We're launching The Future Ready Scholarship Campaign with a goal of raising $20,000 to provide scholarships DIRECTLY to students in our programs!

Help us design the future of our creative workforce! All funds from this campaign will go directly to students who are looking to further their education in design. From college scholarships to summer intensive trainings to dual enrollment classes - this will help further prepare them for a career in design. Thank you for your support!

Supporting the mission of DESIGNCONNECT is an economic vote for a diverse and inclusive creative design workforce!

About DESIGNCONNECT
Located in Southeast Michigan, DESIGNCONNECT (DC) is a nonprofit organization that invests in future generations of visual artists in Detroit. The program enhances access to creative design education, among historically marginalized students, and grows a diverse creative design workforce. In September 2018, DC was established to fill a lacuna in the visual arts ecosystem in Detroit. Within public school arts education, there were no clear pathways to financially stable careers in creative design for middle and high school students; artistically inclined students lacked the means to pursue their interests in extracurricular settings. After months of research and meetings with stakeholders throughout the city, DC founder and Executive Director, Jocelyn Chen, utilized her connections and expertise from a career in the design industry to organize an experienced and knowledgeable Board of Directors to guide the programming and impact of the non-profit. In January 2019, DC launched its programming at the Detroit School of Arts (DSA) in Midtown Detroit, and by December 2019, DC formalized its official partnership with Detroit Public School Community District (DPSCD). By September 2020, DC celebrated the culmination of its first city-wide student Design Competition. By 2025, the organization will increase the depth of its initiatives with DSA by offering a design curriculum covering multiple creative disciplines including graphic design, product design, architecture/interior, transportation design, entertainment design, and fashion design, and expand its partnership to additional Detroit public schools.

Learn more about our mission and impact through our student, mentor, and supporters:

FUTURE READY SCHOLARSHIP CAMPAIGN

TO BENEFIT DETROIT HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS