Each summer, John Bielenberg's Project M brings together a handful of young designers to spend one month dedicated to a cause where they can make difference by using design. This summer, eight designers traveled to Greensboro, Ala.—a small town in an extremely impoverished county—where, after weeks of research, the designers uncovered a disturbing fact: One-quarter of the county's residents did not have access to clean water. To draw awareness to the issue, Project M designed and produced a powerful newsprint piece and corresponding website encouraging donors to "buy" the meters to connect residents to the water supply.
http://www.buyameter.org

When creative professionals are affected by life-threatening illness, more than their financial stability can suffer: The changes brought on by doctor visits, hospital stays and treatment will almost certainly bring long-term challenges to their careers. Enter Creative Core, a design enterprise formed to connect and empower members of the professional graphic design community infected with HIV or living with AIDS. These San Francisco-based designers have pooled their efforts, collaborating on design solutions and working for clients that reflect and support acceptance of diversity and equality.
http://www.creativecoredesign.net

Nonprofit organizations Artistry & Activism and Design for Social Impact have spent more than 10 years applying creative skills to issues that make positive connections and improve their Philadelphia neighborhoods. Their newest initiative, named The Social Arts, functions as a way for both organizations to take their work directly to the public. By supporting the work of groups like the SpokesPeople (artisans who make jewelry from bicycle parts), and events like the ActivisTour (historic neighborhood trolley tours), The Social Arts provides a way for all creatives to connect to their communities.
http://www.thesocialarts.org