Design Impact
Design Impact is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit social innovation firm that uses co-design and human-centered design methodology to address systemic inequity. It serves nonprofits, government agencies, healthcare institutions, and underserved communities through consulting, training programs, and community-based participatory research.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersCincinnati, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Design Impact does
Design Impact is a nonprofit social innovation firm founded in 2009 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, with 11-50 employees. The organization combines human-centered design methodology with co-design principles and Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) to address systemic inequity across food security, healthcare access, housing stability, government innovation, early childhood education, and workforce development. Its core methodology, termed co-design, intentionally shares power with communities most affected by issues, training community members as peer researchers who co-create every aspect of research and solution development rather than serving as interview subjects.
The organization delivers services through a portfolio of programs including Studio C (a 12-week design thinking incubator for nonprofits launched with United Way of Greater Cincinnati), direct consulting engagements with government agencies, healthcare institutions, and community organizations, and free downloadable tools and toolkits. Key products include the Peer Researcher Model, DI LEAD internal leadership development program, and publications such as the Metathemes Report and Pathways to the Future. Its core technology is a human-facilitated co-design methodology rather than a software platform.
Design Impact operates as a nonprofit, generating revenue primarily through grant funding from foundations and philanthropic organizations (United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Living Cities, various government grants) and fee-for-service professional engagements with institutions including Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Montgomery County Jobs & Family Services, and Freestore Foodbank. Pricing is not publicly disclosed as services are delivered on a project-by-project basis. The organization is led by Executive Director Teresa L. Gonzalez (joined April 2021), succeeding co-founder Kate Hanisian; co-founder Ramsey Ford remains as Design Director.
Design Impact firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Design Impact
- Legal name
- Design Impact
- Website
- https://d-impact.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Design Impact is a Cincinnati-based nonprofit social innovation firm that uses co-design and human-centered design methodology to address systemic inequity. It serves nonprofits, government agencies, healthcare institutions, and underserved communities through consulting, training programs, and community-based participatory research.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Design Impact industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Innovation Consulting
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Community Engagement & Participatory Planning (BPAHAKAO)
Keywords
Where Design Impact is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cincinnati
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Design Impact business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Grant Funding and Philanthropic Support: As a nonprofit social innovation firm, Design Impact operates primarily through grant funding from foundations and philanthropic organizations. Their work is supported by major funders including United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Living Cities, and various government grants.
- Client Engagements with Institutions: Fee-for-service engagements with government agencies (Metropolitan Government of Nashville, Montgomery County), healthcare organizations (Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center), and educational institutions for design thinking training, facilitation, and innovation programs.
- Studio C Program Partnership: A collaboration with United Way of Greater Cincinnati providing design thinking training programs for nonprofits, operating as a free or subsidized program supported by partnership funding.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels8 records
Design Impact product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Design Impact is a nonprofit social innovation firm that provides consulting, facilitation, and research services to nonprofits, government agencies, healthcare institutions, and funders. It applies human-centered design, co-design, and Community-Based Participatory Research to help partners prototype new program models, build internal innovation capacity, and co-create solutions with communities.
Product overview
Design Impact is a nonprofit social innovation firm offering a portfolio of consulting services, programs, and tools. Their core offering combines human-centered design, co-design methodology, equity practices, and leadership development to help communities and organizations address complex social challenges. Key programs include Studio C (a 12-week design thinking incubator for nonprofits), the Peer Researcher Model (community-based participatory research), and DI LEAD (internal leadership development). They also produce downloadable toolkits (Culinary Camp, Mobile Food), publications (Pathways to the Future, Metathemes Report), and facilitate community events like Breakfast Club.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Design Impact Core Services Social innovation consulting engagements that combine human-centered design, co-design methodology, equity practice, and leadership development to help nonprofits, government agencies, healthcare institutions, and funders co-create solutions to complex social challenges with communities.
- Studio C A 12-week design thinking incubator program for nonprofits and community groups, delivered in partnership with United Way of Greater Cincinnati. Helps teams deeply engage with issues, creatively explore solutions, and develop prototypes. 102 organizations have participated since launch.
- Culinary Camp Toolkit A downloadable toolkit to help communities implement hands-on cooking programs for kids to address the summer meal gap. Produced from the Summer Meals project with Freestore Foodbank.
- Mobile Food Toolkit A downloadable toolkit for implementing mobile pop-up lunch sites to reach kids with free meals during summer. Developed from the Summer Meals project with Freestore Foodbank.
- Pathways to the Future Report A publication released in July 2020 that identifies six shifts emerging at the intersection of COVID-19 and Racial Equity, with prompts for reflection and action for organizations navigating change.
- Metathemes Report A research publication examining pervasive themes of inequity across dozens of Design Impact projects, developed in partnership with United Way of Greater Cincinnati (2016-2019).
Quantifiable outcome
- 54% of severely malnourished children moved to safe zone after 6 months of laddoo supplementation
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Design Impact
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Design Impact technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Design Impact partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Greater Good StudiominorChicago-based social design organization co-founded by husband and wife team. Hosted inaugural Midwest Sharefest retreat in August 2016 for mutual learning and collaboration. Organizations share similar values around design for social good and learning organizations.
- United Way of Greater CincinnaticoreMajor strategic partner investing in nearly 140 social service agencies in the region. Collaborated on Metathemes research examining patterns of inequity across 30+ projects, and co-founded Studio C design thinking incubator program for nonprofits. Long-standing relationship supporting multiple initiatives including Born Learning Academy and creative placemaking projects.
- Walnut Hills Redevelopment FoundationminorCreative placemaking partnership to engage all residents in Walnut Hills neighborhood development conversations through inclusive art-based strategies.
- Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) of Greater Cincinnati and Northern KentuckyminorCommunity development funder partner for Walnut Hills creative placemaking project and other neighborhood initiatives.
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CentercoreLong-term healthcare partner working to improve health outcomes in surrounding neighborhoods. Collaborated on peer researcher model development, Justice Promoters eviction reduction program, and All Children Thrive initiative. Justice Promoters received Fast Company 2019 World Changing Ideas Honorable Mention.
- Freestore FoodbankcorePartner on Summer Meal Program addressing food insecurity. Developed Culinary Camp hands-on cooking program for kids and Unpack'd mobile pop-up lunch site. DI helped launch pilots reaching children who previously didn't access free summer meal programs.
- Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson CountycoreRedesigned Ideas to Reality (I2R) program for Mayor's Office of Innovation. Led four interdepartmental teams through eight full-day sessions over three months. Outcomes included improved city budget process incorporating community voice and transparency.
- Montgomery County Jobs & Family ServicescoreCulture of collaboration initiative to bridge gap between social services and employment services. Engaged over 100 staff across multiple departments, coached 16 teams through implementing prototypes including interdepartmental training program and JFS on the Move remote outreach.
- Sprout InsightminorResearch partner for Summer Meal Program, providing research that informed prototype development and alternative meal site models.
- Feeding AmericacoreNational partner network for food bank innovation. DI worked with Feeding America and food banks around the country to activate human-centered design in communities, particularly around senior hunger solutions.
- Nashville Entrepreneur CenterminorPartner in Nashville I2R government innovation program, supporting entrepreneurial approaches within city government innovation initiatives.
- Lipscomb UniversityminorAcademic partner in Nashville I2R government innovation program, contributing to curriculum development and cross-departmental collaboration initiatives.
- Partners for a Competitive WorkforceminorWorkforce development partner for Advanced Manufacturing project addressing barriers women with families face in participating in workforce training programs.
- Ascend: The Aspen InstituteminorNational partner focused on early childhood and two-generation approaches to opportunity. Collaborated on Advanced Manufacturing project to increase women in advanced manufacturing careers.
- Gateway Community & Technical CollegeminorRaise the Floor program training women for advanced manufacturing workforce. DI helped uncover new ways to increase women pursuing and succeeding in manufacturing careers by designing programs with input from women and families.
- Center for Creative LeadershipminorLaunched Global Citizens Leaders (GCL) program in Mumbai, India to develop leadership, innovation, and social engagement with next generation of business leaders. 260 students participated in first year, now in fourth year with 1,000+ students impacted.
- Deep Griha SocietyminorIndia partner for Laddoo nutrition project addressing child malnutrition in Pune. DI fellows Anisha Shankar and Jaskeerat Bedi developed the laddoo supplement; parents bought into program at 15 rupees/week.
- Organization of Development Action and Maintenance (ODAM)minorEarly India partnership for Erikoodu Charcoal Briquette project in Thiruchuli, developing affordable clean-burning cooking fuel that reduced carbon monoxide and indoor air pollution.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Design Impact competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Reboot: Social impact design and development firm working on governance, inclusion, and civic engagement. Comparable in applying design to public-interest problems for philanthropy and government clients.
- IDEO.org: Nonprofit affiliate of IDEO focused on designing products, services, and systems for social impact in health, financial inclusion, and economic opportunity. Closest direct peer in mission-aligned design consulting.
- Greater Good Studio: Chicago-based social design studio applying human-centered design to social sector problems. Directly comparable in mission and methodology; also explicitly named in DI's partnerships as a peer organization.
- Public Policy Lab: Nonprofit applying human-centered design to public services for low-income communities. Directly comparable in client base (government, social services) and design methodology.
Others
- Center for Creative Leadership: Global leadership development organization that partnered with DI on the Global Citizens Leaders program. Comparable in leadership training and equity work, though focused on corporate and cross-sector leadership.
Broad incumbents
- IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy that pioneered human-centered design for the social sector. Larger, broader practice that overlaps with DI's methodology but serves commercial and social clients across industries.
- Stanford Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school): Academic originator of design thinking frameworks widely adopted in the social sector. Influences methodology across all peers and operates K-12/community programs that overlap with DI's training offerings.
Emerging players
- Code for America: Nonprofit applying technology and design to improve government services for vulnerable populations. Overlaps with DI in government innovation and equity-centered service design.
- Live Work Well: Design consultancy focused on social innovation in the social sector; smaller and earlier stage than DI but with overlapping community-centered design methodology.
Regional players
- Insight Innovation Center: Social innovation and human-centered design organization focused on inclusive economic development in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region. Overlaps geographically and methodologically with DI's local anchor work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Design Impact social profiles
Digital presenceDesign Impact financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Design Impact leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles13 records
Design Impact funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Design Impact M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Design Impact
What does Design Impact do?
Design Impact is a nonprofit social innovation firm that provides consulting, facilitation, and research services to nonprofits, government agencies, healthcare institutions, and funders. It applies human-centered design, co-design, and Community-Based Participatory Research to help partners prototype new program models, build internal innovation capacity, and co-create solutions with communities.
Is Design Impact a public or private company?
Design Impact is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Design Impact founded?
Design Impact was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Design Impact based?
Design Impact is headquartered in Cincinnati, United States, in the North America region.
How does Design Impact make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Grant Funding and Philanthropic Support is the primary driver. The others are client Engagements with Institutions and studio C Program Partnership.
Who are Design Impact's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Reboot, IDEO.org, Greater Good Studio and Public Policy Lab. Center for Creative Leadership is listed as an others. Broad incumbents are IDEO and Stanford Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d.school). Emerging players are Code for America and Live Work Well. Insight Innovation Center is listed as a regional player.
Does Design Impact have an API?
No public API is recorded for Design Impact.
What industry is Design Impact in?
Design Impact's product category is Social Innovation Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAKAO, Community Engagement & Participatory Planning. Its SIC code is 8742.