Design for Change USA

What Design for Change USA does

Design for Change USA is a US-based nonprofit educational organization that provides free, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum resources built around its proprietary FIDS (Feel, Imagine, Do, Share) methodology — a four-step design thinking framework that moves students from empathy to action. The organization was launched in 2015 as the US arm of the global Design for Change movement founded in India in 2009, and it serves K-12 educators and students with turnkey lesson plans, socially responsive podcasts, empathy-building activities, and student action project frameworks. Core distribution is via a free self-serve digital platform (app.designforchange.us) with 30-second sign-up, supported by an annual 'Be The Change' global conference, a Student Ambassador Program, and a network of 500+ certified DFC facilitators across 75+ countries. The organization claims 2.5M+ students impacted and 50,000+ educators served, with 100+ curriculum modules.

The business model is primarily donation-funded, with the organization describing itself as 100% volunteer-run and 100% free for teachers and students. A secondary revenue vector was introduced through a professional development product suite — Live Virtual Workshops (2-3 hours), Self-Paced Online Courses (4-6 hours), DFC Facilitator Certification (20+ hours), and 1:1 Coaching Sessions — which provides a paid pathway for deeper educator engagement. With 1-10 employees and no disclosed funding rounds, the operating model relies on volunteer labor, donations, and institutional partnerships rather than venture capital. The company is led by Executive Director Sanjli Gidwaney and is part of the broader Design for Change global nonprofit network founded by Kiran Bir Sethi.

Name

Design for Change USA

Legal name

Design for Change USA

Website

https://designforchange.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Design for Change USA is a Boston-based nonprofit that provides free, standards-aligned K-12 curriculum built on the FIDS (Feel, Imagine, Do, Share) design thinking methodology, serving 50,000+ educators and millions of students globally through a self-serve digital platform and professional development programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Social-Emotional Learning Curriculum

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Curriculum, Lesson Planning & Instructional Content Platforms (EDAJAMAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Functioning & Behavioral Support Tools (ADHD, SEL/Behavior Tracking, Routines) (EDAFAKAG), K–12 Instructional Design & Curriculum Development Services (EDAGAKAA), Learning Strategy, Instructional Design & Content Development (BPACANAG)

Keywords

• K-12 curriculum resources
• Social-emotional learning
• Design thinking education
• Free teacher lesson plans
• Student-led action projects

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Design for Change USA is a nonprofit organization that operates entirely on donations. As a 100% volunteer-run organization, every dollar donated goes directly toward creating resources, supporting educators, and giving students a platform to share their stories. The platform is completely free for all teachers and students.
2. Professional Development Programs: Professional development offerings include live virtual workshops, self-paced online courses, DFC facilitator certification, and 1:1 coaching sessions. Some programs may generate revenue to support operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Design for Change USA delivers a free K-12 educational platform built on the FIDS (Feel, Imagine, Do, Share) design thinking methodology. The offering includes turnkey lesson plans, socially responsive podcasts, teacher guides, empathy-building activities, and student action project frameworks, all accessible through a digital platform at app.designforchange.us. The organization supplements the free curriculum with paid professional development programs including live virtual workshops, self-paced online courses, facilitator certification, and 1:1 coaching for educators.

Product overview

Design for Change USA offers a K-12 educational platform centered on the FIDS Framework (Feel, Imagine, Do, Share) — a four-step design thinking methodology. The core offering includes free turnkey lesson plans, socially responsive podcasts, empathy-building hands-on activities, and student-led action projects accessible through a digital platform at app.designforchange.us. The platform serves educators with curriculum modules for all grade levels. Additionally, the company provides professional development products including Live Virtual Workshops (2-3 hours), Self-Paced Online Courses (4-6 hours), DFC Facilitator Certification (20+ hours), and 1:1 Coaching Sessions — all designed to train educators in implementing the FIDS methodology. The company operates as a 100% free, volunteer-run nonprofit organization serving 50,000+ educators worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Free K-12 Curriculum Platform Free digital platform providing K-12 educators with turnkey lesson plans, socially responsive podcasts, teacher guides, empathy-building activities, and student action project frameworks built on the FIDS methodology. Aligned to Social Studies and SEL standards; accessible instantly via self-serve signup.
• Socially Responsive Podcasts Age-appropriate podcast episodes covering social issues such as climate action, community health, and social justice. Each episode includes a complete teacher guide, discussion questions, and empathy-building activities for classroom use.
• Student Action Projects Step-by-step project frameworks that guide students from caring about an issue to taking real action in their school or community, including project guides and leadership opportunities.
• Live Virtual Workshops Interactive 2-3 hour live online sessions led by experienced DFC facilitators, featuring collaborative learning, Q&A sessions, and real-time implementation practice for educators.
• Self-Paced Online Courses On-demand 4-6 hour online learning modules with video lessons, practice exercises, and downloadable resources for flexible educator professional development.
• DFC Facilitator Certification 20+ hour blended learning program that trains educators to become certified Design for Change facilitators, including comprehensive training, practical application, ongoing support, and an official certificate.
• 1:1 Coaching Sessions Private 1-hour personalized coaching sessions where educators work directly with a DFC coach to plan and implement student action projects with customized guidance and follow-up support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% reduction in food waste
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nearpod: Established K–12 interactive lesson and formative assessment platform widely used by teachers for ready-to-teach standards-aligned content. Overlaps DFC USA's 'turnkey teacher guides + digital delivery' value prop but at much broader scale and with paid seat licenses.
• IXL Learning: Large K–12 personalized learning platform with curriculum and professional development offerings. Overlaps DFC USA at the 'standards-aligned curriculum + educator PD' layer, with substantially more resources and a paid-district model.
• Discovery Education: Scaled digital K–12 content provider with standards-aligned curricula and district licensing. Comparable in serving teachers with standards-aligned, ready-to-use lessons, and competing for the same district PD dollars.

Direct peers

• EVERFI: Provides standards-aligned, real-world issue curricula (financial literacy, SEL, social issues) to K–12 schools, often via free district licenses funded by sponsors. Directly overlaps DFC USA's socially responsive content and free distribution model.
• iCivics: Nonprofit that delivers free K–12 civics curriculum, lesson plans, and games to teachers nationwide. Comparable as a fellow free, standards-aligned civic engagement curriculum provider with a similar mission and teacher-base profile.
• Panorama Education: K–12 SEL and student-success platform used by thousands of districts to measure and act on social-emotional outcomes. Closely comparable because it sells SEL into schools and layers professional learning on top, even though their core is assessment rather than curriculum.
• Committee for Children (Second Step): Nonprofit developer of Second Step, a flagship K–8 SEL curriculum widely adopted across US districts. Direct overlap with DFC USA in K–12 SEL curriculum and professional development, but with deeper district procurement penetration and larger organizational footprint.
• Newsela: Standards-aligned nonfiction content platform for K–12 with SEL-friendly real-world articles and teacher lesson tools. Comparable for the 'standards-aligned, engaging real-world content for teachers' use case DFC USA targets.
• Defined Learning: Project-based learning platform with curated, real-world PBL units aligned to standards including SEL/Social Studies. Closely comparable in the 'student action projects + standards-aligned curriculum' niche DFC USA serves.

Emerging players

• Common Sense Education: Provides free K–12 digital citizenship, SEL, and media literacy teaching resources plus professional development. Comparable as a free, teacher-facing resource library with growing PD revenue lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Design for Change USA