Architects are generally trained to provide design services to the private sector and/or to the public sector through bids and competitions. Some, nevertheless, chose a different route of action and work with communes, communities, cooperatives, and neighborhoods in the co-creation and co-production of collective projects at different scales. Academia plays a crucial role in such approaches as a key partner knitting networks of collaboration that involve a diverse mix of community members, private and public stakeholders, donors, and others. In this research seminar, working in groups, students engage real, feasible, community-based projects (architectural, infrastructural, environmental and/or cultural) located in Ecuadorian Amazonia. The seminar follows a tripartite structure. The first third of the semester, students conceptually develop an existing project proposal with their local counterparts. In the second third, following the procedure used by documentary film makers for crowdsourcing, students develop a pitch for their projects using video, text, and images. In the final third of the semester, students consolidate their pitch, after reviewing it with their partners and external critics. To conclude, the class sets up a digital platform that can be easily shared in social media for crowdfunding purposes. From a methodological standpoint, the seminar pivots around two axes: one focuses on a theoretical and ethical inquiry, based on a series of readings, guest lectures, and discussions; the other one is pragmatic and structured around a series of stakeholder workshops and reviews. Architects who have ample experience working in community projects are invited to share their experiences with us, as well as documentary film makers and other experts from a diverse array of fields (finance, NGOs, etc.)