real-world problems more creatively. After all, design has the power to make our everyday lives more comfortable, more efficient, more exciting, more rewarding, more… better. We are inspired by revolutionary design: the fruitful result of thoughtful problem solving and a willingness to break with tradition. This is why our museum has no permanent address. Design Museum Boston is a decentralized network of physical and virtual exhibits. Whether in a gallery, retail environment, public space, or on the web, our programming gives audiences new insights into the design process and the greater social, economic, and environmental contexts that both affect and are affected by design.
Established in 1968, the Designers Lighting Forum of New England is a non-profit
organization dedicated to lighting education in an informal setting.We inform the Design Community about the newest lighting technologies and cutting-edge
lighting applications through professionally-led seminars and site visits to actual installations. As one of the most diverse organizations in the Northeast, we offer networking opportunities with other lighting designers, architects, interior designers, engineers, consultants, manufacturers representatives, educators, students, and anyone with an interest in or love for lighting.
The Eliot School inspires lifelong learning in craftsmanship and creativity for all. We offer classes and workshops at our Jamaica Plain schoolhouse in woodworking, sewing and fiber arts, painting, drawing, photography and other crafts. Our School Partnership Program sends our faculty to teach children throughout Boston in schools, libraries, housing developments and community centers.
The Esplanade Association works to revitalize and enhance the Charles River Esplanade, sustain its natural green space, and build community in the park by providing educational, cultural, and recreational programs for everyone. Working in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Esplanade Association is dedicated to improving the experiences of the millions of visitors who enjoy Boston’s iconic riverside park. We achieve this through ecological restoration & stewardship, community engagement & education, advocacy, and investment. Our vision is a thriving, safe, and accessible park where people come together to share, explore, and enjoy nature and community.
Founded in 1977, The Fenway Alliance is a membership service and advocacy organization dedicated to the prosperity and growth of the Fenway Cultural District. Members of The Fenway Alliance, a 501(C) 3 not-for-profit organization, are a consortium of twenty-one major cultural, arts and academic institutions located in The Fenway Cultural District. Between 1997 and 2011, these twenty-one member institutions expended over $1 billion dollars in the Boston metropolitan area on capital projects. These institutions, with a combined budget of over $1.5 billion, bring more than 3.9 million visitors to the Fenway Cultural District each year, employ over 20,000 people, and educate and support more than 50,000 students. These institutions also engage in myriad ways of promoting neighborhood revitalization, community development and providing links to higher education and arts and culture for under-served neighborhood youth and families.
The Fort Point Arts Community builds cultural vibrancy in Boston by cultivating an empowered community of artists, organizations, and supporters. FPAC promotes the work of our artists to a broad and diverse audience, advocates for art opportunities, develops permanent, affordable live-work studio space and ensures that art is an essential part of the life of a creative city. Fort Point artists generate art all year round, hold Open Studios events, advocate for the development and preservation of permanent artist live-work studio space, organize art lending, curate galleries, enable temporary public art, and actively participate in decisions that affect our neighborhood. We encourage new ideas, collaboration, connections, and economic growth. Learn more about FPAC at fortpointarts.org.
Fuller Craft Museum offers expansive opportunities to discover the world of contemporary craft. By exploring the leading edge of craft through exhibitions, collections, education, and public programs, we challenge perceptions and build appreciation of the material world. Our purpose is to inspire, stimulate, and enrich an ever expanding community.
The Harvard Art Museums—the Fogg Museum, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum—advance knowledge about and appreciation of art and art museums. The museums are committed to preserving, documenting, presenting, interpreting, and strengthening the collections and resources in their care. The Harvard Art Museums bring to light the intrinsic power of art and promote critical looking and thinking for students, faculty, and the public. Through research, teaching, professional training, and public education, the museums encourage close study of original works of art, enhance access to the collections, support the production of original scholarship, and foster university-wide collaboration across disciplines.
The International Furnishings and Design Association (IFDA) is the only all-industry association whose members provide services and products to the furnishings and design industry. IFDA is the driving force, through its programs and services, to enhance the professionalism and stature of the industry worldwide. As the “voice” of the total furnishings and design industry, IFDA provides its members with the tools and resources to enhance their businesses. Aggressive advocacy promotes the advantages of working with an IFDA professional. IFDA welcomes members from every facet of the furnishings and design industry. Members are executives and companies professionally engaged in the design, production, distribution, promotion, communication or education in the furnishings and design and/or related industries.
The Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD), founded in Boston in 1978 as Adaptive Environments, is an international non-governmental educational organization (NGO) committed to advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and enhancing experience for people of all ages and abilities through excellence in design. IHCD’s work balances expertise in legally required accessibility with promotion of best practices in human-centered or universal design.
The Institute of Classical Architecture & Art is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the classical tradition in architecture, urbanism and their allied arts. It does so through education, publication, and advocacy. The Institute is headquartered in New York City with regional chapters across the United States. It offers a wide array of programs that are designed to promote the appreciation and practice of classical and traditional design, including classes, travel, lectures, and conferences. It publishes an academic journal called the Classicist as well as the acclaimed book series called the Classical America Series in Art and Architecture.
Lesley University College of Art and Design (Lesley Art + Design) is one of only three members of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) that is uniquely housed within a larger multi-disciplinary university. Founded in 1912 as the Art Institute of Boston, the college became part of Lesley University in 1998, moving from Boston to Cambridge in 2015. Lesley Art + Design offers BFA programs in Graphic Design/Interactive Design, Animation/Visual Effects, Digital Filmmaking, Fine Arts, Game Design/Immersive Technologies, Illustration/Visual Narrative, and Photography/Interdisciplinary Studies, as well as, MFA programs in Visual Arts and Photography/Integrated Media. A hub of creativity, community, and innovation, Lesley Art + Design is conveniently situated at the Lunder Arts Center and University Hall in Porter Square, Cambridge, MA
Our graduates are near and far. They are innovators changing the way we interact with the world, art educators working with students across the globe and around the corner, industrial designers, medical device pioneers, entrepreneurs, contestants on Project Runway, famed photographers, renowned painters, Academy Award-winning set designers, and savvy media pioneers. MassArt is a community of change-makers and forward thinkers. We invite you to be part of the process, and part of the future. We’re redesigning the world but we can’t do it alone. We want you to join us.
The List Visual Arts Center, MIT’s contemporary art museum, collects, commissions, and presents rigorous, provocative, and artist-centric projects that engage MIT and the global art community.
The MIT Morningside Academy for Design (MAD) is an interdisciplinary hub elevating design as a resource. Our vision for design fully embraces the breadth of MIT’s ecosystem. It weaves in science, engineering, architecture and planning, the humanities, and business, for real-world impact. MAD aims to educate future generations in design, foster design innovation, and encourage entrepreneurship to empower individual and collective problem-solving capacity around the globe.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), is recognized for the quality and scope of its encyclopedic collection. Open daily, the MFA’s hours are Saturday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.; and Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. Admission (which includes one repeat visit within 10 days) is $25 for adults and $23 for seniors and students age 18 and older, and includes entry to all galleries and special exhibitions. Admission is free for University Members and youths age 17 and younger. Wednesday nights after 4 p.m. admission is by voluntary contribution (suggested donation $25). MFA Members are always admitted for free. The Museum’s mobile MFA Guide is available at ticket desks and the Sharf Visitor Center for $5, members; $6, non-members; and $4, youths. The Museum is closed on New Year’s Day, Patriots’ Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
The National Kitchen + Bath Association Northern New England Chapter (NKBA.NNE) is a non-profit trade group that promotes professionalism in the kitchen and bath industry. Established in 1963 as a network of kitchen dealers, it has evolved into the premier association of designers, retailers, remodelers, manufacturers, distributors, fabricators, installers and other industry professionals. Today, the NKBA.NNE represents an unparalleled network of peers, tools and resources designed to support professional growth and business success.
Located in Boston, North Bennet Street School offers intensive, hands-on training in traditional trades and fine craftsmanship. North Bennet Street School was incorporated in 1885 in Boston's North End as North Bennet Street Industrial School. The school offers full-time programs in bookbinding, cabinet and furniture making, carpentry, jewelry making and repair, locksmithing and security technology, piano technology, preservation carpentry and violin making and repair. Day, evening and weekend workshops, lectures and exhibits are open to everyone.
Now + There (N+T) is a non-profit public art curator changing the landscape with temporary and site-specific public artworks. Through its curatorial efforts, N+T is transforming Boston into a public art city by creating a portfolio of projects that supports artistic risk-taking in order to catalyze community dialogue, and cultural change.
There are many reasons to come to PEM. Sometimes, looking at a work of art with someone special by your side is all the motivation you need. Sitting in the light-filled Atrium, watching the expression on a child's face as she makes a collage — each experience is worth the trip. PEM is the place to come for enjoyment, enrichment, sharing with family and friends, and creative stimulation. We gain exciting insights about ourselves and other cultures through special exhibitions, weekend festivals and family art-making programs. You are vital to the equation. Your experiences shape the art you look at and the performances you watch, making them more meaningful and transformative
PRO New England is dedicated to being the region's most trusted resource in remodeling, where homeowners and remodeling professionals alike turn for inspiration and information. Learn more at pro-ne.org
The Scandinavian Cultural Center & Library’s mission is to curate and celebrate the rich tapestry of Nordic arts, culture, and literature to the people of the Boston area and beyond. Housing The Scandinavian Library, a café and a uniquely Scandinavian performance and exhibition venue, the Nordic Hall, the SCC hosts a monthly Nordic Film Series, a weekly Kaffestugan (Swedish for café), and a variety of programs including concerts, lectures, exhibitions, artist talks and special events, including its highly popular Berserk: A Viking Festival for All. The Center shares space with the Scandinavian Living Center and continues over 100 years of history as a meeting space for Scandinavians and those interested in Nordic culture.
The School of Fashion Design is committed to excellence in educating students in the complete fashion design process, from creation and innovation to comprehensive technical expertise, so that they are prepared to become leaders in the global fashion design industry. At the School of Fashion Design, you learn how to be the best.
Scout, the student-run design group at Northeastern Universty, is passionate about Design. We see design as a way of learning, solving problems and bringing people from different disciplines together. Our four programs—Scout Studio, Scout Events, Club Scout and Scout Labs — offer different touch points and access to design.
Society for Experiential Graphic Designs - We make space for connection, create moments of exhilaration, build experiences with emotion, and help people find their way. SEGD is a global multidisciplinary community of professionals who plan, design, and build experiences that connect people to place. Our members represent the pinnacle of design for the built environment. A global membership of 2,200 people from 35 countries who gather locally in 34 local chapters and internationally for the SEGD Conference and numerous educational events throughout the year.
The mission of the Society of Arts + Crafts is to support and celebrate craft makers and their creativity with a vision to build and sustain a vibrant, diverse community and to shape the future of craft. Since its inception in 1897, the Society of Arts + Crafts has been at the forefront of the American craft movement; on the eve of its 125th anniversary, the organization is embarking on a bold strategic plan which applies the organization’s efforts towards promoting the relevance of craft in the 21st-century.
The College of Arts & Sciences at Suffolk University has as its credo that liberal learning prepares students of all ages and backgrounds to live more fulfilling lives, to appreciate and contribute to the communities of which they are members, and to reach their ethical, personal, intellectual and financial goals. To help its students maximize their potential, the college emphasizes critical and analytical thinking through a rigorous “success skills” undergraduate core program in written and oral communication, computing, analyzing and integrating. Faculty scholarship supports diversified liberal arts concentrations available in the humanities, the natural sciences and the social sciences, along with graduate programs in several fields, most offering career-related professional program tracks and practical experience on or off campus.