Events
MINNEAPOLIS
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SAFSF on the Road: Minneapolis
October 7, 2025 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm CDT
Please join us for a networking mixer of connection, conversation, and community at Owamni by The Sioux Chef—an award-winning Indigenous restaurant led by our friends at North American Traditional Indigenous Food Systems (NATIFS).
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) is hosting fellow funders and investors in celebration of equity and impact in regenerative agriculture in the Midwest. Gather with us on the outdoor terrace overlooking the Mississippi River to spark new relationships and explore opportunities for values-aligned investments in regenerative agriculture. This special gathering, following the Regenerative Food Systems Investment (RFSI) Forum reception, will also highlight BIPOC-led innovation in food and farming across the Midwest, as well as opportunities to learn more about SAFSF’s network.
Guests will also take home a special Indigenous medicinal spice blend as a memento of our time together.
This event is hosted by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders in partnership with NATIFS, Midwest Farmers of Color Collective, and Just Futures Impact and sponsored by Regenerative Agriculture Foundation and McKnight Foundation.
Special Guests
Kat Gilje, Managing Director, Just Futures Impact
Kathryn Gilje (Kat) is a strategist in regenerative food and agricultural systems, land justice, and mission-aligned investing, with 25+ years of experience across philanthropy, movement building, and impact finance. As Managing Director at Just Futures Impact, she advances capital strategies under the leadership of visionary partners like the Midwest Farmers of Color Collective and the Just Transitions Integrated Capital Fund. Formerly Executive Director of Ceres Trust, Kat led a full asset transfer to grassroots movements, farmers, and land stewards. Her work bridges organizing, somatics, and finance to advance a just transition to regenerative economies.
Zoe Hollomon, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Midwest Farmers of Color Collective
Zoe Hollomon is a multi-racial black, food justice organizer, abolitionist, and farmer. She has over 20 years’ experience organizing with grassroots organizations on the East Coast and Midwest, building coalitions to influence decision-making in food, farming and environmental related policy. Zoe was born in Duluth, MN, but grew up in Western New York and NYC. She moved back to MN in 2012 and has since worked advocating and organizing for community food systems and racial justice in local, regional and national contexts.
She is a co-founder of the Midwest Farmers of Color Collective (MFCC) and in her role as the Executive Director, she leads the organization’s policy work and fundraising & development. She is humbled and amazed by the ingenuity, courage and wisdom of the farmers and farming organizations MFCC organizes with. Zoe is also a co-founder and co-op member owner of Rootsprings Farm & Retreat Cooperative in MN, which has a growing orchard and is a healing retreat space for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ people and organizations.
Zoe serves on the Transformational Farm Bill Advisory Committee, with the HEAL Food Alliance, National Black Food Justice Alliance, Union of Concerned Scientists, Rural Coalition, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and other partner organizations fighting for a just transition of our food and agricultural systems. Zoe is part of the Ujamaa Cooperative Farmers Alliance and Ujamaa Seed Network. Prior to starting MFCC, Zoe was an Organizing Co-Director at the Pesticide Action Network North America and also helped organize a Twin Cities coalition with the Good Food Purchasing Program. She served on the Food & Ag Advisory Group for the State Innovation Exchange (SiX) and also served on the Homegrown Minneapolis Food Policy Council. Zoe received her B.S. in Urban & Regional Planning from Cornell University in 2001 and an M.S. from Southern New Hampshire University in Community Economic Development in 2007.
Mark Muller, Executive Director, Regenerative Agriculture Foundation
Mark Muller, the Regenerative Agriculture Foundation‘s executive director, joined the organization in 2020 after spending over 20 years working on related issues including agricultural conservation, Midwest water quality, racial equity in the food system, and effective federal food and agricultural policy. Most recently Mark served on the SAFSF Board of Directors, served as director of the Mississippi River program at the McKnight Foundation, and prior to that he directed the Food & Community Fellows program at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. He also spent two years teaching high school in New York City and 18 months volunteering in Honduras and Guatemala. He and his spouse have three grown children and live in south Minneapolis.
Lolita Nunn, Investor Relations Director, Potlikker Capital
Lolita is a passionate changemaker that is dedicated to bringing resources, support and knowledge to people and communities that have been systemically and historically excluded. She brings over 25 years of diversified and progressive experience in both the nonprofit and for-profit sectors to the Potlikker Capital team. She currently serves on the SAFSF Board of Directors and is Chair of the Nominating Committee. She worked in the banking industry for 14 years where she developed expertise in finance, investment banking and management. In addition to her financial role, her work included cultivating and building relationships with community leaders and advocating for programs providing financial literacy, consulting and mentoring. Her passion for philanthropy led her to a career change working in the nonprofit sector where she led donor outreach, cultivation, fundraising, community and business engagement efforts. Lolita’s career path then led her to the sector of impact investing where she could further champion positive social, racial, and environmental systems change. In her most recent role she was the Investor Relations Officer at Fair Food Fund where she helped to re-imagine their investment thesis to support BIPOC food businesses, to increase their geographic reach and to grow the brand recognition of the Fund nationally.
Lolita is committed to building strong and resilient communities. Recently aligning her passion for food system justice, she became one of the founding coalition members of the Washtenaw Black Farmers Fund. Her volunteer efforts through serving on local boards and committees have worked to address the need for at-risk youth, access to healthy and affordable food, financial literacy and supporting women empowerment.
Lolita received her MBA from Eastern Michigan University. She resides in Michigan with her wonderful family and is happy to say that she is on a mission to find the best beach to plant her feet.
