Suzanne, is your money in a credit union or in a bank?
Credit unions invest in their communities while banks invest in many things, including the military industrial complex, the fossil fuel industry and lots of other unsavoury things.
I've always made a point of putting my money in a credit union where it will be more aligned with my values.
That could be on some checklist of things to do. We could use a massive coalition, so that by just a couple of keystrokes, good ideas could be acted on by millions of people. I keep touting that coalition idea and don't understand why it isn't happening.
I signed up for a credit union for teh money I keep in cash, but there was a lot of qualifying to do and I didn't follow through. But I'll go back to it now that you are confirming what was a vague idea I held that they were a good thing.
Suzanne, love your generou$ idea. I'm doing something similar on a much, much smaller scale. Is there a snail mail address where I can send a packet of information about my idea? I need connections. I'm almost 70, a retired waste reduction educator who was coordinator for a great program way back in the day when waste reduction/recycling was about respect for workers, markets, and the planet. Our program was about building community, motivating people to give back. My (outdated) website, www.WasteReductionResources.com. Thanks Suzanne. Louise Mann
Great quote on your site -- I love all those R words: “Because you don’t have to divert waste you don’t create, recycling should be your last option after reduction, reuse, restoration, repair, replace, etc.”
When words are twisted, when facts are buried, when power insists on spectacle over truth, art remains the voice of human conscience. In moments of fracture and doubt, this nation has turned to its artists. Copland’s Fanfare carried democracy’s sound into the storm of war. Martha Graham revealed truth where speeches faltered. Picasso’s Guernica turned slaughter into a cry that could not be ignored. Steinbeck gave dignity to the poor, Baldwin warned that to look away from our wounds is to perish by them, and Resnais’s Night and Fog forced audiences to reckon with atrocity.
Vision
The Arts Corps is a civic response in this lineage: a living engine of resistance and renewal. It funds artists who fuse craft with moral clarity:
Music that frames the struggle of the present in tones of defiance.
Dance and theater that move the body politic as much as the human body.
Visual art and film that record injustice and unveil hope, searing themselves into memory.
These works will not be decoration. They will be weapons of conscience—portable monuments, rooted in communities, yet able to travel far beyond the gallery or stage.
Why It Matters
When cruelty is rebranded as policy and distraction sold as freedom, creation itself becomes refusal. By funding protest songs, commissioning performances, and seeding projects that speak truth to power, the Arts Corps will spark a chain of cultural lighthouses—signals of conscience cutting through the fog of propaganda.
Implementation
Phase I: National Call. Open submissions for musicians, writers, filmmakers, dancers, and visual artists. Provide microgrants ($5k–$25k) to launch projects, with an additional $25k available if the scale and needs of the work require it.
Phase II: Community Network. Partner with schools, libraries, and small theaters as launch sites, ensuring works reach local audiences.
Phase III: Amplification. Curate annual showcases and a touring festival to carry the best Corps projects nationwide, online and onstage. Seek sponsors to extend the work beyond the first round of funding—leaving a legacy of kindness and beauty from a cruel and grotesque age.
End Goal
The Arts Corps will not measure itself by clicks or ticket sales but by whether a child in a forgotten town, or a worker at the end of their rope, hears in its music or sees in its images the truth of their own dignity.
Its mission is simple: when history asks what we did in the face of lies, we can answer—
Omg, how could I launch such a massive thing? As someone from the arts myself, I know that's deeply transformative territory. When I thought the crop circles could save the world -- from recognizing we aren't the only intelligence in the universe -- I made documentaries to let everyone know what was going on: https://SUESpeaks.org/crop-circles. So, I resonate with what you suggest. But how would we go about opening that up to the world and then even evaluating what came back, let alone nurturing things that get awards? That wouldn't be doable on my money. See the response I just made to Charles Bastille, another writer I greatly admire, for what to do with good ideas that aren't mine to act on. Maybe For Billionaires is a category!.
Thinking out loud, I just saw this video from America's Got Talent, and I am dissolved in tears. How about sharing things already done that are as moving as this, to get people tuned into the heart space we'd best be in for taking on the world? https://youtu.be/JDjgvIA0ZEg
Suzanne, your offer is truly inspiring. The way you are choosing to use your savings, not as something to guard but as something alive in service of humanity’s future, is such a powerful example. It makes me reflect on how each of us can bring forward what we have, whether it is money, time, skills, or creativity. Thank you for reminding us that even in dark times, we can choose to act with vision and generosity. You are planting seeds that give hope.
Thanks, Christy. My mother, who lived to 96 and had means, rejected my suggestion that she buy her grandchildren places to live instead of having her money tied up, doing nothing for anyone. Although she was very generous and charitable, she had suffered in the Depression, and I guess that's what got her to hold her principal instead of having it provide pleasure for people she loved. Being more aware than my mother was, it distresses me, as I'm getting older, to have assets that aren't bringing any good to anyone, so I'm off on this grand adventure!
its agony as one of those unable to donate any more to the many worthy causes in great need today — and so all hats off to you Sue, for trying this way.
Meanwhile, Kamala last night on her I07 Days, an interesting perspective on how deeply embedded and engineered is what’s going on today. I continue to claim it would be prudent — for we women and men together — to get it together and tackle the consciousness we need gain for ourselves and for each other to evolve beyond today’s divisive anatomy for the sake of our common humanity. And as a recovering Christian, on behalf of all (remaining?) life here on Mother Earth, abandoned for eons by….you know….our Father in heaven, ensuring the ever golden “Daddy” and all his “daddy’s girls’ keep buying into it.
It's uncomfortable for me here on Substack with everyone begging for paying subscribers. Pick me, pick me, pick me, and all the good reasons why. Something is basically wrong.
I had trouble with Kamala, still fighting her opponent instead of delivering some introspection, but consciousness is a serious track of mine. I tout Brian Swimme and the need for a new creation story, where humans are destined for glory. My Swimme playlist: https://suzannetaylor.substack.com/s/brian-thomas-swimme
And for where we took a wrong turn into patriarchy:
Unfortunately, you're stuck with the Substack subscription model. They won't change it.
You're not necessarily stuck with Substack, however.
An alternative newsletter provider is Ghost, which is open source at its core, which means that software folks can alter the code and create something in their image.
It's free (because it is open source). It would be a substantial amount of work for software pros to alter and test the code to the liking of the people who want to alter it. If such a thing were done, it should be an alliance or consortium of like-minded people who set up the requirements of the site/app. A site for the People, as it were.
I am sure there are other open source collections out there, but this is the only one I have familiarity with that somewhat emulates the Substack ecosphere. And it has achieved a fair amount of viability in the real world.
It lacks things like Notes, etc., but a good software team could add a community feature of some kind to help bring people together.
And, no, I have no interest in doing that myself. I would have 20 years ago, but my eyes don't really let me play with code anymore after my November stroke. But there are thousands of capable software developers out there who can do it.
That has a ring to it, but it's beyond my expertise to be able to deal with. What it makes me think about is a growing list of good ideas that aren't mine to act on. Any thoughts on the mechanics of how that would work, where it's widely known there are great ideas, coming from our camp that's looking to get humanity on an enlightened track, looking for funding by deeper pockets than mine? It would be quite wonderful if I've started something that will take on a life of its own.
Bowing back. When I first saw Ram Dass, maybe at Esalen, I asked him if I could follow him. He said no but I could write. So we corresponded, until he threw all the letters he had into the sea and said he wasn’t going to write any more, but that we were all connected in the ethers or some such. I liked it better when I got notes.
I need to build a prototype for a floating water desalinator that uses no external power.
I estimate the cost will be ~$100K, which given production I will be happy to return to continue the mission of bettering the future prospects of the species, which, having low power cheap water, will certainly do.
This is just the beginning and the first one-off, having the lowest development cost and highest ROI. As far as 'the struggle', what do 'they' have at their disposal? 'Don't bring a switchblade to a nuke fight' ~Max Keiser... if we want any chance at all, we must have an alternate economy at or near their level.
If you wish to discuss, I will be temporarily relocating back to SoCal starting October.
"Best person to take along on an adventure or on a team when facing a 'wicked problem'" All right! If you're coming to L.A., join me in getting some in-person action going at my house, as used to happen before Covid.
For your project, which sounds wonderful, I'm not the right funder. I'm for changing our minds to get us to go from being competitive to being cooperative before overshoot does us all in. Income inequality is deadly, but we need the will to make a radical change, and I'm looking for how we can get it that it's life or death to change our ways.
Hi Sue! Came here from your comment on RegenEarth Studio's post about raising funds and was wondering if you've allocated this budget to some project already and if yes, would love to learn about it!
If not, I'm developing a 90 day human potential lab: nervous system + art + community for people under high cognitive load and system disadvantaged talent. I want to create proof that when people are put into a supportive environment can live up to their full potential.
Problem we're addressing - burnout at epidemic levels, disconnection in the digital era, current solutions (10-day retreats, solo therapy) doesn't create lasting change.
The solution - 90-day cohort-based program (10 participants) combining:
* Nervous system regulation + somatic practices
* Deep creative work (collective art output that generates income for participants)
* Community living + regenerative design
* Measured outcomes (attention, wellbeing, creative output, life integration)
Business Model:
* Lab (nonprofit): Scholarship-based access
* Studio (for-profit): Produces/releases collective work, 50/50 revenue split with participants
* Media revenue: Documentary/series following cohort transformation (consent-based, profit-shared with participants). Potential streaming platform licensing or YouTube serialization.
* Commons Fund: Studio profits fund future scholarships
Scaling: Once proven, we scale through open-source replication (Blueprint + Facilitator Training) AND permanent rehabilitation campuses in war-affected regions. First target: Esalen-style nature campus in Ukraine for veterans, refugees, and displaced communities. Same nervous system healing + creative therapy model, adapted for trauma rehabilitation and reintegration.
What I need: $50k (floor), ideally $150 to run the first 90 day pilot with 10 participants. First cohort target: Mid-2026 Location: TBD (Lake Atitlán, Portugal, Costa Rica, Nepal - cost-effective with existing conscious community).
I saw your comment on Adam French's post about RegenEarth Studio's perspective about raising funds for regenerative projects.
My name is Eric. I am the original founder and CEO, now cofounder, of the RegenEarth Studio. I am also the founder and managing director of Keystone Species Co, a collective of portfolio companies, including RegenEarth Studio, that are on a mission to 'Make Humans A Keystone Species Again'.
I'd like to schedule a call with you to discuss your mission and vision, and your seeming willingness and desire to help others build a more beautiful and just world.
So good to hear back. Pre-COVID I liked it best when I worked with teams, producing local projects, and I'd love to be teamed up now. Regenerative is how everything should have been done, but we've got to rescue ourselves now, and I'm focused on what's restorative, working with how we think. Do you see that fitting with what you do? Share more here or email suzanne@mightycompanions.org.
Hi Suzanne. I will email you as you suggested. If you have the time, you might also want to listen to or read my first Substack about my mission and vision to 'Make Humans A Keystone Species Again.' You can do so here: https://substack.com/@ericamyot/p-176509705
I have some pretty cool ideas, but not sure how to express them on this platform without reservations. Feel free to email me, breannazayas2@gmail.com
I am adding a funding need at the bottom not for you directly but to gain some visibility and awareness to my situation which I will be centering and sharing about on my platform.
also wanted to add here for anyone who may want to directly donate to the urgent needs for the kids while I figure out this phase. The pool is set for 1,500 with donations stopping on the 10/02.
So far it looks like 400/1,590 has been raised.
Thank you all so much for your compassion and aid while we break this vicious cycle.
Suzanne, is your money in a credit union or in a bank?
Credit unions invest in their communities while banks invest in many things, including the military industrial complex, the fossil fuel industry and lots of other unsavoury things.
I've always made a point of putting my money in a credit union where it will be more aligned with my values.
That's my suggestion.
That could be on some checklist of things to do. We could use a massive coalition, so that by just a couple of keystrokes, good ideas could be acted on by millions of people. I keep touting that coalition idea and don't understand why it isn't happening.
I signed up for a credit union for teh money I keep in cash, but there was a lot of qualifying to do and I didn't follow through. But I'll go back to it now that you are confirming what was a vague idea I held that they were a good thing.
Suzanne, love your generou$ idea. I'm doing something similar on a much, much smaller scale. Is there a snail mail address where I can send a packet of information about my idea? I need connections. I'm almost 70, a retired waste reduction educator who was coordinator for a great program way back in the day when waste reduction/recycling was about respect for workers, markets, and the planet. Our program was about building community, motivating people to give back. My (outdated) website, www.WasteReductionResources.com. Thanks Suzanne. Louise Mann
Great quote on your site -- I love all those R words: “Because you don’t have to divert waste you don’t create, recycling should be your last option after reduction, reuse, restoration, repair, replace, etc.”
My email: suzanne@mightycompanions.org.
I have a fantastic idea (i think) - Ill send it along
I hope we can make Nassau County proud!
The Arts Corps
Premise
When words are twisted, when facts are buried, when power insists on spectacle over truth, art remains the voice of human conscience. In moments of fracture and doubt, this nation has turned to its artists. Copland’s Fanfare carried democracy’s sound into the storm of war. Martha Graham revealed truth where speeches faltered. Picasso’s Guernica turned slaughter into a cry that could not be ignored. Steinbeck gave dignity to the poor, Baldwin warned that to look away from our wounds is to perish by them, and Resnais’s Night and Fog forced audiences to reckon with atrocity.
Vision
The Arts Corps is a civic response in this lineage: a living engine of resistance and renewal. It funds artists who fuse craft with moral clarity:
Music that frames the struggle of the present in tones of defiance.
Dance and theater that move the body politic as much as the human body.
Visual art and film that record injustice and unveil hope, searing themselves into memory.
These works will not be decoration. They will be weapons of conscience—portable monuments, rooted in communities, yet able to travel far beyond the gallery or stage.
Why It Matters
When cruelty is rebranded as policy and distraction sold as freedom, creation itself becomes refusal. By funding protest songs, commissioning performances, and seeding projects that speak truth to power, the Arts Corps will spark a chain of cultural lighthouses—signals of conscience cutting through the fog of propaganda.
Implementation
Phase I: National Call. Open submissions for musicians, writers, filmmakers, dancers, and visual artists. Provide microgrants ($5k–$25k) to launch projects, with an additional $25k available if the scale and needs of the work require it.
Phase II: Community Network. Partner with schools, libraries, and small theaters as launch sites, ensuring works reach local audiences.
Phase III: Amplification. Curate annual showcases and a touring festival to carry the best Corps projects nationwide, online and onstage. Seek sponsors to extend the work beyond the first round of funding—leaving a legacy of kindness and beauty from a cruel and grotesque age.
End Goal
The Arts Corps will not measure itself by clicks or ticket sales but by whether a child in a forgotten town, or a worker at the end of their rope, hears in its music or sees in its images the truth of their own dignity.
Its mission is simple: when history asks what we did in the face of lies, we can answer—
We made beauty that would not bow.
Omg, how could I launch such a massive thing? As someone from the arts myself, I know that's deeply transformative territory. When I thought the crop circles could save the world -- from recognizing we aren't the only intelligence in the universe -- I made documentaries to let everyone know what was going on: https://SUESpeaks.org/crop-circles. So, I resonate with what you suggest. But how would we go about opening that up to the world and then even evaluating what came back, let alone nurturing things that get awards? That wouldn't be doable on my money. See the response I just made to Charles Bastille, another writer I greatly admire, for what to do with good ideas that aren't mine to act on. Maybe For Billionaires is a category!.
Thinking out loud, I just saw this video from America's Got Talent, and I am dissolved in tears. How about sharing things already done that are as moving as this, to get people tuned into the heart space we'd best be in for taking on the world? https://youtu.be/JDjgvIA0ZEg
Oh well. Just a thought.
Suzanne, your offer is truly inspiring. The way you are choosing to use your savings, not as something to guard but as something alive in service of humanity’s future, is such a powerful example. It makes me reflect on how each of us can bring forward what we have, whether it is money, time, skills, or creativity. Thank you for reminding us that even in dark times, we can choose to act with vision and generosity. You are planting seeds that give hope.
Thanks, Christy. My mother, who lived to 96 and had means, rejected my suggestion that she buy her grandchildren places to live instead of having her money tied up, doing nothing for anyone. Although she was very generous and charitable, she had suffered in the Depression, and I guess that's what got her to hold her principal instead of having it provide pleasure for people she loved. Being more aware than my mother was, it distresses me, as I'm getting older, to have assets that aren't bringing any good to anyone, so I'm off on this grand adventure!
its agony as one of those unable to donate any more to the many worthy causes in great need today — and so all hats off to you Sue, for trying this way.
Meanwhile, Kamala last night on her I07 Days, an interesting perspective on how deeply embedded and engineered is what’s going on today. I continue to claim it would be prudent — for we women and men together — to get it together and tackle the consciousness we need gain for ourselves and for each other to evolve beyond today’s divisive anatomy for the sake of our common humanity. And as a recovering Christian, on behalf of all (remaining?) life here on Mother Earth, abandoned for eons by….you know….our Father in heaven, ensuring the ever golden “Daddy” and all his “daddy’s girls’ keep buying into it.
It's uncomfortable for me here on Substack with everyone begging for paying subscribers. Pick me, pick me, pick me, and all the good reasons why. Something is basically wrong.
I had trouble with Kamala, still fighting her opponent instead of delivering some introspection, but consciousness is a serious track of mine. I tout Brian Swimme and the need for a new creation story, where humans are destined for glory. My Swimme playlist: https://suzannetaylor.substack.com/s/brian-thomas-swimme
And for where we took a wrong turn into patriarchy:
Really really really how we got into this mess
We need a different conception of God
https://suzannetaylor.substack.com/p/if-at-first-or-at-second-comments
Unfortunately, you're stuck with the Substack subscription model. They won't change it.
You're not necessarily stuck with Substack, however.
An alternative newsletter provider is Ghost, which is open source at its core, which means that software folks can alter the code and create something in their image.
The open source code is here:
https://github.com/TryGhost/Ghost
It's free (because it is open source). It would be a substantial amount of work for software pros to alter and test the code to the liking of the people who want to alter it. If such a thing were done, it should be an alliance or consortium of like-minded people who set up the requirements of the site/app. A site for the People, as it were.
I am sure there are other open source collections out there, but this is the only one I have familiarity with that somewhat emulates the Substack ecosphere. And it has achieved a fair amount of viability in the real world.
It lacks things like Notes, etc., but a good software team could add a community feature of some kind to help bring people together.
And, no, I have no interest in doing that myself. I would have 20 years ago, but my eyes don't really let me play with code anymore after my November stroke. But there are thousands of capable software developers out there who can do it.
That has a ring to it, but it's beyond my expertise to be able to deal with. What it makes me think about is a growing list of good ideas that aren't mine to act on. Any thoughts on the mechanics of how that would work, where it's widely known there are great ideas, coming from our camp that's looking to get humanity on an enlightened track, looking for funding by deeper pockets than mine? It would be quite wonderful if I've started something that will take on a life of its own.
Yeah, I wasn't anticipating you knowing how to implement such a thing. Just adding to the pile of ideas from a perspective I understand well.
and as Ram Dass said, last time I saw him in NY to a very big room full of people up at St John the Divine...."I bow to the God in you"
Bowing back. When I first saw Ram Dass, maybe at Esalen, I asked him if I could follow him. He said no but I could write. So we corresponded, until he threw all the letters he had into the sea and said he wasn’t going to write any more, but that we were all connected in the ethers or some such. I liked it better when I got notes.
I need to build a prototype for a floating water desalinator that uses no external power.
I estimate the cost will be ~$100K, which given production I will be happy to return to continue the mission of bettering the future prospects of the species, which, having low power cheap water, will certainly do.
This is just the beginning and the first one-off, having the lowest development cost and highest ROI. As far as 'the struggle', what do 'they' have at their disposal? 'Don't bring a switchblade to a nuke fight' ~Max Keiser... if we want any chance at all, we must have an alternate economy at or near their level.
If you wish to discuss, I will be temporarily relocating back to SoCal starting October.
"Best person to take along on an adventure or on a team when facing a 'wicked problem'" All right! If you're coming to L.A., join me in getting some in-person action going at my house, as used to happen before Covid.
For your project, which sounds wonderful, I'm not the right funder. I'm for changing our minds to get us to go from being competitive to being cooperative before overshoot does us all in. Income inequality is deadly, but we need the will to make a radical change, and I'm looking for how we can get it that it's life or death to change our ways.
No water, no mind to change.
No argument.
Hi Sue! Came here from your comment on RegenEarth Studio's post about raising funds and was wondering if you've allocated this budget to some project already and if yes, would love to learn about it!
If not, I'm developing a 90 day human potential lab: nervous system + art + community for people under high cognitive load and system disadvantaged talent. I want to create proof that when people are put into a supportive environment can live up to their full potential.
Problem we're addressing - burnout at epidemic levels, disconnection in the digital era, current solutions (10-day retreats, solo therapy) doesn't create lasting change.
The solution - 90-day cohort-based program (10 participants) combining:
* Nervous system regulation + somatic practices
* Deep creative work (collective art output that generates income for participants)
* Community living + regenerative design
* Measured outcomes (attention, wellbeing, creative output, life integration)
Business Model:
* Lab (nonprofit): Scholarship-based access
* Studio (for-profit): Produces/releases collective work, 50/50 revenue split with participants
* Media revenue: Documentary/series following cohort transformation (consent-based, profit-shared with participants). Potential streaming platform licensing or YouTube serialization.
* Commons Fund: Studio profits fund future scholarships
* Replication: Open-source model, facilitator training, autonomous chapters
Scaling: Once proven, we scale through open-source replication (Blueprint + Facilitator Training) AND permanent rehabilitation campuses in war-affected regions. First target: Esalen-style nature campus in Ukraine for veterans, refugees, and displaced communities. Same nervous system healing + creative therapy model, adapted for trauma rehabilitation and reintegration.
What I have:
* Vision, curriculum, facilitation background (breathwork, meditation, somatic work) + 5+ committed facilitators & multiple prospective participants ready
What I need: $50k (floor), ideally $150 to run the first 90 day pilot with 10 participants. First cohort target: Mid-2026 Location: TBD (Lake Atitlán, Portugal, Costa Rica, Nepal - cost-effective with existing conscious community).
Hello Suzanne.
I saw your comment on Adam French's post about RegenEarth Studio's perspective about raising funds for regenerative projects.
My name is Eric. I am the original founder and CEO, now cofounder, of the RegenEarth Studio. I am also the founder and managing director of Keystone Species Co, a collective of portfolio companies, including RegenEarth Studio, that are on a mission to 'Make Humans A Keystone Species Again'.
You can learn more about our work at Keystone Species Co. here: www.keystonespecies.co
I'd like to schedule a call with you to discuss your mission and vision, and your seeming willingness and desire to help others build a more beautiful and just world.
If you'd like to talk, you can email me at eric@keystonespecies.co
I look forward to our conversation.
So good to hear back. Pre-COVID I liked it best when I worked with teams, producing local projects, and I'd love to be teamed up now. Regenerative is how everything should have been done, but we've got to rescue ourselves now, and I'm focused on what's restorative, working with how we think. Do you see that fitting with what you do? Share more here or email suzanne@mightycompanions.org.
Hi Suzanne. I will email you as you suggested. If you have the time, you might also want to listen to or read my first Substack about my mission and vision to 'Make Humans A Keystone Species Again.' You can do so here: https://substack.com/@ericamyot/p-176509705
You and I are working from the same playbook. You end your piece with what I’m all about:
“What I want—what I think we want—is to remember what it feels like to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
“To create a culture that makes aliveness the metric of success.
To raise our children in a world that is not just livable, but beautiful.
“If you’re a human who cares about building a more beautiful and just world, I’m your ally.
If you’ve ever felt like you were born for something more honest, more sacred, and more collaborative, you’re already part of this movement.”
My efforts are to tune us into the basic design of humans as a cooperative species, and from there we can go on with new designs for how we live.
I have some pretty cool ideas, but not sure how to express them on this platform without reservations. Feel free to email me, breannazayas2@gmail.com
I am adding a funding need at the bottom not for you directly but to gain some visibility and awareness to my situation which I will be centering and sharing about on my platform.
also wanted to add here for anyone who may want to directly donate to the urgent needs for the kids while I figure out this phase. The pool is set for 1,500 with donations stopping on the 10/02.
So far it looks like 400/1,590 has been raised.
Thank you all so much for your compassion and aid while we break this vicious cycle.
https://www.paypal.com/pool/9iA9ZK5RI4?sr=accr