Capacity by Design

Capacity by Design logo

Delivery 
In person and online delivery

Languages 
Available in English | Disponible en français

Costs 
Tailored to your needs and budget.  Design Collective is currently free – apply below

Other Capacity by Design services is fee-for-service and can be customized to meet organizational needs

Get In Touch 
Liz Dennis at [email protected] or
Hugh Munro at [email protected]

Design Thinking for Social Good

The Capacity by Design team delivers hands-on, in-depth professional human-centered  (we design solutions that prioritize people’s needs, values and experiences from a human- centered approach model) design thinking sessions that are customized to your social good organization.

Organizations who are looking to:

  • Strengthen their strategic thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving through human-centered design
  • Embrace creative, user-driven solutions to navigate challenges and drive impact
  • For leaders and changemakers seeking fresh perspectives, innovative tools, and practical frameworks to enhance their work

Check Back Soon for More Updates

Social good organizations interested in adding human-centered design to their organizational capacity are encouraged to apply to enroll two of their employees in this course + applied project program.

There is no cost to participants due to the generous support of Suncor Energy Foundation and the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation.

Email us to learn more about the next online design collective cohort starting September 2025.

Watch the online Information Session to learn more about the design collective program

A participant shares ideas during a design thinking workshop, holding up a paper and gesturing while explaining a concept.
Close-up of a participant jotting thoughts onto a sticky note during a design sprint activity.
A designer reflects and writes in a notebook during a work session, surrounded by materials and daylight.
Hands arrange brightly colored sticky notes on a wall as part of a group exercise in idea mapping and refinement.
A member of the Design Collective places a sticky note on a wall during a collaborative brainstorming session.
Small group of changemakers discuss insights and strategies around a table, framed by natural light in a collaborative setting.
A speaker presents findings or ideas to peers in front of a wall covered with sticky notes from prior activities.
A facilitator points to clustered sticky notes during a strategic design session, highlighting patterns and insights.
Hands carefully place sticky notes with handwritten inputs onto a wall during a co-creation workshop.
Member of the cohort organizes blue sticky notes during a collaborative planning activity.
Participant adds contributions to a collective idea wall using pink sticky notes in a human-centered design session.
Seven Design Collective participants pose together, smiling, in a group photo that celebrates cohort collaboration and impact.

Programs to Explore

When business as usual stops working for complex challenges that organizations face, Capacity by Design enables teams to explore problems through an alternative lens – a viewpoint that considers problems on a broader level, as part of a diverse network of systems and individuals.

Capacity by Design is all about a human-centered design program for nonprofits. That means bringing in the voices and perspectives of every collaborator.  Rather than solving problems for people, it’s about working together with participants to create solutions that make a difference.

Human-Centered Design Thinking Services

Design Collective

Design Thinking Education

Client Success Stories

Resilient and Diverse Communities By Design: A Capacity Canada project developed with support from the Suncor Energy Foundation

Resilient and Diverse Communities By Design is a nine-month Apprenticeship Program that empowers underrepresented changemakers to use human-centred design to transform public spaces and foster inclusive innovation. Led by Capacity Canada with support from the Suncor Energy Foundation, it brings together artists, organizations, and communities to co-create regenerative solutions grounded in lived experience.

Read More

Using design thinking to inspire people to live lives worth living

Using Design Thinking to Inspire Lives Worth Living highlights how Adventure4Change is reimagining youth engagement and addressing systemic barriers through human-centred design. This Waterloo nonprofit empowers families in vulnerable neighbourhoods to discover purpose, opportunity, and self-worth.

Read More

Tackling Climate Change in Calgary With Design Thinking

Tackling Climate Change in Calgary With Design Thinking showcases how the Calgary Climate Hub is reimagining grassroots climate action through Capacity Canada’s Design Collective. Equipped with new skills, the team empowers volunteers to lead impactful campaigns that connect local innovation to global change.

Read More

Diabetes Canada using the power of design thinking!

Diabetes Canada: Using the Power of Design Thinking explores how the organization is redesigning its website through Capacity Canada’s human-centred design program. By collaborating with diverse voices and testing ideas, it’s creating a more accessible platform for expert information, support, and advocacy. 

Read More

Special Thanks!

We are grateful for the financial contributions from the Lyle S. Hallman Foundation and Suncor Energy Foundation.

Their support has enabled Capacity Canada to grow the Capacity by Design program in order to engage more social good organizations in addressing big challenges through the application of human-centered design.

Hallman Foundation logo
Suncor Energy Foundation logo

Transform Ideas into Actions

Apply the skills of Human-Centered Design in your organization to create solutions with lasting impact.

Contact Us Today!