Giving Compass' Take:

• The Philanthropy Workshop talks about how environmental scientists should take the occasional "strategic pause" in their work in order to look at the big picture and work toward partnerships that can inspire innovation.

• This might be a good lesson for all of us, whether in the research field or not: Are we seeing the forest from the trees, as it were? Are we staying true to our missions?

• Learn about the scientists who received a prize for exploring the ocean-climate connections.

After seeing “An Inconvenient Truth,” I bumped into a friend while dog walking in Sonoma. She was an environmental scientist who lacked the time and resources to examine complex environmental data about climate change in the Bay Area. It was clear this project was critical and potentially impactful for our region, and, at that moment, I realized I could help by offering her the “gift of time” to “invoke a pause” so to collaborate with a fellow scientist.

The resulting collaborations, connections and innovations that emerged from the strategic pauses I funded was inspiring.

Providing these scientists funding in order to step away from their day-to-day routines and sort through this environmental challenge proved profoundly significant to their professional lives.

That walk launched my ten-year old small grants program, Invoking the Pause, and set me on a path to support climate change work with an unconventional approach. I thought then, and know now, that giving people the time and space — on their own terms — to dig deep on big issues would give them the capacity and confidence to explore new ideas in collaboration with others.

Read the full article on giving scientists a chance to step back by Maggie Kaplan at The Philanthropy Workshop.