MARCH NEWSLETTER | Finding (and Investing in) Moments of Joy
Hi friends,
How are you holding up?
Trying to live with kindness amidst a barrage of horrifying news has us focused on emotional self-regulation. How can we stay focused on a hopeful future?*
We’re sharing good news (here and with each other) to continue investing in community while making space for joy.
In solidarity,
*Modernist’s morning huddle starts with 2 minutes of meditation and ends with sharing one thing we’re grateful for - try it with your team to reset ahead of a busy day!
investing insights
Phew! Markets can shift fast in a few months. Check out the video to remember how 2024 markets ended. Then in this dispatch from our Investment Committee, we take a look at where we’re at with inflation along with top risks (such as aggressive tariff policies) and sources of stability (robust consumer spending).
Keep an eye on Georgia’s LinkedIn for her updates and recs around recent market volatility.
FROM THE TEAM
Our team celebrated the Lunar New Year with a fantastic evening of dumpling-making under the guidance of Chef Zach at Cookshop!
It was great to hang out, learn new skills, and then enjoy the tasty meal we’d created together!
MODERNIST TAKES IT OUTSIDE
What if stay-at-home parents asked for (and negotiated!) their employee benefits? 🤯 In a recent conversation with Farnoosh, Georgia made the case for full-time caregivers receiving benefits, just like their paid partners.
Good news
Progressive policy in action! 👏 A recent report shows that Portland’s voter-approved Supportive Housing Services Measure helped 2,322 people transition from homelessness into housing, marking a 76% increase from the previous year and a terrific 89% rate of retention one year later.
We’re thrilled to see businesses returning to or re-committing to downtown Portland, especially the delicious and award-winning Nodoguro, who will be moving to the historic Morgan building, Modernist HQ’s neighbor! 😋 Read more about why they’re making the move downtown.
FUND YOUR HEROES
Fight back with joy… and glitter! Just one way we’re standing up to the hate is by helping our friends get the Dragathon Documentary made. The Longest Ever Drag Show (as crowned by the Guinness Book of World Records) raised $311K for the Trevor Project and now has a chance to continue spreading joy and dissent. And couldn’t we all use a little joy right now?
We need to support work transitions as Federal workers’ departments are purged.
This USAID to Corporate Roadmap is designed to simplify the transition from humanitarian work to getting a job in the private sector.
A SONG THAT’S REALLY ABOUT FAMILY VALUES
We wish the people who say they support family values were more like Sade (actually…we wish everyone was more like Sade). The gorgeous song “Young Lion” is a loving apology to her son for not seeing and celebrating his masculinity sooner. Let’s start asking: WWSD? (What would Sade do?)
Young man, it's been so heavy for you
You must have felt so alone
The anguish and pain
I should've known
With such a heavy burden
You had to carry all on your own
Check out the entire epic album TRAИƧA, a 46-track prismatic spiritual journey in 8 chapters celebrating gender expansive lives.