Global Leaders Committed to Eliminating Forced Labor
In the fall of 2020, Grace Farms Foundation’s CEO and Founder Sharon Prince launched the Design for Freedom movement to design and build more humanely. Design for Freedom reimagines architecture by raising awareness and inspiring responses to disrupt forced labor in the building materials supply chain.
Within a short time, Design for Freedom and its Working Group has raised global awareness, with noted recognition from Fast Company (Most Creative People in Business 2022) and Connecticut Green Building Council (Trailblazer Award, November 2022), and created institutional responses through media, high-level events such as the Design for Freedom Summit, and international Pilot Projects including the Black Chapel by Theaster Gates (21st Serpentine Pavilion, U.K.) and Nina Cooke John’s Harriet Tubman Monument (Newark, NJ).
This select group of more than 100 leaders is spearheading a radical paradigm shift and mobilizing the full ecosystem of the built environment.
In 2024, Grace Farms joined the United Nations Global Compact, reinforcing our commitment to aligning our strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption.
Comprising nearly 80 acres of natural landscapes in New Canaan, CT, Grace Farms is free and open to the public six days a week for indoor and outdoor activities for intergenerational audiences. Opened in 2015, Grace Farms is home to nature trails, restored meadows, and a diverse natural habitat that invites exploration and reflection. Additionally, it is the site of the internationally recognized, architecturally significant River building, designed by the Pritzker-prize winning firm SANAA. The River building, which is nestled into the landscape, features five separate glass-encased volumes that create stunning 360-degree views as well as diverse opportunities for visitors to experience the spaces. The volumes are the venue for public programs all year long that highlight and deepen connections to the work we do here. At Grace Farms, visitors can explore nature trails, come together for a meal, enjoy a moment of peace, and appreciate the architecture of the River building, all in a single day.
Design for Freedom Summit 2024 Partners
Design for Freedom Summit 2024 In-Kind Sponsors | Certified B Corporations
Design for Freedom Summit 2024 Promotional Partners
Khan, Maha | Finance Against Slavery and Trafficking (FAST), United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, Financial Sector Lead
King, Leslie P., Esq. | Carlton Fields, Shareholder, Construction Litigation
Klemmer, Andrew | Paratus Group, President & Founder
Lee, Evelyn | Slack Technologies, Head of Workplace Strategy and Innovation and Practice of Architecture, Founder and 2025 President, American Institute of Architects
Lee, Vivian | Gensler, Design Director
Liu, Jing, AIA | SO – IL, Founding Principal
MacDonald, Shawn, Ph.D. | Verité, CEO
McCadney, Jennifer | Kelley Drye & Warren LLP, Special Counsel
Medina, Sammy | The Architect’s Newspaper, Consulting Editor
Wildman, David | Bloomberg LP, Global Head Facilities, Sustainability Ops and MEP Infrastructure
Yamada, Yumiko | SANAA, Partner and AIA Japan, President
Yao, Kim, AIA | ARO, Principal and AIA NY 2020 President
GRACE FARMS
Prince, Sharon | CEO and Founder
Thatcher, Chelsea | Chief Strategy Officer and Founding Creative Director
Walsh, Meg Hely| Chief Partnerships Officer
Rizzo, Nora | Ethical Materials Director
Abraham, Brigid, AIA | Design for Freedom Project Manager
Oki, Toshihiro | Architectural Advisor
Thatcher, Adam | Co-Founder Grace Farms Foods
Rapuano, Elizabeth | Chief Communications Officer
Sikora, Ashley | Director of Marketing
In Honor of William Menking, (1947- 2020) Co-Founder of the Design for Freedom Working Group and Founding Editor-in Chief of The Architect’s Newspaper
“Bill’s well-tested observation that architects are really well meaning and are taught to make the world a better place, and his commitment to inspire leading architects to step up for slave-free buildings was instrumental in galvanizing our early Working Group.
We will move forward with his wonderful enthusiasm and fervor.” — Sharon Prince, CEO and Founder, Grace Farms Foundation
A symbol of freedom across time and cultures, the Design for Freedom hummingbird emblem embodies the spirit of survivors and our role in safeguarding them. The hummingbird’s vibrant colors, piercing gaze, and uplifted wings exude a relentless energy and optimism. A silhouette forms from the shape of the hummingbird and poignantly reminds us of the modern slavery that has been hidden in plain sight for too long.
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Discover Grace Farms Tea & Coffee's ethically sourced beverages. Grace Farms Tea & Coffee is a certified B Corp that gives 100% of its profits to supporting the work of Design for Freedom and ending forced labor worldwide.
