Design Like A Girl LA

K-12 STEAM education

Central LA East LA South LA West LA San Fernando Valley County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

Architecture is more than buildings. It’s a force for good, shaping how we live, move, and connect. Yet the field remains deeply exclusionary: only 27% of licensed architects in the US are women, and less than 0.5% are Black women. Girls from underrepresented communities rarely see themselves in design, despite offering vital perspectives on justice, equity, and belonging. Without access to creative education, mentorship, or role models, many never imagine a future in the field. The result: cities that fail to reflect the people who live in them. Los Angeles, defined by both immense diversity and stark spatial inequity, is uniquely positioned to lead this change. When communities are excluded from placemaking, we lose identity, equity, and the brilliance of voices long left out. 
Architecture for Communities Los Angeles (ACLA), founded by AIA|LA, is changing that. Through Design Like a Girl LA, we open doors to design early, so the future of architecture reflects the world it serves.

DLAG LA is an immersive, mentorship-driven architecture and design program for middle school girls from underrepresented communities. Launched in 2025, the program connects students with practicing architects and designers who reflect the diversity of Los Angeles. Girls gain hands-on experience in real-world projects, explore their neighborhoods through a design lens, and build the confidence to see themselves as future changemakers.
In 2025, its pilot year, the program received more applications than we could accommodate, demonstrating clear demand. This grant will allow us to expand the program’s reach and impact, doubling student participation to 100 girls in 2026, provide stipends and meals to reduce barriers, and expand STEAM learning with tools like 3D printers and digital design software. Students will visit iconic sites like the Eames House and present their work at a public showcase at our new home in West Adams, deepening community visibility and  connection. 
This grant will also support training new mentors and teams, launching at least two additional chapters per year across LA County. This initiative reflects ACLA’s broader mission to democratize access to architecture, inspire the next generation of designers, and ensure the built environment reflects the voices and experiences of all Angelenos, starting with the young women who will help shape its future.
More than a design program, Design Like a Girl LA is a movement to change who gets to shape our cities.

If successful, Design Like a Girl LA will create a ripple effect: girls who once felt invisible in architecture will grow into confident leaders shaping their communities. 
This program serves as a model for culturally responsive STEAM education and scale through a train-the-trainer model, equipping other architecture groups to launch new chapters. Within five years, we envision reaching hundreds of students annually to build a network of young women who see design as theirs to lead. 
LA County will gain a lasting and more diverse pipeline of talent, home to a new generation of young women reimagining schools, parks, streets, and public spaces with equity, sustainability, and beauty at the core. Our neighborhoods will reflect a broader spectrum of voices, especially those long excluded from decisions about the built environment.
Success means not just better design. It means systemic change in who holds the power to imagine and shape the future of Los Angeles.