Announcing the African Design Centre Fellowship

We’re thrilled to announce that applications are now open for the African Design Centre (ADC) Fellowship—an ambitious initiative transforming project insights into sustained movements for change. With generous support from the Mellon Foundation and additional funding from the Cravens Foundation, the fellowship seeks emerging design leaders with demonstrated commitment to advancing social justice and environmental responsibility through their work, deeply rooted in African heritage.

About the African Design Centre Fellowship

The ADC Fellowship is a twelve-month hands-on residency program in Kigali, Rwanda, open to nationals of an African country. The program will empower Fellows to develop culturally grounded and community-driven design solutions that address the continent's significant infrastructure challenges, while concurrently preserving and integrating Africa's architectural heritage.

Ideal candidates seek to participate in the movement that will define how locally driven, design-based interventions can deliver transformational change specifically in three areas of focus: 

• Maternal & Newborn Health - addresses foundational health and dignity through dignified spaces for care, growth, and resilience from birth onward.
• Expanding Opportunities - expands social and economic opportunity by designing spaces that cultivate innovation, skills, and local enterprise.
• Building a Climate-Positive Future - reimagines development as a catalyst for climate-positive growth—advancing ecological stewardship and community well-being to ensure that people and nature thrive together.

To learn more about the program, eligibility criteria, and how to apply, please visit our website.

Recent Studio Highlights

We were honored to participate in the 19th International Architecture Exhibition of Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia . Curated by Carlo Ratti , Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective. brings together over 750 contributors—from architects and engineers to philosophers, chefs, farmers, and more—underscoring the need for inclusive, collaborative responses to global challenges.

MASS Design Group Directors James Kitchin and Chris Hardy co-authored an op ed published in The Architect's Newspaper , demonstrating how we can design a more sustainable future. Read full article.

Also check out Justin Davidson 's Curbed article, profiling the Brooklyn Public Library New Lots Library. Read full article.

We are excited to announce a partnership with INZU Designs , a new artisan home decor brand in Los Angeles that launched last month, featuring the work of MASS Made. INZU is working to create a sustainable market for handmade goods crafted by our network of Rwandan artisans.

Co-Executive Directors Alan Ricks , Christian Benimana and Patricia Gruits joined host Ana Miljacki on the podcast “I Would Prefer Not To,” produced by the The Architectural League of New York . Check out the episode here!

The Gun Violence Memorial Project opened this spring at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit . Check out recent project press from the Observer, The New York Times, and The Detroit Free Press.

Learn more about our work

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