Designing for Our Future

Oct 29, 2020 By John Czarnecki, Hon. IIDA

IIDA’s season of giving has begun through the annual Designing for the Future campaign, which will support a timely new initiative—the 2020 IIDA Impact Stipend for members who have made a necessary pivot this year.

By John Czarnecki, Hon. IIDA Oct 29, 2020

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IIDA’s season of giving has begun with the annual Designing for the Future Campaign. In an unusual year, the campaign supports your fellow members’ professional education endeavors, including a timely new initiative—the 2020 IIDA Impact Stipend.

The IIDA Foundation, led by a board of trustees, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit philanthropic organization with a mission to drive innovation and advancements in the commercial interior design field. The Foundation oversees a number of award and scholarship programs that support both the profession and students, such as the IA Interior Architects Diversity in Design Scholarship that is open for entries now through November 18, and the Anna Hernandez / Luna Textiles Visionary Award that will open for entries on November 4.

Each fall, the IIDA Foundation’s Designing for the Future campaign raises funds to support your peers in the interior design industry. Individuals can make their contribution now through December 31 by visiting IIDA.org and donating through the campaign page. Chapters that reach their Designing for the Future goals (determined by the number of members per chapter) will be recognized on iida.org and on IIDA HQ's social media channels.

The campaign proceeds support specific programs each year. For 2020, the IIDA Foundation Board of Trustees has chosen two campaign initiatives in which members can pay it forward to colleagues: the NCIDQ Tuition Reimbursement Fund, and our new Impact Stipend.

The NCIDQ Tuition Reimbursement Fund, which will be open for applicants from November 12, 2020, to February 12, 2021, will support up to 14 individuals in this next round, rather than the usual seven, as the NCIDQ exam was not administered in spring 2020.

The Impact Stipend will provide a $1,000 stipend plus 2021 IIDA membership for up to five recipients who have been impacted in 2020. Professional, Associate, and Industry members can apply now through December 4 with a brief description of their proactive approach to new professional goals this year. Tara Headley, Assoc. IIDA, the 2020-21 chair of the IIDA Foundation Board of Trustees, initiated the concept for the Impact Stipend with the unanimous support of the trustees.

“As I began my term as chair of the IIDA Foundation Board of Trustees in summer, in the midst of the pandemic, we already knew that many design industry professionals were being impacted in their professional work,” Headley says. “Through the 2020 IIDA Impact Stipend, the IIDA Foundation is recognizing IIDA members who are pursuing a new professional education goal, supporting their design community through mentoring or knowledge sharing or implementing their design expertise in a volunteer capacity in their community. For the recipients, the IIDA Foundation is acknowledging that you are valued IIDA members.”

The IIDA Foundation seeks to make a meaningful impact through supporting grants and funding opportunities, such as the Designing for the Future campaign and the Impact Stipend, and ongoing support of education, research, and outreach.