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The 2026 Design Catalyst Business Education Program
June 2026 - December 2026Build the Business Behind Your Creative Practice
Are you a design professional based in Rhode Island who wants your business skills to match the strength of your creative work? If you are committed to growing your business and making your creative practice more sustainable, the Design Catalyst Program is for you.
This educational program is designed to equip creative professionals and small design-based businesses with the tools they need to thrive.
DESIGNxRI is excited to offer an expanded and more accessible Design Catalyst Program, welcoming a broader range of participants from Rhode Island’s vibrant and emerging design community.
2026 Program Highlights:
- Open to all Rhode Island based design professionals with no income restrictions to apply
- Access to business education, professional development workshops, cohort based peer learning, and mentorship from industry experts
- Participants from low to moderate income backgrounds are eligible for a full tuition waiver. Please review details about Design Catalyst tuition below.
The Timeline
Applications Open: March 10, 2026
Virtual Info Session: March 18 | 12:30-1:15pm
Applications Close: April 6, 2026
Program Orientation: June 3, 2026
Program Duration: June 2026 – December 2026
Applications for the 2026 Design Catalyst Program are now closed
The Program
The Design Catalyst Program is a six month business development experience designed for small creative businesses. Through a series of afternoon classes, participants receive hands-on guidance in business strategy, professional development, financial planning, and peer to peer networking. Additionally, each participant receives individualized mentorship tailored to their needs. The program creates a supportive learning environment where creative professionals can grow alongside others, share experiences, and strengthen their business practices.
Participants are selected through a thoughtful and competitive application process that includes interviews, a review of proposed business milestones, and a review of business finances.
Program Schedule
Eligibility is contingent upon the applicant’s ability to attend all program dates.
Classes take place Wednesdays, 1-5pm.
Classes held at CCRI Newport unless otherwise noted
Eligibility
- Business owner(s) must maintain a primary residence in RI.
- Participating businesses must have a RI business address.
- Participants must have an established creative or design micro-enterprise (five or fewer employees including the owner(s) / current interns).
- Participants must accept the commitment to participate in the full program including attending classes, meeting with their mentor, submitting status reports, engaging with their peers, and participating in the final showcase.
Tuition
Since 2016, the Design Catalyst Program has supported creative professionals with limited access to business resources. While the program has historically been open only to individuals from low to moderate income backgrounds, DESIGNxRI has now expanded access. The program welcomes applicants of all income levels, with a tiered fee structure to ensure greater equity and accessibility.
The Design Catalyst Program’s tuition is sliding scale, determined by household income and county of residence. You may calculate your tuition below. For information regarding calculating tuition for businesses with more than one owner, see our FAQ below.
Note: This program will not offer grants for participants due to a shift in funding.
Low-to-Moderate Income +
Participants who are accepted and who meet low-to-moderate (LMI) income criteria for their county receive a full tuition waiver.
Above Low-to-Moderate Income +
Participants who are accepted and whose income exceeds low-to-moderate income (LMI) criteria for their county are eligible for sliding scale tuition ($250-$1,500), determined by household income and county of residence. You may calculate your tuition below. Sliding scale tuition is made possible through subsidization by our funders.
Milestones
Business growth milestones are key indicators of progress that mark meaningful achievements in the development of a company. These benchmarks help demonstrate a business’s momentum and potential for sustainability. Participating businesses identify milestones towards which to work during Design Catalyst.
Examples of growth milestones may include:
- Reaching specific revenue goals
- Growing a customer or client base
- Expanding into a new physical space or launching additional programs
- Hiring new employees
Milestones will vary based on the business model, industry, and individual goals of each applicant.
Meet the 2026 Design Catalyst Cohort
Andrew Desforges
Wander Forge Design Co.
Wander Forge Design Co. is a creative media studio providing visual design and branding services for emerging and established brands. Offering branding & visual identity design, art direction, graphic design for print and digital materials, illustration, infographics, packaging, apparel graphics, editorial / book design, motion graphics and video editing.
Christopher Kane
Hot Funk Foundry LLC
Hot Funk Foundry is a way for artists to collaborate and share the transformative power of metal casting and printmaking with the public through the creation of belts with unique sculptural buckles. We consider our belts functional art that bridges fashion, fine art, and community. We offer workshops in belt making and metal casting, sell collections of unique finished art belts, and do public demonstrations.
Jenine Bressner
Jenine Bressner Fireworks!
Jenine lampworks glass, lasercuts textiles, and forges silver to make jewelry charged by the interconnectedness of community and the impactfulness of color. Color is the easiest and most accessible way to make life more interesting and beautiful. The quickest way to try to communicate with other people is by adorning ourselves with cultural signifiers. When the body is a display space for wearable sculpture, the world becomes a gallery where jewelry can build bridges to interaction and friendship, breaking through the walls and bridging the gaps between us.
Nathaniel Solberg
Nathaniel Solberg Design
Nathaniel Solberg is a Rhode Island based graphic designer with over a decade of experience in branding, marketing, and event promotion. Through his studio, Nathaniel Solberg Design, he creates visual identities, campaign materials, websites, and digital products for clients ranging from nonprofits and local businesses to national entertainment tours.
His work blends strategy with a playful visual sensibility, often exploring the space where bold communication and personality overlap. Nathaniel especially enjoys helping clients uncover ideas, aesthetics, and brand voices they may not have fully seen in themselves yet.
Noah DeMeis
Digital Nail
Digital Nail is a skateboard centered clothing brand with the goal to uplift others in the skateboarding and surrounding communities, while also changing and innovating the clothing and skateboard industry. All of our clothing is screen printed, sewn, or airbrushed in house, the majority of which is sourced secondhand. This allows us to create 1 of a kind pieces which
speak to the individual and complement their unique personal style.
Reg Gutierrez
Immortalize Your Mouth * Custom Grillz
Reg/ina Gutierrez is a Sculpture graduate from RISD and Filipino Grillz-maker native to New York with a studio practice based in the heart of Olneyville. They are currently an Artist in Residence with Dirt Palace, doing a Work Exchange at the Wedding Cake House. Their brand, Immortalize Your Mouth, recalls ancestral practices in respect to the land and metal—synthesizing cultural motifs from individual histories while celebrating this form of Black culture and practice of grillz-making in America. Scaled between precious metals fit to the mouth and immersive, modular murals— Regina’s work is a meditation on the smiles that line a lineage as they navigate their own familial landscape and work to honor those of others.
Scarlett Sensi
GLOSSDRESS
GLOSSDRESS is a multidisciplinary art, makeover, and photography service that exists to liberate feminity and kink from shame. We provide head-to-toe feminine transformations and photoshoots within our secret beauty studio, the Temple of Feminization in Pawtucket. We produce work aimed at challenging toxic masculinity by establishing a community of crossdressers and allies. We celebrate the beauty of open-mindedness and the empathy gained from walking a mile in our heels.
Soranica Corrente
SET STUDIO, LLC
Soranica Corrente is a Rhode Island based nail artist and creative entrepreneur specializing in elevated gel manicures and nail artistry. Her style combines soft, bold, playful, and edgy elements, helping clients express different sides of themselves through intentional nail artistry that feels personal and authentic. She aims to create experiences where clients feel seen, not just polished.
Tai Bacani
Tailand Productions
Tai Bacani is a filmmaker, producer, and actor based in Rhode Island, and the founder of Tailand Productions, an independent film company dedicated to telling bold, emotionally driven stories that inspire audiences to reclaim their power and choose their own destiny. Through Tailand Productions, Tai is building a brand rooted in creativity, empowerment, and connection. She is creating work that not only tells powerful stories, but strives to make the world a better place, one kind act at a time.
Tania S Estrada
Estudio Estrada
Estudio Estrada is a multidisciplinary design studio focused on branding, spatial concepts, and storytelling-driven creative work. The studio works with small businesses and individuals to create cohesive identities across graphics, merchandise, and physical space, blending thoughtful design with cultural and human-centered experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. My business has more than one owner. How can I calculate my business’s tuition?
Tuition for businesses with multiple owners is calculated as the average tuition of all business owners based upon their income, household size, and county. To calculate tuition, each owner should calculate their individual tuition with this tool. These numbers should be summed, then divided by the total number of owners.
Example:
Owner 1 tuition + owner 2 tuition + owner 3 tuition = X
X ÷ 3= Full tuition your business will pay
2. Am I eligible for Design Catalyst if I’ve already gone through the program with another business?
No.
The Design Catalyst Participant Cost Calculator
Design Catalyst tuition is sliding scale, made possible by subsidization from our funders. Low-to-moderate income (LMI) participants receive a full tuition waiver. Participants whose annual income exceeds LMI criteria receive partial subsidy and pay tuition on a sliding scale basis determined by their income. You may easily calculate your tuition with this tool.
NOTE: When calculating tuition, please reference your gross annual income. Upon acceptance, income verification will be required to receive income waivers or sliding scale tuition.
What is "Low-to-Moderate income"?
Low-to-moderate income is defined by HUD as 80% or less than your county’s area median gross annual income. An example of income limits relative to county and household size can be seen here.
What is "Household Size"?
Household size refers to the number of people claimed on your most recent tax return—typically you, your spouse (if applicable), and any dependents. It includes anyone for whom you provide more than half of their financial support and who is listed on your tax filing.
For businesses with multiple owners
To qualify as an LMI participant and be eligible for a full tuition waiver and seed funding, all owners must be LMI.
Tuition for businesses with multiple owners is calculated as the average tuition of all business owners based upon their income, household size, and county. To calculate tuition, each owner should calculate their individual tuition with this tool. These numbers should be summed, then divided by the total number of owners.
Example:
Owner 1 tuition + Owner 2 tuition + Owner 3 tuition = 𝑥
𝑥 ÷ 3 = Full tuition your business will pay
2025-2026 Design Catalyst Partners
Rhode Island Commerce
Papitto Opportunity Connection
Bank Newport
Van Beuren Charitable Foundation
Real Jobs RI
CIC Providence
THE DESIGN CATALYST ALUMNI DIRECTORY
Check out the ever-growing directory of previous Design Catalyst Program participants! From metal-working to apparel design, our alumni come from all corners of the design world.
Are you a Design Catalyst Program Alum who would like to be listed in the Directory? Click here to let us know what your business has been up to a join the Directory!
WHAT DESIGN CATALYST ALUMNI ARE SAYING
“I am SO appreciative of this opportunity to grow, both personally and professionally. I feel like DESIGNxRI is so special because it is building a community that can support and foster creative people at all stages of their career. One year later, I am no longer just a person with an idea. I am making it happen through concrete steps. There has been A LOT of learning along the way, but that has also helped me believe in myself more and more. All of this is invaluable.”
-Rye Dean, LUMUKU 2018
“The grant program has helped me to think about my business for its possibilities, not as a static thing. I had not taken the time to reflect on the story of my brand, how it has evolved, and the service that I really offer – the program made me see so much more. With this new self-knowledge, I feel positioned to update my storytelling and make my next steps with an eye to increased profitability and work-life balance.”
-Rachel Robinson, Robinson Press 2022
“The Design Catalyst program allowed me to acquire new customers and ramp up my production abilities with the purchase of new equipment. The studio space that I found during the program has been essential for my business. I am still in touch with my peers from the program which helps having people to ask questions to who have been through the same experiences.”
– Maria Prus, M Designs Studio 2019
“I was able to decide which legal entity to use for my work, hire a legal advisor, and hire a designer to build out the branding. I was also able to purchase technology equipment that I very much needed to carry out the work of my Design Studio.”
-Shey Rivera, Studio Loba (formerly known as Design Studio for Culture + Planning) 2021
“I have gained so much confidence in my business and have continued to grow. I have taken on new collaborations and many new wholesale orders. I think I am in a much better place than I would have expected after the program.”
-Alaina Mahoney, A.M. Design and Fabrication LLC 2020
