Welcome. Thank you for wanting to learn more about our Why.
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It's Personal
I'm Renata Hill, the publisher of Moodfuel. I started this publication to support people who are frustrated, in mental distress and about "done." For whatever reasons, you or someone you know is considering suicide as an option to stop the struggle. I get it. I've been there. It's an awful, intolerable space. At my crossroads, I decided: because suicide is a permanent choice, let's try reaching out first.
Connection. It's a simple idea, but moving from isolation to a safe space where you're seen for who you are and heard without being judged is life-changing. It saved me.
I am surrounded by people who didn't connect. Relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors – so many lost through suicide or substance misuse – and each time a piece of me died with them. Outside, they smiled, but inside they lived in dark spaces:
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Our Mission. Our Promise.
How do you find a trustworthy connection where you're seen, valued and listened to? That's the positive, energetic space in which Moodfuel operates. We inform through news and storytelling and support through our Resource Guide so you can make useful connections that decrease your pain and isolation and improve your outlook.
You'll read about other folks with the same lived experience as you who are thriving. You'll find peers and counselors who want to listen without judgment so you can share your burden. You'll learn about neighbors who are changing Colorado's rocky landscape for the better so you can feel hopeful. Plus, there's info on legislation, policies and events around Colorado.
We're here to show you the who, what, where and how of finding the support you need when you need it, especially if you feel marginalized or live with little. Our inclusive, solutions-based news, storytelling and resources will guide you through Colorado's rocky terrain toward a path of healing and balance.
Culturally competent hybrid
We're young and small, but you'll find that we're very different. Our hybrid organization combines journalism with storytelling and supportive content as a way to support and inform Colorado neighbors dealing with dark spaces.
To add to our uniqueness, only people with lived experience are involved with Moodfuel, but their life experiences, ethnicities, ages and abilities are diverse. It's the reason our motto is "For People Who Struggle, By People Who Struggle."
That diversity powers our cultural competence, but also makes us accountable to you. Therefore, we always will :
- Interact with consideration and respect when approaching community members who've been affected by trauma and/or mental distress
- Listen actively as people share information and honor the stories they tell.
In addition, we follow the American Association of Suicidology Suicide Reporting Recommendations and the Wildflower Alliance Conversations about Suicide principles.
Smashing stigma
The struggle sucks, yet reaching out can be scary. Does fear add to your struggle – fear of being judged (or judging yourself), of others thinking you're weak (or maybe you see yourself that way)? Moodfuel smashes stigma by talking about living in the dark spaces in the same way everyone talks about the darkness of heart disease or diabetes.
The fear and pain are real and overwhelming, yet the amazing paradox is the more we acknowledge them, practice healthy skills to examine and cope with them and connect with people who've been there, the less those feelings overwhelm or suffocate us. The dark spaces get a whole lot smaller and we breathe easier.
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The peoples before us
We operate on the ancestral homelands of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Nations. This area was a site of trade, gathering and healing for numerous other tribal relatives. We respect and honor the Indigenous Peoples who continue as stewards for, travelers across and relatives of this land and all beings.
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Our Vision of Colorado
We envision a Colorado where connection and support are accessible for every resident regardless of ethnicity, ability, language, gender identity, sexual preference or socioeconomic status. Neighbors will feel capable of improving their own resilience.
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Our Values
• We believe in news and resources that place the needs of neighbors and communities first
• We believe in accountability, especially to members of our most vulnerable communities
• We value the stories, strengths and lived experience of all Coloradans, especially those who struggle
• Our grassroots approach listens, learns, adapts and unites.
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Our Ethics, Equity and Standards
Moodfuel is dedicated to inclusive, solutions-based news and resources and we are deeply grateful for any support that makes our efforts possible. We follow the ethics and standards of editorial independence adopted by the Institute for Nonprofit News and the Society of Professional Journalists.
We depend on gifts, grants, business sponsorships and reader subscriptions for funding, but our editorial is independent from fundraising. Business sponsors understand that the editorial staff retains full control of all copy. Content is not shared with anyone prior to publication. Business sponsors should not expect preferential coverage, and Moodfuel may publish content with which they disagree. If we write about our funders or members of our Advisory Council, we will disclose the relationships fully.
In order to achieve our goals, we are committed to building and retaining a staff and Advisory Council reflective of the diversity within our state. Their varied lived experiences will enable us to report with a high degree of cultural competency and to engage with residents authentically and transparently.
We are committed to building an equitable, healthy culture that serves people from all backgrounds and to supporting Vision25, a movement led by the Online News Association, the Maynard Institute and OpenNews to establish an actively anti-racist and collaborative atmosphere. We follow sustainability practices for publishers of color as outlined by the Local Media Foundation's strategy.
In addition, we endeavor to tell the stories of LGBTQIA2S+ people fairly and accurately as outlined in the GLAAD Media Reference Guide.
For reporting with Indian Country, we subscribe to the guidelines developed by the Indigenous Journalists Association.
Moodfuel seeks to produce reliable, trustworthy content. Because we are human, sometimes we make mistakes. When we do, we will acknowledge our mistakes and correct them.
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Donor Transparency
Moodfuel is registered in Colorado. Currently, we are pending nonprofit status from the IRS. Generous donors who believe in the importance of our mission to connect neighbors through news, stories and resources may give monetary or in-kind gifts, but these contributions are not yet tax deductible.
We do not accept gifts from sources who present a conflict of interest with our work nor compromise our independence.
We focus entirely on two commitments: to serve our communities and to uphold the public’s trust in the content we produce.
Organizational Support
We have received monetary or in-kind contributions from the following organizations:
Google News Initiative
Women's Foundation of Colorado
LION Publishers
Lenfest Institute for Journalism.
Founding Members
The following people valued our inclusive, solutions-based news, storytelling and resources so highly that they became Founding Members. They provided funding and validation. A deep and wide THANK YOU to:
Ruth Baron
The Estate of Hubert Hill
Steve Hill
Roger Rikkola
Glen & Lori Merica
If you would like to become a Founding Member, please contact us at MoodfuelCO@gmail.com.
