Co-designing a Radically New Philanthropic System

Design Challenge
How might money flow more freely - nourishing the commons through many tributaries - rather than being stockpiled in reservoirs?

Partner
Yoxi

Project
Co-design and facilitation for The Current, a speculative inquiry and prototype exploring new models of wealth redistribution.

Role
Service Design Lead · Coaching · Facilitation

Overview
The Current is a radical exploration into the future of investing - reimagining how money might circulate in ways that regenerate, rather than extract from, the collective good. Guided by the question of how capital could move with greater reciprocity and joy, the project invites a deep rethinking of value, wealth, and return.

The inquiry was grounded in three provocations:

What if investing could be rooted in mutual stewardship, regeneration, ease, and play?

What if ROI were not a measure of compounding wealth, but an invitation to share and return value in its many forms?

What if money could be both free and freed - circulating through non-traditional, trust-based flows that nourish the commons?

As Service Design Lead, my role was part explorer and part builder: guiding collaborative exploration of radical alternatives to investing, and prototyping new service models for equitable wealth redistribution.

After validating proof of concept, this work is now being advanced by Art.Coop under the working title MoneyPot.

Note: The term investment is broadly defined here to include philanthropy, impact investing, and wealth management.

Duration of Engagement
June - December 2022

Acknowledgements
Design Team: Oona Eager, Catherine Woodiwiss, Elisandra Diaz, Anne Leahy, Sharon Chang
Image: USGS

Image Description
A conceptual visualization of financial systems as living ecosystems - where money flows through nourishing tributaries that sustain the commons, rather than pooling in stagnant reservoirs.