A Fresh Approach: Using design thinking as a pathway to more access and equity in the grant writing process

The onset of Covid-19 has presented great challenges but, perhaps, has also presented the unique opportunity to reimagine how those in need gain access to vital resources — especially having been impacted by the pandemic.

Austin, Texas formed a Community Resilience Trust (CRT) as a response to COVID -19, in efforts to support the local community in navigating the impact of the pandemic. After an initial RFP was presented for the All Together Fund (Rapid Response Grants up to $25k to support a variety of needs) developed by United Way the Austin Community Foundation (ACF), CRT identified a disparity in the grant writing process. Designer, consultant, and volunteer Calvin Mays and his team were tasked with exploring how to increase equity and access to this fund and others like it.

Turning an ear to the community

The process began by ensuring that all voices — that is, the impacted, non-profit leaders, and funding committee members — were in the room and accounted for. Personal interviews and empathy mapping very quickly revealed a need for greater and more thoughtful consideration and inclusion of those impacted in the development of both the guidelines and in the application review process.

Vulnerable communities did not feel they were included in the process and funding committee members were not aware of the pressure placed on non-profit leaders or the implications of guidelines. This exploration allowed for efforts to be more precisely centered on the needs of the community and helped funding committee members realize that what they were producing was grounded in a series of assumptions.

A more inclusive path forward

Insights from key stakeholders led to the following outcomes:

• A more human-centered approach allowed the fund to cast a wider net and open up the Austin market for increased submission of RFPs
• Funding bodies recognized the need to hire people from the communities they are seeking to help and including them as a part of grant review committees to increase diversity in submission scoring

These interim solutions created through the design thinking process were able to be implemented to impact the next round of funding, and Calvin was invited to continue the work for ACF’s women’s fund.

The time — box advantage

Speeding up the design thinking process allows for more swift implementation of newfound solutions. Calvin, who is also a design thinking coach and facilitator at the Stanford d.school and whose experience spans across entertainment, marketing, and technology, asserts that working within rigid time constraints (ie., 2 hours), more quickly initiates people into the mindset necessary to move through the design thinking process. Repetition is diminished therefore freeing the creative mind to more readily navigate ambiguity and usher in solutions.

As a design thinking coach and accomplished professional in the industry, Calvin can attest to the benefits of learning and practicing the design thinking process not only in improving products, systems, and methods, but also in perfecting your craft and the invaluable reward in helping others do the work.

We have collectively approached a time where it is increasingly more vital to support our vulnerable communities, and in ways that center their lived experiences. Calvin’s continued work with ACF and other organizations is evidence that design thinking proves to be a pathway to identifying pain points, shortcomings, and inconsistencies, discovering and implementing human-centered solutions, and exploring authentic and effective ways to relate to and empower each other.

Calvin Mays is a Designer by profession and the Principal of Qubicle Design. He has studied at Stanford’s d.school where he now teaches as a coach, and earned an MBA in Design Strategy from California College of the Arts. Calvin’s philosophy on innovation starts with capturing great insights from the experience owner.

Interested in bringing design thinking to your organization? Learn about different Executive Education programs offered by the Stanford d.school.

This article is authored by Sundai Johnson. She’s a dynamic storyteller, Stanford Graduate, and friend of the Stanford d.school.