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Strategic Plan

Strategic Plan 2022-2027

The Architecture, Culture and Spirituality Forum exists to fill an important role in design education and practice through research, outreach, and advocacy on the significance, experience, and meaning of the built environment. It is the only organization of its type that addresses the spiritual and cultural aspects of the built environment. We believe that the design and experience of the built environment can assist the spiritual development of humanity in service of addressing the world’s most pressing issues.

ACSF was founded in 2007 as a multidisciplinary, international, and multi-faith community of academics and practitioners interested in intersections between spirituality and the built environment. It hosted annual symposia at places with spiritual significance, created a website and newsletter, and produced and disseminated peer-reviewed publications. In 2016 ACSF was incorporated as a non-profit, tax- exempt corporation and in 2017 the Board of Directors created a Strategic Plan for the following five years. Most of this plan has been accomplished including: growing its membership, fundraising, establishing research priorities and critical partnerships, producing a Declaration of Transcendent Human Habitats, creating achievement award, symposium scholarship and research grant programs, and expanding the newsletter, website and online content. Today its membership represents 64 countries and a diverse range of disciplines.

The 2022-2027 Strategic Plan aspires to broaden the capacity, programming, and influence of ACSF.

Mission

The Mission of ACSF is to provide an international forum for scholarship, research, education, practice, design, and advocacy regarding the cultural and spiritual significance of the built environment.

Vision

ACSF advances research and practice on the intersection of spirituality, the built environment and critical contemporary issues. This includes the capacity to bridge cultural and religious differences, raise human consciousness, address environmental and cultural sustainability, advance social justice, impart beauty, and improve health and wellbeing. It influences academic, professional, cultural, and religious contexts through strategic partnerships, programming, symposia, publications, and awards programs. ACSF engages a diversity of disciplines: the academy, students, and professionals with an extensive international membership. The Board of Directors applies spiritually imbued governance, vision, and actions to build an ethical, inclusive, and outcome-oriented body in service of fulfilling the ACSF Mission.

Content Creation and Programming

  • Create diversity of participation, formats, and venues for symposia
  • Develop design competition program
  • Respond to pressing contemporary Issues through four research priorities: Health and Wellbeing, Cultural and Environmental Sustainability, Place and Cultural Identity, and Social Justice and Equity
  • Create a ACSA tour program.

Media Presence and Dissemination

  • Redesign and maintain website as an accessible, searchable scholarly resource
  • Expand social media platforms and presence
  • Expand publications, webinars, and other content areas and platforms
  • Work to become a resource for national and international, public and private entities.

Fundraising

  • Increase funding for programming, awards, scholarships, media and video projects, and support staff
  • Pursue major or planned gifts for the Lindsay Jones Memorial Research Fund to achieve endowment status.

Critical Partnerships

  • Continue current critical partnerships and explore new ones with relevant individuals and organizations
  • Develop international academic, practice, and media partnerships.

Awards

  • Expand awards program.

Updating and Nurturing the Organization

  • Enlarge the Board of Directors to 12 members for diversity
  • Create an Advisory Board.
  • Create a fellows program to mentor and engage younger members
  • Plan for organizational leadership transitions
  • Explore options for regional, international chapters
  • Grow size, diversity, and disciplines of membership
  • Increase membership participation and volunteering
  • Maintain newsletter and announcements as part of a coordinated communication strategy
  • Continue symposia scholarships program

Create member profile data base for mutual support and networking.

Download a copy of our Strategic Plan here.