Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice Participants Address Funding Disparities with Intention and Commitment
For nearly 15 years, SAFSF has been hosting conversations to highlight the painful reality that Native communities receive only about 0.0025% of all philanthropic giving – and only a small portion of those grant dollars go to Native-led organizations. Philanthropic funding for Native communities, on whose stolen lands our agricultural industry and nation are built upon, lags behind funding to all other communities of color. Yet, in the wake of the health and economic devastation of COVID-19 on Native communities, the need for philanthropic commitment to Indian Country has never been greater. Recognizing the need for deeper focus and intentionality…
2021 End of Year Acknowledgements
As we near the end of the year, we like to pause to recognize new members and membership milestones, to acknowledge special support, and to say a few farewells. Most importantly, we thank every SAFSF member and all who have participated in our network activities over the past year! Welcome to our New Members! SAFSF welcomed the following organizations as new or returning members in 2021: Butterfly Equity FoundationClementine FundElmina B. Sewall FoundationEmily Hall Tremaine FoundationFoodshed CapitalIda and Robert Gordon Family FoundationInternational Community FoundationStray Dog InstituteTao RisingThe Roundhouse FoundationThe Shachar FoundationThree Sisters Fund Member Milestones Thank you to these funders for completing…
USDA Equity Commission Nomination Deadline Oct 27
The USDA announced it will be establishing an Equity Commission and is requesting nominations for membership on the Equity Commission Advisory Committee and Equity Commission Subcommittee on Agriculture. This is a really important opportunity to advise the Secretary of Agriculture and the entire USDA on identifying USDA programs, policies, systems, structures, and practices that contribute to barriers to inclusion or access, systemic discrimination, or exacerbate or perpetuate racial, economic, health and social disparities. The Subcommittee on Agriculture will be formed concurrently and will report back to the Equity Commission and provide recommendations on issues of concern related to agriculture to optimize USDA programs, dismantle structural…
Food Systems Response & Recovery in the wake of Hurricane Ida
Susan Lightfoot Schempf, Co-Director of the Wallace Center at Winrock International, reached out to SAFSF members last week in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida to share a snapshot of what she saw happening on the ground, as a New Orleans native and resident, and to encourage funders to channel resources through the many community-led efforts underway. SAFSF is grateful to Susan for taking the time from her own family’s recovery efforts to share this critical eye-witness information that most of us would otherwise not hear about. Below are excerpts of Susan’s dispatch from New Orleans. Snapshot of the situation: Much…
Job Announcement: Data & Administrative Assistant
Application Deadline: Open until filled. Apply Online
Position Summary The Data and Administrative Assistant position provides critical support in relation to maintaining accurate and up to date information, with a strong focus on data stored in Salesforce CRM. This role will provide direct support to the operations team. Other administrative responsibilities performed are essential to maintaining a smooth and efficiently functioning office. The successful candidate must understand the critical importance of support roles and be energized by knowing that they are contributing to the collective success of the organization. All SAFSF employees work remotely; candidates may live anywhere…
Call for Nominations for Directors
SAFSF is accepting nominations for two positions on the Board of Directors for three-year terms beginning in October 2021. The Board seeks candidates who will help ensure a diversity of perspectives representing gender, geographic location, life experience, political ideology, professional skills, and race, culture, ethnicity, and organization size and type. We are also expressly seeking individuals with interests in financial management and development. One of the two open positions may be filled by nonmembers of SAFSF. See details of board responsibilities below. Qualified candidates must be: members of the board or staff of a grantmaking or investing organization active in sustainable agriculture and/or food…
A New Online Hub to Help Funders Working at the Intersection of Health, Climate and Equity
Michael Kavate – Inside Philanthropy May 19, 2021 Extreme weather—from fires to floods, hurricanes to heat waves—has in recent years pushed funders across the country not only to mount rapid responses, but to prepare for what might be next. To inform those efforts, a first-time alliance of eight philanthropy-serving organizations has created a new web portal that addresses the questions their members are increasingly asking about how to adjust to climate impacts, and how to prevent them from exacerbating existing inequities. Titled “Investing at the Frontlines of Climate Change: A Funder Toolkit on Climate, Health and Equity,” the hub catalogs…
Infrastructure Investment in Climate and Ag
The Biden Administration’s American Jobs Plan (AJP) is taking center stage in federal policy conversations. The overall plan calls for more than $2 trillion to be invested in rebuilding infrastructure. Talks between the Biden Administration and Senate Republicans continue but no agreements have been reached. In all likelihood, the AJP will pass through budget reconciliation just as the American Rescue Plan did. The AJP is ambitious and would make historic investments in our country’s infrastructure. However, it falls short and lacks specifics in addressing the role of agriculture in climate mitigation. The AJP calls for investing only $1 billion in climate and agriculture out…
10 Things To Know About Race/Racism & the Food System
The Food Solutions New England (FSNE) 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge starts today. This resource from FSNE provides a good grounding in the reasons why this Challenge is so important for agriculture and food systems. We offer these ten stories in the spirit of making the “invisible” visible. Thedominant narratives of how our food systems work often leave some things out in favor of including stories that fit better with the bigger story of who and what “we are” (or would like to see ourselves to be) as nations or communities. We hope these ten stories inspire you to keep…
SAFSF Hosts Member 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge
The Food Solutions New England (FSNE) 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge runs from April 5-25, offering small daily email prompts delivered each morning that make it easy for you to participate in this transformative effort at your own pace. This self-guided learning journey examines the history and impacts of racism and inequities and how they are connected to our food system. This year, SAFSF will host member activities and conversations to help members taking the Challenge reflect collectively on what we learn through the 21 days and beyond. Here’s how you can participate! STEP 1 Visit the FSNE Challenge website to…
