1% Program — Management Strategy & Organizational Development

CSC partnered with environmental design entrepreneur Olivia Teter to support Public Architecture’s 1% Program — a pioneering initiative mobilizing pro bono design services for social-sector organizations.

The 1% Program challenged a conventional assumption: that financial capital alone drives social impact. Instead, it positioned design expertise as a powerful form of catalytic capital capable of strengthening community-serving organizations.

CSC conducted an organizational capacity assessment and explored the feasibility of a new Design Service Model pilot. This model proposed enabling institutional foundations to integrate pro bono design support into their philanthropic strategies — either alongside or independent of financial grantmaking.

The engagement focused on:

• Assessing internal organizational capacity and growth strategy
• Clarifying Public Architecture’s strategic positioning within the philanthropic landscape
• Designing pathways for foundations to embed design expertise within their investment approaches
• Strengthening cross-sector partnerships

The work was conducted in dialogue with major philanthropic institutions, including the Adobe, Ford, and Kresge Foundations, and contributed to deepening Public Architecture’s relationships with funders interested in design-centered community development.

This engagement reflects CSC’s broader commitment to expanding how capital is understood and deployed — aligning creative expertise, organizational strategy, and philanthropic investment to support more equitable and resilient community outcomes.