Grant Partner Testimonials

The enduring effects of "invoking a pause" often extend far beyond an ITP Grant Partner's project.  We frequently receive feedback on how this gift of time, the collaborations that occur during and after their pauses, and the ripples from the annual ITP Summit/Gathering, have meaningful impacts that continue to influence the trajectory of their lives years later.

Here are a few testimonials from former Invoking The Pause Grant Partners:
March 2023 - "This was a great gathering of an eclectic group. The sophistication of the ideas was compelling, and I think it overall served an important function--of introducing grantees to one another and, most importantly, different approaches to the environmental challenges of our time---from new ways of understanding risk, to new uses of environmental sensor technologies, to artistic expressions of stresses on water systems, and others---I appreciated the openness and curiosity and supportiveness of the overall vibe, very well facilitated by the ITP team. No real criticisms to offer. It was a valuable experience, with lingering resonances on several levels...(both conceptually and connections with other grantees)."
~Mark Schapiro, Investigative Journalist, ITP Grant Partner 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022

September 2020 - "...Invoking the Pause awarded CELI's first-ever grant and enabled us to grow our philanthropic engagement. I will never forget the generous support each of you has provided to me personally in this journey -- thank you on behalf of the entire CELI community!"
~Becca Ward, Clean Energy Leadership Institute, ITP Grant Partner 2019 & 2020

February 2020 - "Knowing what I need as creative individual stems from our CityLab7 "Pause" and the collaborations that arose from it, starting with Mushroom Farm. The gift of time has continued to deepen and evolve in my life; I am surprised and delighted when the "Pause" sprouts its effects above the surface, often when I least expect it. Those moments remind me that the "Pause" is at work all the time, if quietly. I look forward to remaining connected to ITP as life unfolds. I am so thankful to you, Maggie, and to Invoking the Pause for your instrumental impact on my life. The "Pause" continues to have magical ripples and echoes in the world…not only mine, but others.
~Gabriela Denise Frank, CityLab7, ITP Grant Partner 2010 & 2011        

October 2019 - Inscription in Erosion, the latest publication by author Terry Tempest Williams:  "For you dear Maggie.  This book comes to you with my love and gratitude for all the ways you opened my heart to climate justice. The Council of Pronghorn belongs to you.  With love, Terry Tempest Williams"
~Terry Tempest Williams, Council of Pronghorn, ITP Grant Partner 2008 - 2010, 2011

December 2018 - "Given the uncertainty we all are facing in these times of the global pandemic, we hope to be able to keep these plans as currently scheduled.  We are monitoring the crisis and will be in touch with our ITP community and allies , should events require different timing. As I was taking a break from my work and gazing out on the still winter lake just now, I was overcome by an overwhelming sense of gratitude that I needed to express to you and Invoking The Pause. 

As you know, you took a chance on me a little over two years ago. I had a crazy idea to change the world through the power of LED light bulbs, and you granted my team and I the incredible blessing of taking a pause to develop our idea. Little did we know, we would leave this pause not only refreshed and energized, but with a new business idea in tow. This new idea soon blossomed into Good Meets World, and my life was forever changed. Fast forward to today and Good Meets World has grown by leaps and bounds, reaching over 60 business members and over $100,000 in donations to our nonprofits partners. As I sit here and reflect on this journey, I want you to know that it is not lost on me that none of this would have been possible without you and Invoking The Pause. I will always be forever grateful for your kindness and support."
~Zach Tucker, Change The Bulb, ITP Grant Partner 2016 & 2017

November 2017 - "I was on the plane between NYC and Burlington, sitting next to a woman who had invested funds into RSF and so I raved to her about RSF in connection to Invoking the Pause, and how transformative it was for my project itself but just as much for the subsequent Invoking the Pause cohort gathering which, to me, seems to have made a CULTURE!  I feel like you have created like an INTIMATE, personal, feminine-led version of Bioneers!

Thats what I mean : serendity, synchronicity, synergy! Thank you SO MUCH for your vision that responded to time and place, to the lifting of a veil. I am deeply nourished by this and excited for what will continue to emerge!

I think truly the time is finally here : for EMBODIMENT of indigenous re centering, re-empowering female leadership, uplifting that  wisdom and creativity which lies in the margins, to dismantle patriarchy and oppression and move into true integration!
Many blessings to you for who you are, what you do, and how you do it!"
~Rulan Tangen, Dancing Earth, ITP Grant Partner 2017 & 2018

And more...
- "Respecting us to know what we need is huge - and rare"
- "I couldn't have done it without the pause...it's some of my most impactful work thus far"
- "Maggie's insistence on doing something not in our comfort zone; her deep compassion and her ability to hold that space enabled us to do (something) that we couldn't have done before. We achieved something totally different and so much better. We couldn't even picture what we could achieve"
- "Allowed us to stop and assess, which never happens without funds to do so...real changes as a result of pause and actively changed how we work"
- "(The pause...) Really shifted everything for us in a positive way...strategic roadmap we still use"
- "So much has happened with my work as a result of ITP that wouldn't have happened otherwise"
- "ITP has been singularly transformative both in terms of career and personal journey"
- "Climate change takes time and conceptual energy - which is usually not compensated"