Weav Newsletter (11/12/2025)
Seven and a half years!
That’s how long ago we formed Weav Studio. It is the understatement of the century to say a lot has happened since then. 45. COVID. 46. 47. A move across the country. A move across the Hudson River. A two year old. And so much more.
Through all of it, we’ve been learning, stretching, and growing right alongside the more than forty organizations we’ve supported over the years. And we’re still here. Still doing the work we care about the most with people and organizations we respect, admire, and love. We’re still partnering with teams who act deeply, lead with integrity, and are trying to build something better, even as the ground keeps shifting beneath us.
As we near the end of this year and look ahead to the next (while taking a very, very big breath in), we want to reflect what we’re hearing from the individuals, teams, and organizations in this immense time of uncertainty, transition, and possibility for a more just world. Despite how difficult it seems to move through each day witnessing the amount of suffering no modern human was ever meant to watch unfold, much less endure, we are still seeing powerful, moving, and tearfully beautiful ways our clients are showing up.
We are honored to be in this work with you all. And again, we remind every reader of this email WE ARE HERE with you, for you, and we want to share how we are pivoting to meet what we’re hearing folks need most at this time…and read through to the end for some endearing personal updates.
With love and gratitude,
Mel & Erika
SERVICES / WHAT WE DO
Our support requests continue to set precedent for what teams are needing to navigate the shifting sands of funding, federal targeting, and staff exhaustion. Here are the big questions we are hearing throughout the ecosystem…
“How do we make strategy decisions and stay on course while we manage a significant budget deficit and have to consider reducing staff?”
“What are ways we can prioritize staff wellness when the hits just keep coming?”
“How do we need to shift our fundraising to have more secure relationships with our current funders and find more reliable funding sources?
“How can we learn to stop the lateral violence pervasive in our organizing communities so we can be more focused on leveraging our collective power to resist this fascist federal takeover?”
We will continue to help teams answer these questions through our primary service offerings including equity-centered strategic planning and collaborative skill-building with teams. We also want to highlight our other services offerings that help teams navigate some of these big questions.
Fundraising Strategy & Funder Relationship Development
As a new offering, we’re pulling back out our development and fundraising skills and tools to offer coaching, strategy, and thought-partnership to help teams facing funding shortfalls. This ranges from strategies to diversify and stabilize funding through relationship-based development approaches, cultivating funder partnerships grounded in trust, transparency, and mutual accountability, and/or making direct connections throughout the philanthropic ecosystem.
Strategic Realignment & Decision-Making Support
Simplifying our strategic planning tools, we are working with teams right now to make grounded, relationship-centered decisions in the midst of uncertainty to clarify priorities, explore scenarios, and find a path that aligns with both strategic goals and current capacity.
Conflict Transformation & Healing Practices
We are supporting teams to recognize and shift patterns of lateral violence (the way we come for each other when we’re stretched beyond our limits) and burnout. We’re offering a mix of individualized coaching and restorative team spaces and practices to rebuild trust and trustworthiness, strengthen relationships, and refocus our energy toward cooperation.
If your team is grappling with some of these big questions or in need of support in these areas, please reach out and/or keep us in mind as you build your budget for 2026.
Many of you may recall that we LOVE abortion funds and getting to support the work of these incredible organizations. As a reminder, abortion funds provide access to abortion care through financial, practical (travel, lodging, food, childcare, etc.), and emotional support to people seeking abortion care. TL;DR they’re badass.
After a brief hiatus from getting to work with abortion funds, we are thrilled to be working with the Montana Abortion Access Program (MAAP) on their strategic plan this year. In a moment when so much feels uncertain and unknown, MAAP is investing in thoughtful planning, strengthening relationships, and in creating internal systems and infrastructure that will enable them to meet whatever authoritarian schlop gets thrown at us next.
Amidst all the chaos in this country, they are demonstrating how important it is for us to stay grounded in who we are, who we are for, and what we’re trying to do while thinking creatively and strategically to prepare for the inevitability of change.
To learn more about Montana Abortion Access Program or to donate, head over to their website here.
As you may know, we are both affiliates with the Interaction Institute for Social Change. The 2026 public training dates for Facilitative Leadership for Social Change, our most recommended training, will be live on their website next week and can be found here. Erika has been a long-time trainer of this curriculum and many of you will recognize the tools and frameworks from our own work with you. Please let us know if you sign up!
ERIKA
TRAGEDY! THE BAND BROKE UP! Some of you may recall Erika was drumming in a very fun all femme Latin pop band, Katiria and the Villanas. Sadly, after our summer show series our band decided to consciously uncouple (unquintet?). Although we wish there was juicier gossip to share, our incredible singer got married this fall and is now pregnant and taking a pause to grow a human and start a new chapter of her life, WE’RE ALL VERY HAPPY FOR HER. Not to worry, Erika is still part of their 90s lesbian rock cover band, Bejeweled, and will continue performing at all the local queer birthdays, holiday parties, and backyard hangouts.
MEL
VICTORY! THE CHILD IS POTTY-TRAINED! It was a surprisingly quick and painless process and River is a total rock star (like their titi, Erika). In addition to celebrating a number of big milestones for this tiny, but quickly growing human, Mel has achieved a small, but gratifying parental milestone; sewing the whole family's group Halloween costumes. If you have their number, ask them to send you a very adorable photo of a DIY very hungry caterpillar, watermelon, and plum.
And in case you are wondering whether Mel has a life outside of being a parent, the answer is... a little bit. They were quick to organize a social club called “GaY sUbUrBaN dReAmS” where queer parents get together for group outings without their kids to do suburban things like Paint and Sip and gay things like going to North Jersey’s number one gay night club (Club Feathers). This is… the gay suburban dream.
