NEW ORLEANS — EskewDumezRipple is inviting New Orleans-area nonprofit and community organizations to submit proposals for pro bono design and planning support through its 2027 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Proposals are due by September 9, 2026.
The Request for Proposals (RFP) can be found here.
Now entering its thirteenth year, the annual program brings EskewDumezRipple staff together with local organizations to address community needs through architecture, planning, interior design, communications and hands-on service. The initiative was established in 2015 to honor the legacies of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and firm founder Allen Eskew.
Selected organizations will be paired with teams of EskewDumezRipple designers and other professionals. Through a short series of planning sessions, each team will work with its nonprofit partner to define a focused project and develop useful, actionable deliverables. The process will culminate in a dedicated Day of Service on Friday, January 15, 2027, followed by final project presentations on January 22.
EskewDumezRipple: Projects and Application Details
Potential projects may include:
- Architectural or landscape visioning
- Programming and space planning
- Interior design and reconfiguration
- Master planning
- Zoning or feasibility analysis
- Sustainability and resilience strategies
- Branding, signage and communications
- Cost estimating
- Hands-on design and implementation
Projects will be evaluated based on the need they address, their connection to the organization’s mission, their potential community impact, their feasibility within the program and the organization’s ability to advance the work after the Day of Service. Priority consideration has historically been given to projects supporting areas such as social justice, affordable housing, culture bearers, and climate resilience.
Previous Day of Service partners have included People’s Housing+, the Algiers Economic Development Foundation, the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights, Baldwin House Community Collective, and Youth Empowerment Project (YEP). Past collaborations have produced feasibility studies, master plans, interior concepts, accessibility analyses, renderings, cost estimates, murals and other resources used to support fundraising and future implementation.
Interested organizations should submit a brief proposal of no more than 1,000 words describing their mission, the community they serve, the proposed project and the need it addresses. Proposals should also identify the type of assistance requested and explain how the organization plans to move the work forward after the Day of Service.
Proposals are due by 5:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, and should be submitted as a PDF to doscoordinator@eskewdumezripple.com with the subject line: “New Orleans Day of Service 2027 – [Organization Name]”. Selected organizations are expected to be notified by October 16, 2026.
The complete Request for Proposals, proposal requirements, and additional information about the program are available at eskewdumezripple.com/day-of-service.
