We’ve all heard it before: You get what you give. And we all know that it’s true! Giving is usually always better than receiving (think about the times where you got your friend the best Christmas present and you couldn’t wait for her to peel back the wrapping paper).

The same can be said for giving on a higher level. By now you know that we are huge fans of the work that the American Society of Interior Designers is doing. From building a headquarters outfitted with all of the bells and whistles demonstrating and communicating the impact of design on the human experience, to a generous scholarship and grant fund available to any and all designers, ASID has always put its giving foot forward.

The ASID Foundation works to advance the design profession and communicates the impact of interior design through research, scholarships, and education. We can all agree that all three of those components are highly important to building a sustainable profession. If we don’t investigate and take deeper dives into what’s new and what’s next, how are we as designers able to be the authority on design? If we don’t invest in the future generation of design with access to funding for higher education, how are we able to maintain relevance in our fast-moving world? And if we don’t continually educate and update ourselves, how will our clients and business partners trust us to make the right design decisions?

Research

Within the last few years, ASID has placed an emphasis on health and well-being, specifically health, well-being, and sustainability as a central organizing principle. The new and improved ASID Headquarters features design focused on fostering a state of wellness for all employees. Extensive research and dollars have been poured into this initiative to investigate how design impacts lives.

Additionally, ASID publishes its research for the design community to understand, implement, and build on. ASID is leading the design industry in evidence-based research that goes beyond design practitioners and dives into product manufacturers, design end-users, other researchers, educators, students, policy-makers, and the general public.

Scholarship

Within the Kerrie Kelly Companies, we commit to philanthropy of all sorts: Walks, drives, donations, you name it, we’ve given it. However, one of our favorite ways to express gratitude and pay it forward is through scholarship. At Kerrie Kelly Design Lab and 42nd Street Design we offer to unique scholarship opportunities through CEO Kerrie Kelly’s alma mater, Cal Polytechnic University: San Luis Obispo. Offered to entrepreneurs and students studying design, these scholarships help alleviate the burden of tuition or unforeseen costs that come with being a modern college student.

Similarly, the ASID Foundation has laid an extensive groundwork for scholarships offered to the design community. Some of them include the ASID Foundation Legacy Scholarships for both undergraduate and graduate students of design, the David Barrett Memorial Scholarship, the Daltile Annual Scholarship, the Irene Winifred Eno Grant, and the Joel Polsky Prize and Academic Achievement Award.

Programs + Partnerships

Last, but certainly not least, the ASID Foundation works extensively with design brands and businesses to educate and invest in companies willing to work toward sustainability and a broader focus on well-being for designers and the end-users of their product. Some partnerships include the 1+ program that connects designers with businesses searching for pro bono design work, the National Building Museum which brings educational programming and relevant design work to the forefront of the community at large, and Thriving in Place, a documentary in-the-making focused on accessibility for all Americans through good design.

So why is the ASID Foundation so important to you, as a designer or non-designer?

• It educates designers in what’s new and what’s next.
• Your designer, if part of ASID, is equipped with up-to-the-minute education and resources needed to make your project successful.
• Sustainability is vital in our industry and leaving a smaller footprint is more important than ever. ASID’s evidence-based approach to research ensures that the knowledge you as a designer or non-designer receives is impartial and unbiased.
• The ASID Foundation’s grant and scholarship funds provide the necessary tools for students who want to continue to implement sustainable, wellness-focused design.

Whether through dollar-fueled education initiatives like scholarships and grants, or work within the community like bringing educational forums and programming to people who might be interested in wellness-based design, the ASID Foundation has created a framework for the design industry with a focus on creating solutions for modern design ailments. With its help, designers and non-designers can come together to learn, grow, and educate one-another on principles that will prove to be even more important as our industry grows and evolves.

The Kerrie Kelly Companies is proud to be a supporter and donor to the ASID Foundation and we look forward to their continued innovation and investment in the design industry.