IMPACT STATEMENT
Hundreds of individuals have participated in Invoking The Pause, representing a broad spectrum of fields and expertise, including the arts, sciences, communications, media, education, energy, agriculture, theatre, permaculture, impact investing, resilience, social justice, public policy, systems thinking, conservation, social enterprise, technology, and water. As a result of their engagement, networks have expanded, partnerships have been forged, and new strategies for addressing climate challenges have been catalyzed.
ABOUT ITP
WHAT
We invest in people, collaborations, and cross-sector network development. We use small grants to fund strategic ‘pauses’ to help innovators refresh and renew their thinking on climate challenges. We are guided by principles that embrace risk, openness, iteration, fairness, action, and paying it forward, and we partner with innovators who share these sentiments.
WHY
We believe collaboration and communication are essential levers to advance new climate challenge strategies. When ideas, talent and capital flow organically through a diverse network, we begin to operate like the very systems we seek to save – interconnected, interdependent and highly efficient. We know innovation often occurs in the margins where it can get stuck. We support projects that permeate conventional boundaries to solve climate challenges.
HOW
We believe small is beautiful and strategic, and work closely with a small cohort each year to encourage cross-sector collaborations to help test, refine and take action on climate issues. We fund early-stage initiatives, accepting a level of uncertainty and risk in order to incubate and germinate new climate challenge strategies. Two reflective and retreat-like ‘pauses’ have been the hallmark of our efforts to spur innovation. The first strategic pause has been designed by each grant partner to foster creativity and innovation. The second has brought together grant partners and allies to test and refine projects, foster deeper collaborations, and accelerate the impact of their collective efforts. Since we have switched to a 3-year model, the nature of the first pause has shifted depending on the project, but we continue our second collaborative pause to bring all grant partners and allies together.
TO DATE, ITP HAS FUNDED 194 PROJECTS – INCLUDING CROSS-POLLINATION GRANTS.
05/08/2025
ITP is fiscally sponsored by Forward Global
ITP Circle of Influence
Catalyzing new strategies to address climate challenge realities
“RETURN on (RO)” METRICS
ROC: Return on Collaboration & Connection
What happens when new connections, collaborations and learning produce positive and oftentimes unexpected consequences?
Premise: When people are given the opportunity to meet and work with new colleagues or spend purposeful time with familiar faces, knowledge and networks grow. If investments have been carefully geared to foster knowledge sharing, build diverse networks, and provide the time and space for new thinking – ideas, outcomes and cross-sector collaborations will emerge that could not have been predicted.
Measures: Number of initiatives that emerge from collaborations between and among Grant Partners and Allies, from introductions, and from other investments. Number of new connections made.
ROI: Return on Ideas and Inspirations
What happens as a result of taking the time to “Pause” and explore new ideas?
Premise: When people are given the ability to take reflective “time out” from their daily routines in a collaborative and creative space, they are more open to new ideas and approaches. While the path from idea generation to actuation is rarely linear and often hard to trace, the likelihood of these ideas emerging without the gift of collaborative pause is limited.
Measures: Number of ideas and new insights that gain traction as a result of an ITP Pause. What happened because of the pause that would not have happened otherwise (or at least not in such a timely manner).
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 Convening/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 2025 – “I remember the first time I received a grant from Invoking the Pause in 2017 and read that I was now a “Grant Partner.” It was the first time a funder had chosen words that evoke an equal relationship. This moved me deeply and it is indicative of Maggie’s radical approach to her foundation. The story of ITP is an incredible model for funding climate action and one I hope will be replicated by many in the years to come: figure out what you care about, find individuals and small organizations doing this work, support them and love them unconditionally, bring them together to spark new connections and ideas, listen and grow with them, keep doing the work. How fortunate and grateful I am to be part of this incredible community of climate-warriors that Maggie has nurtured through her concern for the planet and her love of people, art, science, and journalism. I can not imagine how my work would have happened without her over the last seven years. Everything has been possible because of ITP.”
Sarah Cameron Sunde, 36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea, ITP Grant Partner 2017, 2019, 2020, 2022-2024
March 2025 – “Working with Invoking the Pause has been transformative for me as both a filmmaker and activist. There is truly no other funder like Maggie: her unwavering belief in my potential and her flexible, supportive approach have made all the difference in allowing me to focus on creating meaningful work. Over the past three years of the Climate Cohort Challenge, she showed time and time again a true trust in the vision for the Change Makers series. Her support empowered us to think globally, amplifying important voices and stories, showing the power of individuals as catalysts for change. Maggie is not just a funder but also a partner in our vision, and I’m deeply grateful for all the ways Maggie has shown up and championed our work.”
Casey Beck, Program Director Digital Media Practices, Tulane University, ITP Grant Partner 2012, 2013, 2017, 2022-2024
March 2025 – “Participating in the Invoking the Pause retreat was a rare and invaluable opportunity to step back, reflect, and connect with other changemakers across the climate action spectrum. The retreat fostered a space for stillness– allowing peace, creativity, and connection to blossom. Working on climate issues can be challenging and sometimes overwhelming, but coming together to share our unique approaches to this collective crisis rekindled my energy, reaffirmed why this work matters, and strengthened my commitment to it.”
Grant Bradski, As You Sow, ITP Grant Partner 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022-2024
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