August 2023 Policy Connection
Policy Strategy Tip for Funders Independent Sector recently released the findings of a new research study designed to provide insights on how advocacy and civic engagement may vary by organization size, geography, communities served, and leadership demographics. The study–based on a nationally representative quantitative survey and complementary qualitative interviews of nonprofits–is the first of its kind in more than 20 years. Key data points: Only 31% of nonprofits report engaging in advocacy or lobbying over the last five years, less than half of the percentage of nonprofits that reported ever lobbying in 2000 (74%). In 2000, over half of 501(c)(3)…
SAFSF Member Policy in Action: Self-Help Credit Union
We are excited to bring back the SAFSF Member Spotlight in our monthly Policy Connection Newsletter, highlighting SAFSF members who are funding food and agriculture policy advocacy at the federal, state, tribal, and/or local levels. Please fill out this Google Form or email SAFSF Policy Associate Maggie Mascarenhas at [email protected] if you are interested in featuring your policy work here. Mandating Reinvestment by the Farm Credit System, Ag’s GSE by David Beck, Policy Director, Self-Help Credit Union Self-Help, a national CDFI and credit union headquartered in Durham, North Carolina, has supported the sustainable food system ecosystem since our beginnings, when…
August Picks of the Month
Don’t Say Backpack Tax—this article shares options for financially supporting wildlife conservation in a way that doesn’t fall solely on land owners and agriculture producers as it currently does. “Landowners and agricultural producers who own and manage 74% of land in the continental US supply the majority of wildlife habitat and bear the personal financial cost in doing so. Landowners incur these costs in a multitude of ways, from the opportunity cost of keeping land open and intact, to annual operational costs and active investments in habitat and/or species conservation.” With outdoor recreation becoming more popular, wildlife is often pushed…
Apply by October 1 to Serve on an SAFSF Committee
The application period has closed. SAFSF is accepting Committee Volunteer Applications for service on the Membership, Nominating, and Policy committees for minimum one-year terms beginning January 1, 2024. The deadline for volunteer submissions is October 1, 2023 and notifications will be made by October 31, 2023. Serving on a committee is a great way to deepen your engagement with SAFSF. You’ll learn more about how we operate, get to work more closely with a few of your funder colleagues, help steer SAFSF’s activities and shape recommendations on issues that require SAFSF board action. Most SAFSF Directors have volunteered on one…
Fibers Fund Announces First 5 Grants
The Fibers Fund reached another milestone this month, awarding its first five business technical assistance grants to U.S. fiber, textile, and dye businesses. These grants will play a key catalytic role for both the Fibers Fund, a project of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) and Fibershed with Mission Driven Finance, and for the business recipients. Grants from the Fibers Fund are specifically designed to help fiber businesses unlock other sources of capital. Two grants were awarded to businesses profiled in the SAFSF Fibers Roadmap Case Studies. First, Seattle-based Botanical Colors received support to set up data management systems…
July 2023 Policy Connection
Congressional News Ag Committee Leaders Acknowledge Likelihood of Farm Bill Extension The current farm bill expires on September 30, but it appears increasingly likely that lawmakers will need to pass a short-term extension to ensure farm bill programs remain authorized. Covid-19, debt ceiling negotiations, and a busy summer appropriations calendar have combined to delay the drafting process of the new bill. Senator Debbie Stabenow, Chairwoman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said at an event in late June hosted by Bloomberg Government, “It would not surprise me” if lawmakers passed a short-term extension of the current farm bill.” Senate Majority Leader…
July Picks of the Month
EPA Announces $278 Million Funding to Improve Drinking Water for Tribes (Native News Online). “The funding will help Tribes and Alaska Native Villages make significant investments in water infrastructure improvements to advance public health protections by improving compliance with existing water regulations, identifying, and replacing lead service lines, and addressing harmful emerging contaminants in drinking water and wastewater, such as per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS).”Philanthropic Joint Statement in Response to the Supreme Court’s Decision in ‘Students for Fair Admissions’ Cases (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). Some of our members and partners have teamed up to put forward a joint statement about the recent…
2023 SAFSF Forum Recap
Over 200 attendees gathered for three days in our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. for the 2023 SAFSF Forum. During our time together, we dug into deep conversations about promising solutions and strategies for agriculture and food systems that address the roots and consequences of racial inequities, socio-economic and geographic divides, and community disenfranchisement and disinvestment. This Forum was unlike any other! The energy from attendees, the chatter of new and old connections being ignited, and the eagerness to learn filled the rooms. The agenda was packed with engaging plenaries, incredible site visits, and funder-led sessions featuring amazing speakers including many…
Land Acknowledgement: Washington, D.C.
Renee Catacalos, SAFSF Vice President of Strategy and Impact, shared this Indigenous Land Acknowledgement as part of the 2023 SAFSF Forum. As funders and advocates working to create a more equitable U.S. agriculture and food system, it is imperative for us to acknowledge that the roots of today’s inequities lie deep in the history of land theft and dispossession from Indigenous peoples dating from the European colonization of this continent. We in this room are aware that Indigenous people were forced to move, dispossessed of their land, detached from their cultural traditions, and murdered to cover this up and to…
June 2023 Policy Connection
The Policy Connection is a regular digital publication for SAFSF members, providing insights into key policy issues for sustainable agriculture and food systems. Blog post will now be embedded within the recurring publication to provide space for deeper sharing of news and resources. Congressional News House and Senate Committees Advance Food and Ag Appropriations Bills From public health to environmental protection, to food assistance, to the military, the annual appropriations process influences the entire economy and funds government services essential to our collective well-being. On the agriculture and food side of the equation, the House Appropriations Committee advanced a Republican-led bill to…