Our non profit sector is fragmented yet critical to the wellbeing of those below the poverty line. They serve as a delivery mechanism of government aid in the U.S. But, what if they vanished. That seems highly unlikely, but what if more realistically, they hollowed out. There are many forces working against the nonprofit, namely inflation and politics. Nonprofit sector workers get hit by a double whammy of a decrease in giving, and an increase in the amount of money it costs to survive where they live. What they’re making doesn’t cut it in the neighborhoods they live in. But, those are external factors that can change for the better. Meek Earth Studio argues that while there are flaws in the philosophy behind how the public views nonprofits, there are deeper, more fundamental needs in our society that nonprofits can’t meet.
Capitalism isn’t evil, but it’s not perfect either. We don’t have any realistic alternatives, and other models like monarchy and communism and socialism historically ended in failure. One of capitalism's biggest strengths is competition. People are incentivized to compete and innovate and make capital for their own wellbeing. People also compete for their own self interest. These are two important distinctions. The very same model that propels people to be productive and innovate also leads people to be selfish.
That’s why we at meek earth studio want to use the desire to compete and innovate for good—by integrating wellbeing with self interest.
Martin Luther King Jr. read Hegel's Philosophy and drew inspiration from his writings. He combined pacifism with resistance to create the new concept of nonviolent resistance. We at Meek Earth Studio want to combine altruism with self interest to create the new concept of Incentivized Altruism.
In 2026, Meek Earth Studio decided to research different ways to provide preventative care on top of emergency care for underserved communities.
On Jan 17th from 8pm to 9:15pm Eastern Standard Time, Meek Earth Studio will raise funds to feed families in the Deanwood area through your concert ticket. 100% of the base ticket goes to providing meals to families in a food desert in our nation's capital. Deanwood is a historically black neighborhood in Ward 7, and this intimate concert directly supports them. You get an amazing night of music. A family gets food, and you get to see exactly how it happened post-concert.
Zeponic Farms employs adults with special needs, and the members of their day program will help us deliver the food to a food bank in Ward 7, Hughes Memorial United Methodist Church's Food Pantry. Hughes Memorial UMC's Food Pantry, under their Missions Ministry, gives away free groceries on the last Saturday of each month from 11:00 am - 1:00 pm. No sign up is required for their patrons. We have coordinated with them to find out what food their patrons prefer and what they are running low on, so we can supplement their ministry for those in need.
This is an exclusive, live-streamed concert event featuring the pianist and composer, Grace J. Reid and the vocalist/dancer Suna.
Grace Reid is an accomplished composer and classically trained pianist. Her body of original compositions include a series of songs dedicated to Vinnie Ream, a teenager the white house commissioned to sculpt Abraham Lincoln. Grace performed her composition at the Lincoln Bicentennial, a concert sponsored by the National League of American Pen Women. Vinnie and Grace are both members of this historic organization of women artists, writers, and creatives. Grace makes the piano talk, speak to you.
Suna is a multi-disciplinary artist who we are honored to have at our concert. She will be singing "In A Sentimental Mood," originally by Phyllis Hyman. You can find her on instagram here: instagram.com/fromsuna/. Suna performed an amazing dance at the Releaven Conference to Nina Simone's version of "Strange Fruit." Suna infuses all her art with her entire being, and you don't want to miss her voice in motion.
THE EVENT EXPERIENCE:
8:00 PM: Welcome & Introductory Remarks
8:10 PM: Suna will sing "In A Sentimental Mood," originally by Phyllis Hyman
8:17 PM: An intimate, unplugged set of performances by Grace J. Reid, broadcast live from our studio directly to your home.
9:00 PM: A look inside Meek Earth Studio
9:05 PM: An interview with Doc Jones from STEP DC, a Deanwood Nonprofit.
9:15 PM: Concert Adjourned
CHOOSE YOUR IMPACT (The Menu):
$35 — The MEALS TICKET (Meals & Entertainment)
The Concert: Full digital access to the livestream.
The Impact: This ticket funds as much food as $35 will buy for a family in Deanwood.
The Promise: 100% of this $35 goes directly to buy food from low-cost wholesale/retail and Zeponic Farms in Lorton, VA
(This ticket does not fund Meek Earth Studio or the Artist. It is a pure impact contract.)
$75 — THE SUPPORTER TICKET (Impact + Investment)
The Concert: Full digital access to the livestream.
The Impact: Funds the $35 "Meals Ticket" (same as above).
The Investment: Includes a $40 Artist & R&D Fund. This is the only money that pays the humans running the show (Grace J. Reid and Suna and the Meek Earth team) and funds the R&D for our next community event. We will hold additional events of this nature using the funds from this ticket.
Choose this if you want to be a "Co-Founder" of this new model.
OUR TRANSPARENCY CONTRACT:
After the event, every single attendee will receive a public "Transparency Report." This isn't a newsletter; it's a receipt. We will show you exactly how much money came in, and share the receipts for every dollar paid out to Zeponic, the Wholesale Retailers, the Artists, and Meek Earth Studio in this WhatsApp Announcement Channel and on our website.
Secure your spot and help us build the future of impact.
To learn more about the history of Deanwood, please visit the Deanwood Citizens Association. The DCA was founded in 1912 by concerned neighbors.