Feature Illustration: Artist rendering for The Women’s Home project. Image: MHOA.
Posted: 7-2-2026
Austin (Travis County) — Michael Hsu Office of Architecture (MHOA) has announced Foster Village as its 2026 Design for All partner.
Now in its fifth year, the Design for All program awards $20,000 in pro bono architectural and interior design services to a nonprofit organization whose mission and vision align with MHOA’s commitment to community-centered design.
Foster Village is an Austin-based nonprofit founded in 2016 by Chrystal Smith, herself a foster parent and advocate, who saw firsthand the gaps in support available to children and families within the child welfare system. The organization operates resource centers in North Austin and Dripping Springs, serving Travis, Williamson, Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties. To date, Foster Village has served more than 14,700 children in the greater Austin area and provided over $9 million in direct support to children and families. They’ve equipped caregivers with essential items like clothing, car seats, beds, and toiletries, as well as ongoing therapeutic support and community programming.
“Design for All reflects our belief that good design should not be a luxury,” said Michael Hsu, FAIA, founder of MHOA. “It is a commitment to lending our skills — empathy, material curiosity, and a sense of place — to communities that need it most.
Selected from a highly competitive 2026 applicant pool following a rigorous review and interview process, Foster Village was chosen for the depth of its mission, the thoughtfulness of its project vision, and the alignment of its values with the firm.
This project builds on MHOA’s growing investment in Central Texas’ foster care community. Following its Design for All partnership with Austin Angels in 2022, MHOA now has the opportunity to collaborate with Foster Village, whose trauma-informed resource centers have served children and families navigating the child welfare system since 2017, to create a new space focused on healing, creativity and connection in nature.
Foster Village and Austin Angels have long worked together to strengthen support for children and families navigating foster care, each providing distinct yet to strengthen support for children and families navigating foster care, each providing distinct but complementary services within Central Texas’ child welfare community.
“For children in the foster care system, the spaces they inhabit matter deeply,” said Smith, CEO & Founder of Foster Village. “Partnering with Michael Hsu Office of Architecture gives us the opportunity to expand our nature and art therapy programs offering a healing haven for the kids who need it most.”
The design process begins in July and concludes with a final presentation in September 2026. MHOA’s rendering and floor plans will serve as the primary fundraising tools for Foster Village’s capital project, making design the critical first step in bringing the space to life.
The Design for All program was established to reflect the firm’s core belief that exceptional design is not a luxury — it is a tool for community impact. Previous partners have included American YouthWorks (2025), Central Texas Table of Grace (2024), The Women’s Home (2023), and Austin Angels (2022).
Edited from news release.
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