Invoking the Pause is blessed to have such diverse new and past Grant Partners (GPs) sharing a common bond of expanding the reach, messaging and knowledge of how to mitigate the effects of climate change through their various ITP projects.  As ITP partners, we all gather together once a year to present and brainstorm with each other and gain common awareness of our desire to be change agents for environmental sustainability. 

This coming fall, ITP's beautiful home-base of Sonoma, CA will be the backdrop for the 2015 Grant Partner Gathering taking place at Westerbeke Ranch Conference Center.   » Read More

We invite you to take a sneak peek into our very special Grant Partner Gathering day that took place in San Francisco in October 2014.  This annual occasion provides ITP's current and past GPs the opportunity to present their projects, make connections with like-minded individuals and groups, and perhaps the opportunity to collaborate with one another.  Watch here.

On the heels of the 3rd Annual Invoking the Pause Grant Partner Gathering, we wish everyone at Bioneers a very Happy 25th Anniversary!!

Maggie Kaplan, Founder/Executive Director ITP & Nina Simons, Co-Founder Bioneers, 2010	ITP 3rd Annual ITP Grant Partner Gathering 10/15/2014
ITP 3rd Annual ITP Grant Partner Gathering 10/15/2014	Joshua Fouts, Executive Director Bioneers at ITP Grant Partner Gathering 10/15/14
Maggie Kaplan; Lisa Micheli, Executive Director, Pepperwood Preserve and Anne Fitzgerald, ITP Advisory Committee 10/15/2014	As You Sow storyboard, ITP Grant Partner Gathering 10/15/2014

It's now been a few months since our October 2013 Grant Partner ("GP") Gathering and I've had a chance to reflect further on some of the themes that emerged from our day together.

These should not be surprising to anyone who has worked with nonprofit organizations, especially grass-root efforts.  The challenges and the tensions are somewhat universal for early stages of organizational growth and development for many activists, artists and other nonprofits as they struggle to "professionalize" their approaches and articulate their relevance to audiences more comfortable with hard data. » Read More

In reflecting back on our ITP Grant Partner Gathering of a few weeks ago, I am struck by the dynamism of bringing such creative people together for an entire day to learn from each other, to share, and to brainstorm together.  One of the Grant Partners, Joshua Fouts, Executive Director of Science House Foundation, was most inspired by:  "… the collaborative energy and synergy created between the people and ideas that Maggie has curated, invested in and convened in this community that we are building."  He was struck with a sense of wonder at being part of an art project - the sculpture and scaffolding of creative ideas built around my vision. See a short video clip from the day here. » Read More

Heidi Quante of HighWaterLine expresses the merits of 'the pause' at the 2013 ITP Grant Partner Gathering. Watch the video here.

To find humor in tough times is a gift and serves as a potent tool to help cope with stress and unpleasantness, diffuse anger, and provide emotional relief. Our intrinsic desire to laugh motivates us to share humor with others and makes for an easy conduit to start a dialogue, which is why public speakers often use laughter as an icebreaker for a crowd.

We at ITP found our funny bones during our recent Grant Partner Gathering in San Francisco at the TPWWest offices.  Prompted by meeting facilitator Rich Cox, ITP Grant Partners (GPs) participated in an energetic brainstorming session that provided a little comic relief in the face of promoting the alarming message of the effects of our changing climate. » Read More