Firebelly Foundation

Creating good design for good reason for over 13 years, Firebelly Design understands sustainability and the importance of culturally relevant, socially responsible work. Since the summer of 2007, their nonprofit arm, the Firebelly Foundation has launched 3 programs: Reason to Give, Camp Firebelly +Firebelly University.

Reason to Give: an innovative web store where shoppers can directly purchase the basic needs for Chicago's Humbolt Park community.

Unlike charities or season food & clothing drives, Reason to give is personal, direct, and year-round. Qualifying applicants share their stories and needs on our website, shoppers hear their stories and purchase the remedy. We coordinate the delivery, follow up with the recipient and post their success story. We've helped over 600 residents, schools and organizations with basic needs including school and baby supplies, home goods, appliances, clothes, winter wear, computers and more. Our Live and Learn workshops provide adults and youth with practical skills ranging from financial literacy to computer training. And because the program is funded by our for-profit design firm, 100% of all donations go to the people we serve.

Camp Firebelly: the intense ten-day summer camp for young designers to work with a local nonprofit organization and address a social justice issue through design.

Geared towards the socially conscious, Camp Firebelly brings the world's brightest design students together for ten days of intense collaboration with an awesome nonprofit client while bunking in our Chicago design studio. During the time they are there, campers address a social justice issue, strategize the solution and see it through to production. The work is then donated to the participating nonprofit making "happy campers" out of everyone involved.

Firebelly University: the entrepreneur incubator program teaching people with a passion for design and social awareness to make a more just society through business.

During the nine-month program, our fellows learn how to turn their passions into careers, from starting a design studio to building a social enterprise. Monday - Thursday our fellows spend learning the nuts and bolts of business by collaboratively running their own company in the real world with real clients. Fridays are spent learning first hand from community and industry leaders, asking the hard questions, building connections and gaining resources, as they lay the groundwork for launching their own entrepreneurial ventures.