Design for Social Impact Accelerator

Design for Social Impact Accelerator: DESIGNING OTHERWISE

Next cohort starts June 5th 2026

An intimate, global, group programme for non-profit, philanthropy, and academic professionals who shape proposals, fundraising, and strategy—and who are ready to rethink how social impact, and aid, is designed.

Power, Proposals, and the Politics of Programme Design

An 8-week cohort for people who design programmes and write proposals — and are ready to reckon with the power they hold.

Most courses teach you how to design better programmes.
This one asks a different question:

What if the problem isn’t your tools — but the system those tools serve?

Designing Otherwise is a radical reimagining of programme design and proposal writing, grounded in abolitionist thinking, Black radical imagination, regeneration, and community sovereignty. We know that:

Design is never neutral

It is about power.

Communities are not stakeholders; they are sovereign

Evidence is contested, political, and relational

Refusal is a legitimate design choice

Repair matters more than scale

Constructive complicity: Most of us can't quit - but we can redistribute from within

Unlike typical courses that optimise tools, this programme surfaces the invisible architecture of power in programme design, evidence, budgets, community participation, and proposals. It is designed for practitioners working inside systems, and alongside community-based leaders, who want to make different choices — even under constraint.

Who Should Join?

This is for you if you are:

programme designers, proposal writers, or strategists in INGOs, foundations, government, or public bodies
fundraising or grant teams who recognise that design and proposals are political
CBO leaders and community practitioners who want to challenge extractive design norms
policy professionals, evaluators, and MERL practitioners who want to move beyond technical fix approaches
people who want to redistribute power, not polish programmes

This isn’t just about learning. It’s about unlearning, redistributing, refusing, and practising differently.

Why This Learning Space Exists

Programme design and proposal writing are often treated as technical tasks.

They’re not.

They decide:

whose knowledge counts
which problems are worth funding
how money moves (and who controls it)
what kinds of futures are considered realistic

Too often, design happens under urgency, shaped by templates, deadlines, and donor expectations — long before communities have had any real say.

Designing Otherwise exists because:

participation has been reduced to consultation
localisation rarely extends to budgets or decision-making
evidence is extracted, not returned
proposal writers hold enormous power with very little accountability

This programme is an invitation to interrupt that architecture — and practise differently, even inside constraint.

What Makes Designing Otherwise Different

This is not a skills course.
It is a practice lab.

Across eight weeks, we treat programme design, proposals, MEL, and budgets as political infrastructures, and we work with frameworks that are often kept at the margins of the sector.

You will engage with:

Abolitionist thinking — distinguishing reformist fixes from non-reformist reforms
Black radical imagination — treating imagination as a method, not a luxury
Regeneration, not sustainability — moving from managing harm to repairing systems
Doughnut economics — using limits as a design constraint, not a growth tool
Data and knowledge sovereignty — including the right to refuse extraction
Land and place — even in urban, digital, or humanitarian contexts

Community-based organisations are not case studies in this programme.
They are co-designers, critics, and knowledge-holders.

How the Programme Works

8 weekly live sessions (90 minutes each)
Starts Friday 5th June ( 08:00 EDT, 13:00 BST, 15:00 EAT, 16:00 UTC+4, 20:00 AWST). Click here for your time zone
Cohort size: 15–20 people (intentional mix of institutional practitioners and CBO leaders)
Co-facilitated with lived-experience and movement practitioners
1 x individual coaching session (weeks 3–6)
Weekly applied work using your real programmes or proposals
Ongoing peer accountability and post-programme follow-up

This is slow, relational learning — not content delivery.

Weekly Curriculum Themes

Design as Harm or Care

From charity logic to abolitionist clarity: Expose programme design and proposals as technologies that can either organise abandonment or organise care. Establish abolitionist orientation and collective responsibility.
Power, History & Non-Reformist Reforms :Working inside institutions without becoming them: Understand power historically and structurally. Learn to operate as constructively complicit - acknowledging we're inside extractive systems while actively redistributing power.
Decolonisation, Land & Epistemic Sovereignty
Move beyond DEI toward land, power, and knowledge repatriation. Centre Indigenous and place-based governance logics.
Participation or Theatre?
Build participatory processes that redistribute power — even under tight timelines. Distinguish genuine co-design from consultation performance.
Proposals as Political Documents
Treat proposals as narrative battlegrounds. Learn strategic compliance, translation, and refusal. Understand when translation becomes co-optation.
Accountability, Data & Refusal
Build accountability structures with teeth. Reclaim data sovereignty and the right to refuse extraction.
Regeneration & Doughnut Design
Replace sustainability-as-management with regeneration-as-repair. Use doughnut economics as a constraint. Address the economic implications of doing less.
Commitments & Afterlives
Move from learning to durable practice. Prevent extraction from the course itself. Create accountability infrastructure.

Self-Funded

£500

per person

This is for individuals who are self-funding.
A small number of partial and full bursaries will be available-please enquire.

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Small Organisations

£635

per person

This is for individuals whose organisations are funding their place.
We consider a small non-profit (annual income below £1 million).

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Large non-profit

£998

per person

This is for individuals whose organisations are funding their place.
We also offer a reduced rate for teams from the same organisation.

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Learn From Those Reimagining Program Design

At Design for Social Impact, we believe in platforming systems-impact leaders who are reshaping how social change happens. As a social enterprise, we are committed to amplifying voices that challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of equity-centered program design.

Each week, our carefully curated global faculty shares firsthand experiences of integrating anti-oppressive approaches into social impact work. These conversations go beyond theory—they offer real-world insights into how nonprofit leaders, funders, and designers are shifting power, centering community voices, and building liberatory alternatives to traditional program models.

We are continuously expanding our faculty to bring you the most cutting-edge and transformative perspectives. Scroll down to meet some of our past guest speakers on our Research Design for Social Impact course.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What makes this different from other courses ?

Equity-Centered Focus: Unlike many other courses, we put equity at the core of everything we do. Our curriculum is designed to not only educate but to empower you with the tools and mindset needed to create programs that challenge systemic biases and address structural inequalities. We're not just teaching theory; we're guiding you in making a real-world impact.
Intersectionality and Inclusivity: We recognize that social issues are complex and interconnected. Our course integrates intersectionality, ensuring that y
Hands-On Learning: This is not a passive learning experience. Our course is highly practical, with opportunities for you to apply what you've learned in real-world scenarios. From participatory approaches to ethical considerations, you'll gain actionable skills you can implement immediately.
Diverse Perspectives: We value diversity in thought and experience. Our instructors bring a wealth of knowledge and come from diverse backgrounds. Additionally, we encourage dialogue and collaboration among participants, fostering a rich learning environment where you can gain insights from peers with varied perspectives.
Rebellious Approach: We challenge the status quo. While other courses may stick to conventional models, we encourage you to embrace a rebellious mindset that questions established norms and power dynamics. Our goal is to empower you to be a catalyst for meaningful change in your field.
Ethical Foundations: We prioritize ethical practices and community ownership. Our course equips you with the skills to navigate the ethical complexities of program development, ensuring that your initiatives are not only effective but also respectful and inclusive.
Community and Networking: Joining our course means becoming part of a supportive community. You'll have the opportunity to connect with fellow learners, instructors, and experts who are equally passionate about creating a more just and equitable world. Networking and collaboration are at the heart of our educational experience.

What if I can't make every live session?

We understand that life can be busy, and attending every session may not always be possible. Rest assured, we've designed our course with flexibility in mind to accommodate various schedules and commitments. Here's how we support participants who may miss some sessions:

Recorded Sessions: Whenever feasible, we record our live sessions. This means that even if you can't attend a session in real-time, you'll have access to the recording at a later time that suits you. You won't miss out on any valuable content.
Course Materials: All course materials, including presentations, readings, assignments, and resources, are made available to participants. You can access these at any time, allowing you to catch up on missed content independently.
Discussion Forums: Our online platform often includes discussion forums where participants can engage with each other and instructors outside of live sessions. This is an excellent opportunity to ask questions, share insights, and stay connected even if you can't attend every session.
Office Hours: Instructors may offer office hours or additional support sessions to address questions and concerns from participants who couldn't attend specific sessions. These sessions provide a chance for more personalized interaction.
Peer Collaboration: Many of our participants find value in collaborating with peers. You can connect with fellow learners to discuss session content, share notes, and help each other fill in any gaps from missed sessions.
Course Extensions: In some cases, we may offer the option to extend course access beyond the original end date, allowing you more time to catch up on missed sessions.

While we encourage active participation and attendance whenever possible, we understand that life can be unpredictable. Our goal is to ensure that you have the resources and support needed to make the most out of your learning experience, even if you can't attend every session. Feel free to reach out to our support team or instructors if you have specific concerns about attendance or access to course materials. Your learning journey is important to us, and we're here to help you succeed.

I'm not fluent in English, Is this available in other languages?

My job is pretty busy- what sort of time commitment do I need?

Do you offer subsidised places?

Who will facilitate the course?

Can we take this course as a team?

A Final Question

Who signs your proposals?
Who decides what gets designed?
What would change if you practised otherwise?

If you’re ready to sit with those questions — and work through them in community — Designing Otherwise is for you.