Design for Freedom Pilot Projects Open Call
Every building tells a story of humanity — either of dignity or exploitation.
Design for Freedom Pilot Projects are an opportunity to be at the forefront of a transformative movement in architecture and construction. Your work will help demonstrate that ethical, transparent building practices aren’t just possible — they’re essential for the future of design.
To date, Design for Freedom has created 12 pilot projects with owners, designers, and construction teams on three continents around the globe and we are actively seeking additional Design for Freedom Pilot Projects from a range of typologies.
Together, we seek to create new findings, research, and outcomes that often supersede our baseline expectations of examining a subset of building materials for transparency and prioritization of ethical, forced labor free supply chains. By engaging in the work through all phases of the built project with large project teams and suppliers, the Pilot Projects add tremendous velocity to the Design for Freedom movement.
Learn more about active Design for Freedom Pilot Projects
Submit Your Project
Grace Farms invites your firm to respond to the Request for Proposal (RFP) to participate in the Design for Freedom Pilot Project Program. We encourage you to submit your mission-aligned projects during this Open Call.
The 2025 Design for Freedom Pilot Project RFP runs from Wednesday, October 30, 2024 to Monday, December 16, 2024.
Design for Freedom has developed a Pilot Project Program that is a tangible example demonstrating ethical supply chains in completed works. Each Pilot selects at least ten building materials that are traced as far back as possible into the building materials supply chain for provenance and labor inputs. Through this process, each Pilot Project brings awareness to project partners, contractors, designers, engineers, manufacturers, suppliers, occupants and consumers on the risk of continued exploitative practices and initializes institutional and civic responses.
Read the Design for Freedom Report to understand the scope of the problem and challenges facing the eradication of forced and child labor from the built environment. For material specific information, explore the Design for Freedom Toolkit to learn more about labor input certifications of high-risk materials within the built environment. Utilize the following tools to integrate responsible sourcing into daily practice:
Ethical Design Requirements – Add the Master Spec language to General Specs.
Supplier Outreach Letter – Begin a conversation about ethical sourcing with new contacts.
Ethical Material Tracking Schedule – Maintain a concise list of identified products for investigation.
Supplier Questionnaire – Request supply chain information from product manufacturers and suppliers. The Design for Freedom International Guidance and Toolkit is forthcoming.
There are over a dozen Design for Freedom Pilot Projects currently in design or completed on three continents, with a range of typologies. To learn more about the Pilot Project process, materials examined and outcomes, read the Pilot Project Case Studies.
We invite project partners to submit only one proposal annually.
Grace Farms does not charge a fee to submit or participate in the Pilot Project Program. Project teams participate in tracing responsible materials on a pro bono agreement, understanding each product investigation adds to the industry’s body of knowledge and adds value to the project delivered. Grace Farms acts as an advisor to project teams who have committed to doing this work.
Currently, Design for Freedom Pilot Projects are located in the U.S., U.K., and India. We hope to continue to represent a diverse number of countries, cities, and communities throughout our portfolio of Pilot Projects. We encourage submissions from outside the United States when possible.
Yes, you can submit a confidential project under an NDA.
There is no pre-determined number of projects that will be selected. We select the projects that most align with our mission and advance the movement.
Absolutely! We are eager to share that Pilot Projects can demonstrate ethical supply chains across programmatic typologies and welcome a diverse pool of owners, partners and project types.
Design for Freedom is not a certification. The Pilot Project Program is a unique opportunity to conduct research at the forefront of the Design for Freedom movement and gain insight into the process of supply chain transparency within the built environment. Although we do not consider the projects ‘certified’, each project is considered an official Design for Freedom Pilot Project because it meets requirements to provide significant documentation into the labor practices of an identified number of building materials and revealing new outcomes.
As an advisor, Grace Farms creates a project process that best suites each project. The Design for Freedom team meets regularly with project teams to identify materials for investigation and to support the integration of ethical sourcing. The Design for Freedom team facilitates discussions with industry experts and manufacturers who inform the project team and encourages educated decision making.
Manufacturers encountered on the project utilize recommended tools to verify due diligence efforts for ethical sourcing and to meet compliance with global laws. As a final deliverable, Design for Freedom Pilot Project Case Studies are developed by Grace Farms to highlight the unique approach, relationships and outcomes produced by every project.
For more information about the Design for Freedom movement to end forced labor in the building
materials supply chain, explore relevant resources including the Design for Freedom Report, Design for Freedom Pilot Project Case Studies, Design for Freedom Ethical Supply Chain Workshop Report, With Every Fiber virtual exhibit and Additional Design for Freedom Resources.
