UEN & BFI Quarterly Design Science Retreats at Fort Worden
Design Science Retreats at Fort Worden — four seasons of new-paradigm design for a planet in transition
United Earth Networks and the Buckminster Fuller Institute will convene four quarterly Design Science Retreats at Fort Worden Historical State Park. Each in-person gathering parallels one of BFI's design science programs and takes on a themed challenge facing the planet — bringing designers, scientists, Indigenous knowledge-holders, and systems thinkers together to research, prototype, and push past the boundaries of today's thinking toward whole-systems solutions.
Project snapshot
At-a-glance facts for funder calls. Budget is a working estimate for four retreats; confirm themes and cohort size with BFI.
- Project lead
- Marc Katsky, Strategic Director, UEN · [email] · [phone]
- Lead partner
- Buckminster Fuller Institute — program co-designer and fiscal sponsor for United Earth Networks, SPC
- Location
- Fort Worden Historical State Park, Port Townsend, WA
- Format
- Four residential retreats a year, 7–10 days each, about 12 fellows per cohort, plus a public symposium day
- Year 1 budget
- $260,000 — about $65,000 per retreat (estimate)
- Committed to date
- In-kind: UEN production staff, HubCast media distribution, BFI network and faculty time
- Current gap
- $260,000
- Timeline
- Spring, summer, fall and winter 2027; fellow applications open [Q4 2026]
- Media partner
- HubCast Media — documentation, livestreamed symposia, episode series
- Related projects
- UEN Meta Center (studio & symposia) · Spaceship Earth Campus · Geoscope Dome Studio (separate brief)
- Fiscal sponsor / EIN
- Buckminster Fuller Institute · EIN [00-0000000]
- Participants
- 48 fellows a year · open call plus BFI network nominations · scholarship priority for the Global South and Indigenous practitioners
The opportunity
Language ready to lift into a letter of inquiry or proposal narrative.
Need
The shift from an extractive to a regenerative civilization needs people who can think in whole systems and design at the scale of the planet. Most of that learning now happens online, in short workshops, or in silos. Very few places bring practitioners together in person, over time, on the same hard problem, with room to research, test and fail forward.
Our approach
Buckminster Fuller's design science asks how humanity can meet real needs through regenerative, cooperative, anticipatory systems that work for all life. Each season, BFI and UEN convene a cohort around one planetary challenge, matched to a BFI design science program. Fellows combine research, field work on Fort Worden's shoreline and forests, facilitated design sprints and prototyping, then present their work at a public symposium streamed through HubCast. Every cohort leaves with solution briefs and prototypes that feed BFI's wider programs.
Who it serves
About 48 fellows a year — early- and mid-career designers, scientists, architects, planners, artists and Indigenous knowledge-holders — plus BFI's international network, Jefferson County residents and students through the symposium days, and a global online audience.
Why now
BFI's design science programs are growing, and Fort Worden offers what online programs can't: a historic campus between forest and sea for extended, place-based work. Launching the 2027 cycle gives BFI a recurring in-person home on the West Coast and gives Fort Worden a year-round flagship program.
The four retreats
Themes parallel BFI's design science programs; final pairings to be confirmed with BFI.
| Season | Theme | Parallel BFI program | Design challenge | Outputs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | Bioregional Resilience & Regeneration | BFI Design Lab (place-sourced bioregional design) — confirm | How can the Salish Sea bioregion design its own path to resilience? | Bioregional design brief, mapped regeneration projects |
| Summer 2027 | Earth Repair — Oceans, Water & Forests | Earth repair and restoration tracks — confirm | How do we restore living systems faster than they are lost? | Field prototypes, restoration protocols, video series |
| Fall 2027 | Regenerative Economies & Cooperative Systems | Design Science Studio / solutions accelerator — confirm | What economic and governance designs make regeneration pay? | Venture and policy concepts, pitch-ready solution briefs |
| Winter 2027 | Spaceship Earth — Anticipatory Whole-Systems Futures | BFI education and whole-systems curriculum — confirm | What must humanity design now for the next 50 years? | Futures scenarios, public exhibit, curriculum module |
A retreat week
Opening circle and challenge framing · research and expert sessions · field work on campus and in the bioregion · design sprints and prototyping · peer critique · closing public symposium.
Pushing boundaries
Each cohort is asked to challenge one accepted assumption in its field, test a new-paradigm idea, and publish what worked and what didn't.
After the retreat
Fellows join the BFI alumni network, continue projects with mentor support, and present progress at the next season's symposium.
Funding opportunities
Every revenue path, with amount, funder benefit, and next-step owner.
Sponsorship tiers
| Tier | Amount | Recognition & benefits | Slots | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founding series partner | $100,000 | Presenting credit on all four 2027 retreats, recognition at every symposium and broadcast, seat at the annual BFI–UEN program review | 1 | Open |
| Season sponsor | $65,000 | Underwrites one full retreat; named cohort, symposium credit, HubCast episode sponsorship | 4 | Open |
| Challenge sponsor | $25,000 | Names and helps frame a retreat's design challenge; receives the cohort's solution briefs | 4 | Open |
| Fellowship sponsor | $8,000 | Covers one fellow's stipend, lodging share and travel; named fellowship | 48 | Open |
| Community partner | $1,000–$5,000 | Program listing, symposium invitation, newsletter recognition | Unlimited | Open |
| In-kind | Valued at $15,000–$40,000 | Lodging, catering, materials, travel, design and engineering expertise | — | Ongoing |
Grant targets & pipeline
| Funder type / target | Program fit | Request | Deadline | Stage | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Science, climate & systems-change foundations | Applied design-science labs on planetary challenges | $120,000 | [LOI-based] | Concept note drafting | GMA + BFI |
| Design, architecture & innovation funders | New-paradigm design research and prototyping | $60,000 | [Cycle TBD] | Prospect research | GMA |
| Ocean, water & forest restoration funders | Summer Earth Repair retreat | $40,000 | [Cycle TBD] | Prospect research | GMA |
| Fellowship & leadership-development funders | Stipends, Global South and Indigenous scholarships | $50,000 | [Rolling] | Eligibility check | GMA |
| Regional community foundations & family funds | Public symposia and local participation | $20,000 | Anytime | Cultivation | UEN |
Crowdfunding
Goal: $30,000 — “Send a Designer to Fort Worden” · Window: [spring 2027]
Funds fellowships. Tiers at $25 (name in the cohort book), $100 (symposium pass), $500 (share of a fellowship), $2,000 (dinner with a cohort).
Major & recurring gifts
Named endowed fellowships, multi-year series underwriting, and monthly “Spaceship Earth crew” sustainers at $25/mo. Stewardship: symposium invitations and cohort reports.
Earned revenue
Tuition for self-funded and institution-sponsored fellows, symposium tickets, custom retreats for companies and agencies, and licensed curriculum modules built from each season.
Budget & use of funds
Year 1 — $260,000 for four retreats (working estimate).
Assumes four retreats of 7–10 days with 12 fellows each and a $2,000 stipend per fellow per retreat. In-kind contributions from UEN, BFI and HubCast are additional.
Committed
$0 cash. In-kind production, media distribution and BFI network support in place.
Pending
No requests submitted yet — first LOIs targeted for Q4 2026.
Gap to close
$260,000. If funded in stages: season by season at about $65,000 each, starting with spring 2027.
Impact metrics
Year 1 targets; confirm with BFI.
Measurement method
Fellow applications and completion; pre/post surveys on systems-design skills; prototypes, briefs and projects launched from each cohort and tracked for 12 months; symposium attendance and online reach; alumni collaborations. Data owner: [name].
Reporting cadence
A cohort report after each retreat, a quarterly sponsor update, and an annual impact report with the year's solution briefs.
Document library
Link each item to the live file in the UEN shared drive.
Fundraising package
Contacts & next steps
Named owners for every ask, plus what has to happen before this brief goes to funders.
Project lead
Marc Katsky · Strategic Director, United Earth Networks
Fort Worden, Port Townsend, WA
[email] · [phone]
Buckminster Fuller Institute
[Name] · [Title]
[email] · [phone]
Role: program design, faculty, fiscal sponsor
Grant Management Associates
[Consultant name]
[email] · [phone]
Scope: prospect research, LOIs, proposals, reporting
- Confirm with BFI which of its design science programs each retreat parallels, and the final four themes.
- Lock 2027 dates and the Fort Worden lodging and meeting-space agreement.
- Confirm cohort size, retreat length and stipend level with BFI.
- Name lead facilitators and faculty for each season.
- Update the earlier combined BFI–Geoscope brief so the two don't double-count the residency budget.