
Partnerships & Collaborations
Where Real-World Impact Meets Design Education
The School of Design Strategies (SDS) offers a wide range of partnership opportunities for corporations, non-profits, and government organizations to engage with faculty experts and the next generation of creative thought leaders at Parsons School of Design and The New School.
These strategic collaborations center on deep research, live project briefs, the development of design strategies, prototyping creative solutions, and building professional skills in client engagement, research, storytelling, and delivery.
Partnerships create mutual value: students gain hands-on experience working with industry and civic leaders, while partners receive fresh perspectives and actionable insights informed by design methodologies and systems-level inquiry.
SDS employs a four-tiered partnership model to support research-based collaborations, innovative curricular initiatives, and multidisciplinary practicebased research. At the same time, SDS welcomes new forms of collaboration beyond this framework.
Interested in partnering with us? Let’s create impact together.



















Curricular Partnership
Curricular Partners participate in existing core curricular activities within the School of Design Strategies (SDS) programs and or courses within them. Program Directors and faculty determine the central themes and areas of focus. SDS seeks to build long-term relationships, and tier 1 engagement of Curricular Partnership offers organizations an accessible opportunity to interact/ collaborate with the school at no cost.
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Members gain access to the latest developments in faculty research and the development of limited customized creative collaboration.
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Ability to develop customized creative collaborations at two per year, such as:
Co-Lab; a focused elective within the curriculum
Design Sprints and Workshops
Thought Leadership Symposium
Specialized Exhibition
Product Launch Activation
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Invitation to members-only research meetings
Specialized newsletter with research updates
Dedicated Partnership Liaison and Collaboration Committee
Featured status on the SDS website as a Partner
Student recruitment/mentorship/internship
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Entity Named Scholars: $150K annually for a two-year commitment to name a student scholar
Focused Research: $150K annually for a three-year commitment
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Non-exclusive, license-fee-free, royalty-free licensing rights for IP unless it involves specialized focused faculty research
Executive Partnership
Executive Partnerships include all the benefits of Research Partnerships, along with expanded opportunities for collaboration. At this level, faculty, students, and staff from across SDS – leveraging the full resources of Parsons and The New School– work on research initiatives and/or a common project or set of projects. Executive Partnerships begin at $250K per year, with a three-year commitment.
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Collaboration within the existing curricular structure
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Existing SDS Courses; 3-6 week partner project component, or a 15 week, full semester course focusing on a partner project
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Leveraging existing curriculum at no cost
Project engagement at the start and end of the semester
Student recruitment/mentorship/internship
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Get in touch with us to know more.
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Following The New School Standard Intellectual Property (IP) Policy, students retain all IP for their concepts and designs. SDS will facilitate the equitable exchange of IP if a partner would like to implement anything from the class.
Custom Partnership
Custom Partners engage with bespoke programming and pedagogy developed by SDS leadership and faculty to expand research in a specific area of interest or address a challenge identified by the partner. Fees at this level are determined by the scope of program or pedagogy development, the resources required for implementation, and the number of faculty and students involved.
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Collaboration outside of the existing core curriculum
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Design Sprint or Workshop: Non-course related activities of various lengths; one day to one week, or longer
Co-Lab: One or two semester course of 15 or 30 weeks specifically developed and dedicated to a partner project
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Customized curriculum
Engagement throughout the project
Student recruitment/mentorship/internship
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Get in touch with us to know more.
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Following The New School Standard Intellectual Property (IP) Policy, students retain all IP for their concepts and designs. SDS will facilitate the equitable exchange of IP if a partner would like to implement anything from the class.
Research Partnership
Research Partnerships build on the benefits of Curricular and Custom Partnerships, offering a range of extended opportunities. At this level, faculty, students, and staff from across SDS, leveraging the broader resources of Parsons and The New School- collaborate on research initiatives and/or common projects. Research Partnerships begin at $100K per year, with a three-year commitment.
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Members gain access to the latest developments in the Research Lab, develop limited customized creative collaboration and unique opportunities such as the Employee-in-Residence program
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Ability to develop customized creative collaborations at three per year, such as:
Co-Lab; a focused elective within the curriculum
Design Sprints and Workshops
Thought Leadership Symposium
Specialized Exhibition
Product Launch Activation
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Co-branded Research Lab
Invitation to Members-only Research Lab meetings
Specialized newsletter with Research Lab updates
Dedicated Partnership Liaison and Collaboration Committee
Featured status on the SDS website as a Executive Partner
Invitations to University-wide specialized events such as the Parsons Festival and Parsons Benefit
Student recruitment/mentorship/internship
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Entity Named Scholars: $150K annually for a two-year commitment to name a student scholar
Additional Focused Research: $150K annually for a three-year commitment
Employee-in-Residence: $250K per year
Senior Leadership Program: $250K per year
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Non-exclusive, license-fee-free, royalty-free licensing rights for IP unless it involves specialized focused faculty research
Agency
Fohr
Gensler
McKinsey & Company
Public Policy Lab
Civic + Government
Barcelona Municipal Government
Brooklyn Public Library
NASA
New York Public Library
United Families of Sunset Park
United Nations Development Fund
Culture
Harlem Stage
Newark Museum of Art
PS1 MoMA
Health
Bayer
NYU Langone Health
Johnson & Johnson
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Northwell Health
Pfizer
Planned Parenthood
SOME OF OUR DIVERSE PARTNERS
Entertainment + Media
Nickeloedeon
Sesame Street Workshop
SPIN
Vice Media
Food + Beverage
Hannaford Grocery
Hot Bread Kitchen
E&J Gallo Winery
New York City
Department of Cultural Affairs
Department of City Planning
Department of Parks & Recreation
Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs
Department of Education
Retail
Amazon
CandyLab
EBAY
General Motors
Moleskin
Technology
Kickstarter
LG
Microsoft
Samsung
Spotify
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT MARK RANDALL
Design
Design Within Reach
Heller
OXO
WaterWorks
Fashion + Beauty
Calvin Klein
Coty
Esteé Lauder
Kantoor Brands
Nike
The Haus of Gaga
Finance
Chase
Citi Financial Group
Eskala
Non-Profit + NGO
Center for Court Innovation
Ford Foundation
Housing Works
Human Rights Foundation
James Beard Foundation
The Black School
UNICEF