Welcome to another installment of Intention 2 Impact’s Heart-2-Heart — our monthly newsletter where we share what’s on our mind, in our hearts, and up our sleeves.

This month’s newsletter goes hard on the themes of joy & mental health, which go together like pb&j. Or for those of you with nut allergies, like coffee & donuts. Or for those of you staying away from caffeine and refined sugar, like carrots & hummus.

On Our Minds

How to Make Good Famous by Centering Joy

Team I2I was pleased as a pie (key lime, of course 🥧) to spend last week in Miami, FL for the third annual Make Good Famous Summit, hosted by longstanding I2I partner, The Elevate Prize Foundation.

This year’s Summit aimed to amplify the work of social innovators at the forefront of a ‘New Era of Impact’. I2I Partner & COO, Kathleen, repped I2I at the event. The energy of Summit hit different this year as the philanthropic sector and the communities it exists to resource remain under assault from the actions of the US federal government.

Across over 40 speakers and an array of artfully curated panels, plenaries, and breakout workshops, there was a sense of urgency to meet the grimness of the moment, and also a recurring call for imagination and joy.

From the jump, Tynesha McHarris of the Black Feminist Fund set the tone of the events during the opening plenary, reminding attendees that the current opposition is coming to destroy the infrastructure that supports our social movements that seek equity, liberation, and justice for those most marginalized. She took it a step farther by poignantly asserting that “they are coming for our energy and imagination.”

Of course, we’ve been here before. McHarris schooled the audience in history, harkening back to the abolitionist movement, noting that the time lapse between the first documented meeting about abolishing slavery and the 13th Amendment was 177 years. She challenged us to interrogate whether we are prepared to be in the current fight for just as long.

She asserted that to make sure we are able to stay in the fight and ultimately WIN, we must actually like what we do, and refuse to let the opposition “suck our joy”.

Some of you might be thinking, “that’s cute, borderline immature” or “who has time for joy in these times?!”

But make no bones about it, joy is not a luxury. Many I2I foundation partners are laser focused on funding strategies that aim to build the infrastructure needed to advance long-term social change. They’re dropping tons of resources to boost physical infrastructure (e.g., hubs & gathering spaces), financial infrastructure (e.g., leverage, diverse funding streams), social infrastructure (e.g., enabling conditions that make it easier to create shared agendas across orgs).

Rarely, if ever, have we heard “joy” so clearly articulated as a necessary pillar in social change infrastructure. But it’s absolutely on point. 📌

‘Cause TBH, without joy we are not going to be able to outlast the current administration let alone continue pursuing justice for the next century.

Centering joy is not making light of the work, nor does it signal that the work will be easy. It won’t be. It never will be. For more on what joy looks like in practice: check out this article on the Radical Politics of Joy.

When there is joy in the work, and love for the people we do it with, there is imagination.

And when there is imagination, there is hope.

And when there is hope, there is a path forward.

And when there is a path, we can continue the movement.

Stay joyful, friends. ✨

In Our Hearts

What Gives Us Joy

It’s May, which means it is Mental Health Awareness Month! In its 76th year, the month makes visible the experiences of millions of Americans living with mental health conditions, with the purpose of dismantling stigma, bolstering support, spreading public education, and advancing policies that prioritize well-being.

Braiding the themes of joy and Mental Health Awareness Month, each I2I core team member shared a reflection to the prompt: “If your joy had a color, a sound, or an image — what would it be?”

Nina: If my joy was a color it would be a mix of ocean blues! One of my favorite joyful experiences is floating in the ocean...there is something about the vastness and rhythm that always calms me and makes me feel more connected to myself and the external world.
Ashley: If my joy were an image, it’d be fireworks exploding across the sky - bursts of colors that don’t last long but light up everything while they’re happening. Even after the moment of joy passes (like after fireworks end), there’s still a positive memory and feeling that lingers.
Emma: My joy image is sunshine reflecting on a body of water - warming, sparkly, and refreshing with all the smells, sounds, and sensations that come along with sitting in the sun by water.
Kathleen: My joy is the sound of a dirt path crunching beneath my feet, birds chirping above my head, and leaves rustling all around me. The sounds of nature bring me peace and more than ever I realize that peace brings joy for me.
Sahiti: The privilege to be loved as a mother is my JOY! My daughter walks into my room in her deep slumber, kisses me all over my face and snuggles up so close that a shred of paper could not pass between us! Her warm (stinky) breathe in my face, soft tiny hands on my body, and little sleepy sounds (sometimes dream-induced laughter) are feelings I never want to forget! 💕

Up Our Sleeves

📣New Project Loading 📣

Continuing the Mental Health Awareness Month celebrations, we’re proud to announce a new project with our longtime partner, Hopelab!

Hopelab works to create a world where young people, especially BIPOC and LGBTQ+ teens and young adults, are thriving and free from barriers to their mental health and well-being.

I2I is teaming up with Hopelab (again ❤️) to co-create and implement a MERL framework for their Young Leaders initiative, including an evaluation of the Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund (RTYPF …try saying that ten times fast). This pooled fund supports youth-led and intergenerational nonprofits working at the intersection of tech and social good.

Let’s be real — the tech landscape carries the fingerprints of every generation. Gen X built it (clearly without a user manual for mental health consequences), Millennials adapted to it in real time, and Gen Z? They’ve grown up immersed in it, seen the harms firsthand, and are uniquely positioned to build something better.

That’s exactly why Hopelab is investing in young leaders under 30, whose lived experience drives more relevant, human-centered solutions. We’re honored to support Hopelab’s Young Leaders Initiative and RTYPF to build a learning infrastructure that reflects young leaders’ insight and amplifies their impact.

If you need a sidekick to jumpstart measurement, evaluation, and learning for a pooled fund or strategic initiative… call us, beep us, you know how to reach us (Kim Possible, anyone?).