a noble question and one most designers consider at one point or another. Your heart’s in the right place
One example is the UK Gov & Design Council which funds design work for social benefits - crime, public services, environmental issues, etc. Sometimes there’s a public call for proposals, sometimes designers approach them
‘Design out Crime’ in 2010 was to eradicate ‘glassings’… the horrific result of smashing a glass and using it in a bar fight. They funded design for a low cost but unbreakable pint glass
[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/9191412[/vimeo]
Other design efforts funded by the same organization and led by young and older designers:
- Library service design (modernization and promotion of services)
- Promotion of cycle commuting (via product and service design)
- Design out Dimentia
- ‘Design Bug’s Out’ - calling on designers to consider hospital infection control
If you’re in the UK, it’s a good place to start for humanitarian design causes. Makes you wonder if the US should have a ‘Design Council’ of some sort