Closing Remarks #41

On a recent episode of comedian Neal Brennan's excellent podcast Blocks, he was visibly overjoyed to be joined by the popular philosopher Alain de Botton. Alain shared that he was "a big believer in good endings to relationships" because he knows that bad endings can "leave you messed up for years."

You can believe my ears perked up when I heard that. Alain, are you out there reading Closing Remarks, my friend? It sounds like it, 'cause you're definitely speaking like a member of the tribe.

De Botton goes on to provide super concise and excellent guidance about how to do endings well, advising us to, "Be clear. Tell them the truth. Say it early on say it clearly. And do not try to be nice by like backing out the door with a smile."

I couldn't say it better myself! You win, my guy.

Here are the links:

1) Iowa community theater takes a bow, Die Hard Christmas show cancelled
Mirrorbox Theatre is a volunteer theater company dedicated to bringing in and performing plays that have never been seen by Iowa audiences. It was founded in 2018 and found its permanent performance space in 2022. After numerous fundraising campaigns over the past two years, they've announced the end, disappointing those who planned to see this year's production of the blockbuster play Die Hard...Is A Christmas Movie.

2) Transphobic legislation forces closure of queer youth housing
Earlier this year, the Ohio state legislature passed laws explicitly barring funds to shelters promoting "social gender transition". As a result, Columbus's Kaleidoscope Youth Center immediately lost access to the Department of Health funds that made up the lion's share of their LGBTQ youth housing program budget.

Residents were advised of the planned shuttering in September and given until November to arrange new accommodations. While this represents a blow to those who relied on the housing and associated services Kaleidoscope provided, many have been pleased to see the wider community rally to fill some of the vacuum.

3) Funds dry up for menstruation supplies group
For nearly a decade, Bloody Good Period raised funds to ensure that more food banks and asylum seeker drop-in centers could also provide their clients with sorely-needed menstrual sanitation products. As is so often the case, the group cited a persistent lack of funds for their untimely shutdown.

4) Infrastructure work brakes beloved community cafe
Great Basin Co-Op runs its Foodshed Cafe as a service to its community in Reno, Nevada. According to co-op leaders, the focus
of the cafe was to support the community's local food system and provide healthy and affordable to their community. However, ongoing road work has made the space inaccessible to many who need it most. The group still hopes to re-open after construction has been completed.

5) Disability charity to close after nearly a century

Founded in 1934, Queen Elizabeth's Foundation for Disabled People (QEF), in Leatherhead supports nearly 10,000 people a year with rehabilitation, mobility services, housing, and also disability awareness training. While financial challenges forced this untimely end, the organization publicly announced a 28 day wind-down program to rehouse their residential clients.

6) How Trump’s DOJ Wiped Out a Pioneering Anti-Violence Nonprofit
“Anything that relies so much on the control of wealthy people who often are very distant from the issues that we’re addressing,” Hodge said, “has never had the firmest foundation.”

A Mother Jones feature on the devastating impact this year's abrupt DOJ cuts have had on anti-violence programs and vulnerable communities throughout the United States.

7) $2 Billion Later, Ford Scraps Its Institution-Building Program
"Philanthropy observers gave credit to Ford for making such a large financial commitment to strengthening social justice organizations and sticking with it for quite some time. But some wondered why the foundation was ending a program that had gotten sparkling results from several rounds of independent analyses and served as an example of the “trust-based” approach to philanthropy by making long-term, no-strings-attached grants."

As Darren Walker transitioned out of his role at the helm of the Ford Foundation and new President Heather Gerken moved in, the decision was quietly made to sunset one of his flagship programs. While many in the field lament the fact that the funds are no longer going to be available -- at least not through that program -- others are also disappointed that the information was not shared in a thoughtful and timely way.

Closing Remarks is brought to you by The Wind Down, a consultancy for exploring, building, designing, and delivering better endings for mission-driven projects and organizations, and also raising closure consciousness. If you're enjoying it, please support my work.