March Newsletter: The world needs your ____

NEWSLETTER VOL 13 | March 2025

The world needs your _______.

The world needs your presence. Your passion. Your art. The world needs your humanity. And you need it, too.

Whether your staying ahead of the headlines, or taking a break from the 24/7 onslaught of information — we must keep creating, generating and ideating. Grief requires expression. Rage needs to be channeled. Hope necessitates action.

Creating isn’t only for artists. Author and music producer Rick Rubin says that creativity is not an ability. It is not difficult to access. Rather, it is is a fundamental aspect of being human… It could be a conversation, the solution to a problem, a note to a friend, the rearrangement of furniture in a room, etc. (learn more in his featured book below).

So whether your more focused on the micro-events of your daily life, or the macro-uncertainties of the broader world, keep dreaming. Keep doing. Keep being. We need your ______.

Crowd Sourcing by Seattle artist Beth Ann Lawson

“Make art. Make bad art. Make art for yourself. Share your art. Your real, authentic work made by a human being. I can't stress enough how important this is, now more than ever.” - @notholaenas

BLOG POSTS

Fri, Mar 28

Three decades of making ‘Main Street America’ great. So why are CDFIs under attack?

Learn about the role Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) play in strengthening Main Street America, the nature of the current attack against them, and the advocacy efforts that are saving the sector.

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

“I set out to write a book about what to do to make a great work of art. Instead, it revealed itself to be a book on how to be.” —Rick Rubin

Over the years, as he has thought deeply about where creativity comes from and where it doesn’t, music producer Rick Rubin has learned that being an artist isn’t about your specific output, but rather it’s about your relationship to the world. Creativity has a place in everyone’s life, and everyone can make that place larger. In fact, according to Rubin, creating is our most important responsibility. This easy read is full of nuggets of wisdom.

Poverty, By America

The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?

In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor.

UPCOMING EVENTS

NextGen investors for social impact: The power to scale Employee Ownership (Webinar)

Join Leslie for a discussion around the unprecedented opportunity to scale employee ownership (EO) as a solution to wealth inequality in the U.S. and the pivotal role NextGen investors can play in this movement.

Check out the Lab’s newest white paper on how the Great Wealth Transfer and baby boomer retirement wave (the "Silver Tsunami") are positioned to transform the landscape of employee ownership (EO).

Hands Off: National Day of Mobilization on April 5

“Hands Off” is a nonviolent, national day of mobilization to resist what the organization refers to as “the most brazen power grab in modern history” by Trump and Musk.

Join our team at the Seattle event, which takes place on Saturday, April 5th 12:00 PM — 3:00 PM PDT at the Seattle Center. The afternoon will consist of a Rally & Protest, Live Music & Art, Speakers, including: Former Governor Jay Inslee U.S. House Representative Pramila Jayapal Port Commissioner Hamdi Mohammed, and more.

Other local rally locations include: Bainbridge, Renton, Bothell, Shoreline and Redmond. There is also a virtual “Mass Call for mobilizing against Trump's power grab” on Tuesday, April 1st from 8 - 9pm EDT. Register for the call here.

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