Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) amplifies the impact of philanthropic and investment communities in support of just and sustainable food and agriculture systems.

Featured Work

Become an SAFSF Member
Join us 12/6 to celebrate Virginia Clarke!
Fibers Fund & Policy Platform
Book a Screening of Digging In!

Featured Work

Become an SAFSF Member
Join us 12/6 to celebrate Virginia Clarke!
Fibers Fund & Policy Platform
Book a Screening of Digging In!

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Upcoming Events

Virtual Farewell Celebration for Virginia Clarke

December 6, 2023
Join us for a virtual celebration of Virginia Clarke. Virginia has served as SAFSF’s founding executive director for over 20 years and will be stepping down this…

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Catalyzing Funder Support for Food Policy Councils: Effective Spaces for Policy Change

December 7, 2023
Building equitable and resilient local food systems requires coordination of community efforts across and beyond the food system. Food policy councils help fulfill this role for over…

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In the Kitchen Call: Year-End Reflections

December 13, 2023
These SAFSF member-only calls are designed to evoke the warmth, nourishment, and welcomeness you feel when you are “in the kitchen”. Join fellow SAFSF members for bi-monthly…

Learn More ›

Deadline: Apply for SAFSF Membership

January 15, 2024
SAFSF is the leading national philanthropy serving organization (PSO) for funders seeking to drive change in support of just and sustainable food and agriculture systems. Members include endowed and self-funded foundations and…

Learn More ›

Virtual Farewell Celebration for Virginia Clarke
December 6, 2023
Join us for a virtual celebration of Virginia Clarke. Virginia has served as SAFSF’s founding executive director for over 20 years and will be stepping down this…

Learn More ›

Catalyzing Funder Support for Food Policy Councils: Effective Spaces for Policy Change
December 7, 2023
Building equitable and resilient local food systems requires coordination of community efforts across and beyond the food system. Food policy councils help fulfill this role for over…

Learn More ›

In the Kitchen Call: Year-End Reflections
December 13, 2023
These SAFSF member-only calls are designed to evoke the warmth, nourishment, and welcomeness you feel when you are “in the kitchen”. Join fellow SAFSF members for bi-monthly…

Learn More ›

Deadline: Apply for SAFSF Membership
January 15, 2024
SAFSF is the leading national philanthropy serving organization (PSO) for funders seeking to drive change in support of just and sustainable food and agriculture systems. Members include endowed and self-funded foundations and…

Learn More ›

Recent News

Virginia Clarke Legacy Fund for Equity

To honor the legacy and leadership of 2003-2023 Executive Director Virginia Clarke, SAFSF is launching a special fundraising initiative, the Virginia Clarke Legacy Fund for Equity. Virginia worked to bring equity conversations and practices into all aspects of SAFSF’s work, opening the door for essential internal trainings and bold equity programming, and integrating equity practices across operations and organizational structure. The Virginia Clarke Legacy Fund for Equity will support intentional work to deepen and further operationalize SAFSF’s racial equity commitment and practices, and to provide programs and assistance to our members and network to do the same. Help us reach our goal of $100,000 before Virginia’s departure at the end of 2023, and $250,000 by…

Job Announcement: Senior Director, Programs

The application period has closed. Position Summary A new role, the Senior Director of Programs will provide proactive and strategic leadership, management, and guidance for SAFSF’s external-facing content, programs, and activities with members, prospective members, the philanthropic and investment communities, peer organizations, and the sustainable agriculture, food, and fiber sector. The Senior Director will coordinate program development across the complex and layered set of agricultural and food systems issues in our network, working closely with staff across all SAFSF teams. The Senior Director will serve as an advocate, systems change maker, and external spokesperson for just and sustainable agriculture, food, and fiber systems change. The Senior Director plays a key…

Collaboration is Key: SAFSF & HEFN

On September 20, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) and Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN) worked together to co-host “Participatory Grantmaking 101: Funder Peer Learning,” an introductory level webinar for funders in either network. The collaboration—led by Erin Olschewski, program director for SAFSF, and Kalila Booker-Cassano, director of programs for HEFN—was an opportunity to bring together overlapping audiences for a topic that many funders in both networks are eager to dig deeper into. SAFSF has held several smaller conversations over recent years that have touched on participatory grantmaking but had yet to host a dedicated virtual space solely on the importance of the practice. Kalila said, “Erin first…

Fibers Fund Co-Managing Directors on the Road

The Fibers Fund team has been on the road this fall conference season, sharing updates about our integrated strategy to support U.S. natural fiber and textile producers and processors as part of the regenerative agricultural system.  Conference season has begun! The Fibers Fund team just returned from the Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum (RFSI) in Denver, where they met colleagues new and old who are working on creative models of finance for agricultural businesses. The opening panel at RFSI featured two farmers in the fiber sector: Oregon rancher Cate Havstad, who uses the hides from her cattle in her leather goods company Range Revolution, and 5th-generation New Mexico farmer James…