Weekly Update: The business of Rooted Resilience and working on a grant-funded project.
This week, we're into some serious project planning and gratitude (always).
We will send out a brief digest of the week’s activities each Saturday morning.
Leave us a comment - we’d love to hear from you!
Building a Grant-Funded Project from the Ground Up
So what happens when you receive a large grant?? Besides of course, having a lil’ celebration?! Wait, we haven’t done that yet . . . !
Well, to be honest, this is not the most glamorous part of the process. But, we do think documenting this phase of the work (a very real part of said process) could be a useful reference point for a. our future selves and b. folks out there who are doing similar community-focused, heart-centered, grant-funded work.
Since the news of our grant from Mass Humanities, we’ve been signing paperwork, writing press releases, starting up our Substack (you’re here!), understanding our grant-reporting responsibilities, organizing our processes for working together, and continuing to share our crowdfunding campaign (Psst. This grant requires at least a $2000 match!).
While this isn’t the most stimulating part of the work, it is giving us time to ground into the new reality that our multimedia project will be LIVE In the Spring of 2025. Knowing that we have incredible support in moving towards our launch motivates and inspires us!
As folks who are doing community work that often feels under-supported, we are feeling glad for this new era. We’re so thankful for ALL of the learning and doing in this process, and will keep sharing as we journey on!
Co-Director Reflections:
Sharing gratitude will always be a high-priority item on our to-do list.
It has been TWO beautiful weeks since we shared our big fundraising news and FOUR amazing weeks since we first shared the inception of this project and our crowdfunding campaign with you.
We are reflecting on one of our core values being sharing gratitude with one another, our collaborators, and supporters at every moment we can in the process of building this .
This week, we are reflecting on what we are thankful for in this moment:
A word from M:
“I’m deeply thankful to every single person who has shared their excitement about this project with me - it brings joy and connection in a moment that feels more than a little surreal with the bigger and harder events of the world tearing at my heart these days.”
A word from Luc:
“To feel supported in preserving our region’s rich queer history makes me want to jump for joy! I am continually amazed and heartened by how swiftly our community rallies around what we believe in. To see the momentum building for this project is everything.”
We hope you will continue to follow along and consider joining us in this endeavor of documenting and sharing our intersectional creative histories by responding to our call for stories (below) and engaging with us here on Substack!
We want to hear your stories of queer, creative resilience.
Who would we be, were it not for each other?
In a world that often tries to silence and scatter us, we are here in this region - vibrant, dynamic, and authentically ourselves, in all of the mess that it is to be human in these times.
We know there are magical things you are thinking, doing, and saying, that we have never engaged with. We know there are more narratives to be shared than what we can fit into the first season of our project. We know that your voice belongs in our shared collective history.
Add your voice to a new digital archive dedicated to preserving and sharing the histories of contemporary 2SLGBTQIA+ creative individuals in Western Massachusetts.
Email us a voice memo or written note at rootedresiliencepod@gmail.com or comment on this post in response to any of these queries:
When you think about 2SLGBTQIA+ narratives being preserved today, what do you hope future generations will take away from hearing these stories?
What do you, as a 2SLGBTQIA+ individual, need to hear from the narratives of those in our community?
What do you want to share with those in our community about you and how you are creating and rooting in these times?
Voice memos and writing not your thing? Don’t fret - we’re working on a schedule of community events where we’ll be available to connect with you in-person!
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