Policy Briefing: Threats to Food and Nutrition Programs in Budget Reconciliation
2025-04-29 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This session is open to members of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Grantmakers In Health only. Please register below.

The House and Senate continue to work on a budget reconciliation. On April 10, the House narrowly passed the Senate’s version of a budget blueprint, calling on Congressional committees to slash billions of dollars from programs within their jurisdictions including Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), school meal supports like the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), and Medicaid in exchange for tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy. The House and Senate will determine the final tax and spending levels by agency and program in committee debates in coming months.In this session, experts from the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC) will provide an up to the moment analysis of how federal budget reconciliation impacts food and nutrition programs, the tie into Farm Bill negotiations, and ultimately, what these policy decisions mean for the health and well-being of children, families, and communities across the country. Experts will also highlight how advocates are organizing in support of these crucial programs, FRAC’s advocacy resources, and how funders can support this work.

Please note this session will not be recorded. Notes and key takeaways will be shared with registrants.

Summary of Notes & Resources

Speakers

Colleen Barton, Communications Director, FRAC

Colleen joined FRAC in October 2014, as communications director. In this role, she spearheads the development and implementation of a multi-faceted strategic communications framework to help advance the organization’s mission to end hunger in America

Prior to FRAC, Colleen was the founder and principal of Red Jacket Communications, LLC, a boutique public relations and event firm. Colleen designed and executed strategic communications plans for global and national policy and program initiatives, research reports, brand development, fundraising promotions, product launches, and major events. Her clients included government contractors, small businesses, and international and national nonprofits. In her previous work with nonprofits, including Catholic Charities USA, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and Save the Children, Colleen created and implemented communications efforts that increased awareness, advocacy and greater investment in programs and services aimed at underserved populations. At Save the Children, she built a media program in a newly created public affairs department, and led the U.S. agency’s media response to major humanitarian crises, including post-9/11, the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Haiti Earthquake as well as the agency’s first advocacy-awareness campaign, Every Mother, Every Child and its signature research report, The State of the World’s Mothers.

She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Homestretch, a nonprofit in Northern Virginia that helps transition families out of homelessness.

Colleen received her B.A. in English, with a public relations concentration, from the State University of New York at Fredonia.

Salaam Bhatti, SNAP Director, FRAC

Salaam joined FRAC in November 2023 as the SNAP Director. In this role, he works to strengthen SNAP access and benefit adequacy. Salaam works closely with the Interim President to develop, lead, and track annual work plans; set and meet unit goals; collaborate with other unit Directors to assist in achieving FRAC’s strategic plan goals; and expand the unit’s innovation and work.

Salaam joins FRAC after working at the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC). While at VPLC, he successfully lobbied to fully repeal the drug felon ban for SNAP and TANF, twice achieved record increases to TANF cash benefits, subsidized reduced-priced school meals, repealed the TANF family cap, ended lunch shaming policies in schools, and received a unanimous vote to expand SNAP for over 20,000 families. Salaam also helped develop a mobile-friendly, SNAP screening tool which is used by tens of thousands of people & multiple non-profits and has been rolled out to be available for all states and D.C. He received the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Albright College for his work in alleviating poverty and promoting Muslim-Jewish relations. Salaam also received the inaugural Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership for his work with Maryland and DC Hunger Solutions to address food insecurity across the metropolitan Washington area from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Salaam has a J.D. from Touro Law School, is barred in New York and Virginia, and received his Bachelors in Political Science and International Relations from Albright College (with a year abroad in the University of Aberdeen).

Crystal FitzSimons, Interim President, FRAC

Crystal FitzSimons is the Interim President for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), leading the organization to achieve its vision: A nation in which all people have the nutritious food they need to lead healthy and productive lives; and mission: To improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing bold and equitable policy solutions.

Prior to taking on the Interim President role, Crystal oversaw FRAC’s work to improve and strengthen the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs. She analyzed policy to advocate for legislative and regulatory improvements to increase children’s access to the child nutrition programs. She helped develop strategy and direct national partnerships and field efforts to achieve program improvements through legislative and administrative changes. Recent successful efforts include the Pandemic and Summer EBT Programs; the child nutrition waivers during the pandemic that allowed schools to offer school meals to all their students at no charge, the nationwide expansion of the Afterschool Meal Program; and the Community Eligibility Provision.

She led FRAC’s efforts to provide technical assistance on the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs to national, state, and local partners. Crystal also has helped develop successful partnerships to support increased access to the child nutrition programs including the National Healthy School Meals for All Coalition; Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom, a project with the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, the National Education Association Healthy Futures, and the School Nutrition Foundation; and CHAMPS (Cities Combating Hunger through the Afterschool Meal Program and Summer) with the National League of Cities.

Crystal is a sought-out policy expert for briefings, webinars, conferences, and state legislative hearings. She also is regularly quoted in the media, such as The New York Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Politico, the Washington Post, USA Today, and local media.

Crystal is the author or co-author of numerous reports. Recent publications include: The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2022-2023 School Year; The Case for Healthy School Meals for All; Community Eligibility: the Key to Hunger-Free Schools, School Year 2022-2023; Large School District Report Operating School Nutrition Programs as the Nation Recovers From the Pandemic; and Hunger Doesn’t Take A Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report.

Her previous work experience includes the Center for Community Change and Housing Comes First. She holds a BA in Philosophy and Sociology from Carroll College in Wisconsin and an MSW from Washington University in Missouri.

SAFSF On the Road: Atlanta
2025-04-29 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Kentucky/Louisville)
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) hosts regional community building events for members and partners through our popular series “SAFSF On The Road.” Our next gathering will be a special dinner in Atlanta, Georgia to explore funding strategies in food justice throughout the state of Georgia. Join us for an intimate dinner in community with diverse capital partners and local leaders.

Since early 2024, SAFSF has convened a cohort of funders and leaders at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to explore ways to unlock more investment for historically underserved producers and communities in the South. Our guest speakers Dr. Veronica Womack and Amber Bell will highlight the challenges and opportunities for public-private investment in food system infrastructure that supports Black farmers, their supply chain partners, and the communities they serve across the state. SAFSF will also share insights from our listening sessions with community-based organizations throughout Georgia, and future plans for regional funder collaboration.

Tickets for the dinner are $75 for funders and $25 for current SAFSF members.

This dinner will follow the opening day reception of Women Transforming Food & Finance, hosted by Regenerative Food Systems Investment.

SAVE YOUR SEAT

Amber M. Bell is the Director of the Southwest Georgia Project and the President and CEO of Bell and Co. Consulting, LLC. With over ten years of experience in the food and agriculture sector, she has dedicated her efforts to addressing systemic inequalities and promoting social justice. Amber holds a Master’s degree in Public Health and is nearing the completion of her doctorate in Public Health from the Jian Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University.

She is passionate about developing sustainable, self-reliant local food systems aimed at improving the overall quality of life for Black and Brown communities in the rural South. By fostering collaboration among local farmers, stakeholders, and community organizations, Amber works to create resilient food networks that support economic development and enhance the well-being of communities in Southwest Georgia and beyond. Her work embodies a holistic approach to food access, equity and community empowerment.

Dr. Veronica L. Womack serves as the inaugural Executive Director of the Rural Studies Institute at Georgia College and Professor of Political Science and Public Administration. She hails from the Alabama Black Belt region and currently works in the Georgia Black Belt. She received her BA of Communications, MPA and Ph.D., in Political Science from the University of Alabama.

An advocate and researcher of the Southern Black Belt region, Dr. Womack’s work highlights the rich history, foodways, socioeconomic and political culture and traditions of rural people in the American South. She is a noted author, practitioner and researcher of the region. She is the founder of the Blackfarmersnetwork.com, a website that highlights the legacy of African American farmers, within the Black Belt region.

She has been featured on various media outlets including The New York Times, The WashingtonPost, NPR, GPB, The Nation, and Georgia Trend for her work in the region. Funders of her research include USDA, the Robert W. Johnson Foundation, and the Southern Economic Advancement Project (SEAP).

Protecting Federal Farm Funding and Programs: Legal Action & Philanthropy's Role
2025-04-30 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Cohosted by Climate and Energy Funders Group (CEFG), Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, (FORA), Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN), and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF).

The courts remain an essential avenue to thwart the Trump administration’s agenda to dismantle the federal government and slash federal spending. Almost three months into Trump’s second term, there are over 135 legal challenges to the administration’s actions.

In this webinar, lawyers at Earthjustice, the Conservation Law Foundation (CLF), Democracy Forward, Farmers’ Legal Action Group (FLAG), and the Southern Environmental Law Center will discuss the landscape of litigation on behalf of farmers and nonprofits working in food and agriculture, what’s at stake, and philanthropy’s role in resourcing legal defense.

This session is open to all members of funder networks or organizations, please denote any funder networks your organizations belong to in your registration.

Summary of Notes & Resources

Speakers

Carrie Apfel, Deputy Managing Attorney at Earthjustice

Carrie Apfel is the deputy managing attorney of the Sustainable Food and Farming Program. She is based in Washington, D.C.

Prior to joining Earthjustice, Carrie was a litigation partner at Jenner & Block. One of the more notable cases she worked on was a class action on behalf of Native American farmers and ranchers challenging discrimination in USDA’s farm loan program. The team won an enormous, and unprecedented, settlement for her clients. She also maintained a very active pro bono docket at Jenner. Prior to joining Jenner, Carrie clerked on the Fourth Circuit, and graduated from University of Virginia Law School and Duke University, both with many honors. She also worked for several years at women’s advocacy organizations in DC.

When she is not busy practicing law, Carrie enjoys spending time with her family, running long distances, watching Duke basketball and Nationals baseball, cooking and reading.

Sophia Kruszewski, Deputy Policy Director at National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Sophia (she/her) leads NSAC’s cross-team policy coordination and strategy efforts. She returned to NSAC after 4 years leading the Food and Agriculture Clinic at Vermont Law School, where she directed a team providing law and policy services to farmers, food entrepreneurs, and food system organizations. During that time, Sophia led the launch of the Vermont Legal Food Hub, a program that connects farmers and local food businesses with free legal assistance. Sophia previously served as a Senior Policy Specialist at NSAC; her DC experience also includes the Center for Food Safety, the White House Council on Environmental Quality, and the federal district court. She holds a BS in Environmental Science from the University of Michigan and a JD from Vermont Law School.

Mary Egan, Senior Program Coordinator for the Legal Food Hub at Conservation Law Foundation

Mary was most recently employed at Harvard Business School as a project coordinator. She has spent most of her public health career at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital as a database manager and community health worker.

Mary also brings great experience as a crops team member and food entrepreneur. She worked at Drumlin Farm and started her own dried fruit business, aptly named Cut&Dried. She is ecstatic to find a position where she can support individuals who are taking on these challenges themselves.

In her free time Mary enjoys trail running, rock climbing, backpacking, cooking, and baking.

Scott Carlson, Executive Director and Attorney at Law at Farmers’ Legal Action Group

Scott W. Carlson is FLAG’s Executive Director. Raised on a family farm, Scott has maintained life-long connections to agriculture and family farmers. With his personal background and extensive professional experience in state and federal farm policy and complex litigation, Scott brings a deep commitment to protecting family farms and to achieving legal, social, and economic justice for family farmers and their communities.

Scott served as the North Dakota Department of Agriculture Policy and Communications Director under Commissioner Sarah Vogel. He was also U.S. Senator Kent Conrad’s Legislative Assistant for Agriculture, which included staffing Sen. Conrad on the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee. Scott also served as Senior Professional Staff on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee. As a U.S. Senate staff member, Scott worked regularly with Congressional leadership, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the White House on agriculture and food legislation, regulation and public policy. During his career in Washington, D.C., farmers across the country faced numerous and repeated natural disasters. Scott worked to ensure that Congress and the Administration provided fair disaster funding and helped create responsible and responsive public policy to help keep family farmers on the land. Ultimately, Scott served as one of the top U.S. Senate staff negotiators during the conference committee policy negotiations over the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000, which overhauled the federal crop insurance program, expanded it to include new crops and farmers, and set the foundation for modern federal farm risk management programs.

An honors graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, Scott served as Managing Editor of the Minnesota Law Review. He then practiced law for more than twelve years before joining FLAG. He is rated by Super Lawyers, and was named to the list of outstanding attorneys as a “Rising Star” in 2014. Scott served as trial counsel in In re High Pressure Laminates Antitrust Litigation, a six-week federal trial in the Southern District of New York, and in In re Polyester Staple Antitrust Litigation (W.D.N.C.), a federal antitrust case that settled with the last remaining defendant on the eve of trial, ultimately recovering more than the single damages suffered by the class. Scott has extensive experience in complex litigation, including In re Rail Freight Fuel Surcharge Antitrust Litigation (D.D.C.) (claims alleging conspiracy among major domestic railroads to fix prices for rail freight surcharges); In re Titanium Dioxide Antitrust Litigation (D. Md.) (price-fixing claims against manufacturers of titanium dioxide); In re Lawnmower Engines Horsepower Marketing & Sales Practices Litigation (E.D. Wis.) (alleging consumer fraud, civil conspiracy and unjust enrichment claims against manufacturers of lawn mowers and lawn mower engines); In re AOL Time Warner Securities Litigation (S.D.N.Y.) (securities fraud claims against AOL and Time Warner on behalf of shareholders); In re Guidant Corp. Implantable Defibrillators Products Liability Litigation (D. Minn.) (product liability claims on behalf of patients with implanted defibrillators); In re Monosodium Glutamate Antitrust Litigation (D. Minn.) (price-fixing claims on behalf of business purchasers of MSG); In re Fiber Optic Cable Litigation (N.D. Ill.) (claims on behalf of property owners alleging that telecommunication companies installed facilities within rights of way without consent); and other complex litigation.

Megan Uzzell, Director of Impact and External Affairs at Democracy Forward

Megan joined Democracy Forward after having served eight years at the U.S. Department of Labor, where she most recently was the Associate Deputy Secretary for Policy. In this role Megan led Departmental efforts on regulatory, policy and agency matters such as wage standards, work and family policy, enforcement, immigration and worker safety. Prior to joining the Labor Department, Megan served in the U.S. House of Representatives, working as Legislative Director for a member from Southern California and handling energy, environment, appropriations and transportation matters. In 2005, Megan was named one of the Hill’s top 35 staffers under 35.

Originally from Kansas City, Kansas, Megan has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Political Science and International Affairs from Drake University, and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from George Washington University.

Irena Como, Senior Attorney at Southern Environmental Law Center

ACLU of North Carolina, deputy legal directorNew York City Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Practice, staff attorneyJ.D., Notre Dame Law School, London Law ProgrammeM.A., Central European University, with honorsB.A., Earlham College, with highest honors

Understanding the Impact of Federal Funding Cuts to LFPA and LFSCC on Schools, Farmers, and Communities
2025-05-07 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Los_Angeles)
This webinar is open to all funders.

In March 2025, the Trump administration canceled more than $1 billion in federal spending through the Local Food Purchasing Cooperative Agreement Program (LFPA) and the Local Food for Schools Cooperative Agreement Program (LFSCC). These funds provided Tribal Nations and state agencies money to work in partnership with institutions like schools, food banks, and community organizations to purchase and distribute food from local farmers and ranchers.

The cancellation of these local food procurement programs, created under the Biden administration, has caused drastic upstream and downstream impacts across the food supply chain. Farmers who scaled up their operations to meet the market opportunities created by these programs could lose their livelihoods. Students could lose access to fresh, healthy, and local menu options. Food hubs that have spent years building local and regional economic development opportunities could be forced to drastically scale back.

Protecting and maintaining the relationships and food systems innovations forged through the last several years of LFPA and LFSCC funding is essential. Join this session for a discussion on how impacted organizations and networks are navigating and responding to these cuts, ongoing advocacy campaigns to restore them, and what is needed from funders right now.

Please note this session will not be recorded to protect the safety of speakers. Notes and key takeaways will be shared with registrants.

Summary of Notes & Resources

Speakers

Gary Besaw, Director, Menominee Tribal Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, and Director, Menominee Tribal Food Distribution Program

Gary, of Keshena, currently serves as the Director of the Menominee Tribal Department of Agriculture and Food Systems and Director of the Menominee Tribal Food Distribution Program. Gary is an enrolled Tribal member of the Menominee Nation and has served on the Menominee Tribal Legislature for 15 years, twice holding positions as Tribal Chairman, and once each as Vice Chairman and Secretary. Gary currently serves on the Shawano-Menominee Farm Service Agency (FSA) County Committee, serving his second term.

Gary has served on multiple environmental and policy committees for the Menominee Nation including 15 years as the Menominee Nation’s representative on the Wisconsin Legislature’s State-Tribal Relations Study Committee. He previously worked in Native American education at the College of Menominee Nation as Vice President of Student Services. Gary holds a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout and a Master of Science degree in education administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Tom McDougall, Founder and CEO, 4P Foods

Tom was born and raised in the mid-Hudson Valley of New York State. He grew to love the rolling country, and learned to question the suburban sprawl that took over one cow pasture after another around his childhood home. After moving to DC to finish school, he was introduced to business concepts that had been foreign to him: corporate social responsibility, externalized costs, triple-bottom line, social entrepreneurship, true cost accounting, and others. His first job after college had him traveling back and forth to China where he saw first hand what externalized costs really looked like. He experienced the impacts that producing all of our “stuff” elsewhere had on people’s lives, the environment, and the social construct of a backyard, far far away. It was a jarring, eye-opening experience for him, one that ultimately led him to launch 4P Foods in an effort to be part of the solution.

While he and his wife were participating in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) of their own, and after reading one too many Michael Pollan books, Tom found himself on a life-changing path of working towards food systems change, and more broadly, business systems change. What, really, is the true purpose of business in our society? What should it be? He’d love to know your thoughts.

Katie Nixon – Co-Director, New Growth Food Systems, and Co-Director, Heartland Regional Food Business Center

Katie is the co-director of New Growth Food Systems and the Heartland Regional Food Business Center, which serves a five-state region. Plus, she is the owner and operator of Green Gate Family Farm in Wheatland, Missouri. With a deep commitment to supporting local farmers and strengthening regional food networks, Katie brings extensive experience and passion to her work.

Liz O’Gilvie – Director, Springfield Food Policy Council, and lnterim Director, Gardening the Community

After returning to her hometown of Springfield, MA, with her husband and newly adopted son in 2009, Elizabeth found her voice as a passionate and highly effective advocate for access to healthy food in the community – especially for children.

Working with the Springfield Food Policy Council, Elizabeth helped lead the campaign to build the new $21 million Springfield Culinary and Nutrition Center, which prepares healthy meals from scratch each day featuring locally grown food for district schoolchildren. She also led efforts to bring free breakfast into Springfield Public Schools classrooms as well as helping the district qualify for the federal free lunch program to counter pervasive poverty and hunger.

Elizabeth also is chair of the board for Gardening the Community, a local nonprofit organization that teaches children to grow their own nutritious food. She championed efforts to purchase land in the community to build a greenhouse, so volunteers can grow food year-round, and the beautiful new Walnut Street Community Farm Store, where people in the neighborhood can buy locally grown, pesticide-free fruits and vegetables.

Susan Lightfoot Schempf, Director, Food Systems Leadership Network, Wallace Center at Winrock International

Susan has dedicated her life’s work to building relationships of solidarity across communities, nourishing leadership, facilitating collaboration, and realizing food sovereignty. She first dug her hands in the earth as a child at Our Father’s Garden – a faith-based community farm in her hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana – and has been growing community through food ever since. She was the founding Executive Director of the Noyo Food Forest, a community-based organization in rural northern California, and launched the organization’s unique on-site farm to school and agricultural training program that is still in operation 20 years later. She then served as a regional Farm to Fork Manager for North Coast Opportunities, where she spearheaded countywide farm to school initiatives, supported the creation of the Mendocino County Food Policy Council, co-created the Mendocino County Approved Source program, and led the planning and design for the Mendo Lake Food Hub. After moving back home to Louisiana to attend graduate school at Tulane University Law School, Susan joined the Wallace Center in 2016 and served as Co-Director of the national organization for five years before recently transitioning to a new role as the inaugural Executive Director of the Food Systems Leadership Network (FSLN). Outside of work, Susan eagerly seeks out music, food, family, and friends (preferably together), and is almost always plotting her next tropical surf adventure.

Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice Alumni Circle
2025-05-14 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice (IFSCoP) is a learning and relationship-building cohort for funders interested in advancing support for Native-led food systems work. Developed by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders, First Nations Development Institute, and Melvin Consulting PLLC, this program brings funders together to engage directly with Indigenous leaders, deepen understanding of structural and philanthropic barriers in Indian Country, and build more effective strategies for supporting Native food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture. The IFSCoP has been offered every other year since 2021.

Alumni of the Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice are invited to join a virtual gathering bringing together Cohorts 1 and 2! This is an opportunity to reconnect, share experiences, and hear updates on how IFSCoP alumni are engaging in Indigenous food systems work, especially in today’s evolving funding landscape across Indian Country.

This virtual gathering is open to past IFSCoP participants only. Stay tuned for more information about Cohort 3 launching in 2026!

Hunger in the US: How Disasters Disrupt Access to Food
2025-05-15 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This webinar is hosted by The Center for Disaster Philanthropy and co-sponsored by Alliance Magazine, Council on Foundations, Giving Compass, National Voluntary Organizations Active in a Disaster, PEAK Grantmaking, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders, and The Funders Network.

Hunger, or periods of severe food insecurity when people may go for days without eating because of lack of money, access to food or other resources, affects 14% of households and about 1 in 5 children in the U.S.

As food prices increase year after year while funding cuts continue to hit programs across the country, working families struggle to afford food daily. When a natural hazard or severe weather occurs, it exacerbates hunger by disrupting supply chains, reducing access to food from stores or restaurants, increasing pressures on support systems like food banks, and causing power outages that may prevent people from making their own food.

Join us for a webinar to discuss the systemic causes of hunger and why it is a preventable disaster.

By the end of this webinar, donors will:

Understand the systemic causes of hunger and how to address them.

Recognize the repercussions of funding cuts.

Explore how funders can reduce hunger in the U.S.

Who should attend?

Anyone interested in learning about hunger in the U.S.

Philanthropic organizations, individual donors and funders

Philanthropic advisors

Disaster response and recovery professionals

Community leaders and policymakers

Panelists:

Salaam Bhatti, Esq., SNAP Director, Food Research and Action Center

Salaam Bhatti joined FRAC in November 2023 as the SNAP Director. In this role, he works to strengthen SNAP access and benefit adequacy. Salaam works closely with the Interim President to develop, lead, and track annual work plans; set and meet unit goals; collaborate with other unit Directors to assist in achieving FRAC’s strategic plan goals; and expand the unit’s innovation and work.

Salaam joins FRAC after working at the Virginia Poverty Law Center (VPLC). While at VPLC, he successfully lobbied to fully repeal the drug felon ban for SNAP and TANF, twice achieved record increases to TANF cash benefits, subsidized reduced-priced school meals, repealed the TANF family cap, ended lunch shaming policies in schools, and received a unanimous vote to expand SNAP for over 20,000 families. Salaam also helped develop a mobile-friendly, SNAP screening tool which is used by tens of thousands of people & multiple non-profits and has been rolled out to be available for all states and D.C. He received the Young Alumni Achievement Award from Albright College for his work in alleviating poverty and promoting Muslim-Jewish relations. Salaam also received the inaugural Stuart A. Freudberg Award for Regional Partnership for his work with Maryland and DC Hunger Solutions to address food insecurity across the metropolitan Washington area from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments.

Salaam has a J.D. from Touro Law School, is barred in New York and Virginia, and received his Bachelors in Political Science and International Relations from Albright College (with a year abroad in the University of Aberdeen).

Vincent Davis, Senior Director of Disaster Services, Feeding America

Vincent B. Davis is the Founder of Preparedness Matters Consulting and serves as Director of Disaster Services for Feeding America. Prior to joining Feeding America in January 2020, he served as workplace resiliency manager at Amazon, where he developed disaster frameworks to support the company’s 175 corporate offices. Before joining Amazon, Vince was senior preparedness manager for Sony PlayStation in San Diego, and manager of preparedness and response at Walgreens Co., where he developed disaster programs for their 8,600 U.S. stores and distribution facilities. Following a distinguished 23-year career in the U.S. Air Force and Illinois National Guard, Vince served as external affairs and community relations officer at FEMA, managing field teams for 11 Presidential disasters. After leaving FEMA Vince served as regional preparedness manager for the American Red Cross of Greater Chicago, where he led research and development of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning Go To 2040 Report on Emergency Preparedness, a 30-year planning effort to improve community disaster resilience.

Vince was principal developer of the FEMA Regional Catastrophic Incident Coordination Plan for Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, a plan for mass care of a million residents of the Chicagoland region. Vince is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM). In 2019, he completed the FEMA National Emergency Management Advanced Academy (NEMAA) for senior leaders. A passionate advocate for disaster literacy and underserved community preparedness, Vince has authored three books, Lost and Turned Out, A Guide to Preparing Underserved Communities for Disasters (Amazon 2012), and The Native Family Disaster Preparedness Handbook (Heritage Publishing 2017), and the Emergency Guidebook for Broadcasters Serving Indian Country in collaboration with Native Public Media. Vince is a lifetime member of the Black Emergency Managers Association International (BEMA), an Advisory Board Member for the Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM), Honorary Chair for the International Council for Women’s Leadership in Emergency Management and Business Continuity (ICWL), and Advisory Board member for the Homeland Security Center of Excellence, Pierce College, Washington.

Kavita Koppa, Co-Executive Director, Rural Advancement Foundation International (RAFI)

Kavita (Kuh-vee-thuh) serves as the Co-Executive Director of RAFI-USA, where she worked 2013 to 2016 and then returned in 2023 as Land Access Director. She brings more than a decade of experience in agriculture across nonprofit, for-profit, and cooperative sectors. She is especially passionate about making financing more accessible and equitable for farmers — particularly those historically excluded from traditional financial systems.

In addition to her work at RAFI-USA, Kavita served as co-owner at Money Positive, a worker-owned financial planning firm focused on helping those who are often excluded from the conventional financial industry. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in geography and biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a dual MBA/MA in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin. Kavita can usually be found frolicking through the woods of North Carolina and getting overly-excited about plants.

Moderator:

Tanya Gulliver-Garcia, Director of Advisory and Education Services, The Center for Disaster Philanthropy

Tanya Gulliver-Garcia (she/they) brings practical, lived, academic and philanthropic understandings of disasters to her work as the Center for Disaster Philanthropy’s director of advisory and education services. In this role, Tanya oversees the development of educational content and CDP’s educational webinar series. Tanya also directs CDP’s expert advisory services, which help funders determine, manage and improve their disaster-giving strategies.

Tanya is a self-described “disaster junkie” who is passionate about ensuring the most marginalized and oppressed in our communities can recover and build resilience. Their work is grounded in principles of equity and an understanding of how the intersections of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, class and other identities affect the lives of individuals and their families/communities.

Prior to CDP, Tanya worked as the associate director of programs and planning at Foundation for Louisiana (FFL). Her duties included helping FFL strengthen its capacity to manage various programmatic initiatives while building an effective evaluation practice. They led FFL’s Equitable Disaster Resilience Framework, the associated Strategic Response Fund and the foundation’s LGBTQ+ Fund.

Tanya lived and worked most of her life in or around Toronto, Canada. Their work there includes serving as the research coordinator for the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness/Homeless Hub (COH), which works to mobilize research results to have a greater impact on the elimination of homelessness in Canada.

Tanya regularly speaks and presents on issues related to disaster equity, the numbers behind disaster giving, and building relationships between funders and nongovernmental organizations. They have appeared in keynotes and conferences, such as PEAK grantmaking, Res/Con, We Give Summit and National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters.

Tanya also worked as a freelance writer and editor for a couple of decades and served for eight years on the Professional Writers Association of Canada board, including three terms as president. Tanya is a frequent writer for CDP’s blog and has authored analyses and commentaries in publications such as Giving Compass, Nonprofit Quarterly and Reader’s Digest Canada. They are #TeamNoOxfordComma!

Tanya’s academic background is in sociology, particularly disaster and environmental sociology. Their master’s degree developed a risk-based heat registry to protect low-income and marginally-housed communities from extreme heat. Tanya has responded to several major disasters across the United States and in her adopted state of Louisiana with American Red Cross.

Tanya lives and works remotely in the Broadmoor neighborhood of New Orleans.

Gather Round Monthly Membership Call
2025-05-15 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls, held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month.

We want to hear what’s top of mind for you, what you are wrestling with, and what topics you want to explore deeper. Each call will have a different topic.

SAFSF members are automatically enrolled in Gather Round meetings, and will see the calendar invitations. If you do not, email membership@safsf.org to receive access.

Maximize Your Membership Q2
2025-05-20 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Maximize Your Membership is an orientation webinar for SAFSF members, new and veteran! If you are new staff at a new or long-time SAFSF member organization, have not engaged in SAFSF programming or member benefits yet yourself, want a refresher on all that is available to you as a SAFSF member organization, or just want to connect, join us!

This quarterly membership call features our newest SAFSF members – help us welcome them into this community. Join Clare Fox, Executive Director, and Holly Hanes, Senior Membership Associate, for a deep dive into all things SAFSF, including:

Celebrating & sharing your membership internally and externally;

Member Perks – including the annual Forum, exclusive offerings, and Learning Communities;

How to access your SAFSF benefits;

SAFSF Professional and Leadership Development Pathways;

Tools and resources available to you;

Event Preview

This energizing conversation will excite you for the quarter ahead and expose you to one (or many!) benefits of membership that you were not utilizing to help in maximizing your SAFSF experience. Meet other members, learn the SAFSF processes, and get engaged! This event is a free, SAFSF member only event. Interested in SAFSF membership? Email us. (membership@safsf.org)

To register for this program, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF.
Please log in or register for an account.

Last Chance to Register for the 2025 SAFSF Forum
2025-05-28 00:00 - 23:59 (America/Los_Angeles)
The SAFSF Forum is a unique conference for the full spectrum of funders—including philanthropy, investors, community finance, and intermediaries—to engage with peers, movement leaders, and practitioners across the country around a shared mission for equitable and sustainable food and agriculture.

We are gathering at Tamaya Resort, which is located on sovereign Santa Ana Pueblo land, June 9-12. Join us for skill building, networking, and leadership development in food and agriculture systems change.

Registration Rates

We are offering a 5% discount on registration for groups of 3 or more when registered and paid in one transaction. The discount will not apply if each person registers and pays separately.

Food System Partner registration is an SAFSF member benefit. Each SAFSF member organization is entitled to invite one representative of an organization that they are sponsoring to attend the Forum. Email membership@safsf.org for questions about this member benefit.

We are offering a 5% discount on registration for groups of 3 or more when registered and paid in one transaction. The discount will not apply if each person registers and pays separately.

Food System Partner (FSP) registration is an SAFSF member benefit. Each SAFSF member organization is entitled to invite one representative of an organization that they are sponsoring to attend the Forum. Please log in to the SAFSF Member Portal for the FSP registration code. If you have questions about this member benefit email membership@safsf.org.

Early bird registration closed April 28, 2025.

Funders who have been selected to organize Forum sessions are expected to cover travel and accommodations of their (non-funder) speakers, as well as a meaningful honoraria for their time and expertise. Registration fees will be waived for non-funder speakers confirmed prior to April 15, 2025. Funder speakers will receive a code for a discounted (member) registration rate. New this year, SAFSF has a limited budget to support scholarships for up to 20 community-based leaders who are speaking in plenary and program sessions. Scholarships have been distributed and this information has been communicated to organizers.

REGISTER

MAIN FORUM PAGE

FAQs

Solidarity in Action: Strategies for Power-Building in Anti-Immigrant Environments
2025-05-28 10:00 - 11:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This webinar is hosted by Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees and co-sponsored by Economic Opportunity Funders, Northern California Grantmakers, Philanthropy New York, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders.

The federal administration’s consolidation of power and scapegoating of migrant populations and other historically marginalized communities have presented staggering challenges for immigrant-serving organizations. There are many lessons we can learn from community-based groups that operate in this type of hostile environment. They have also built power in geographies with other low-paid workers or workers of color and have formed coalitions across social justice movements for the liberation of all.

Join GCIR to learn how multi-issue groups working to build an inclusive multiracial democracy are deploying strategies that address the needs of migrant communities in an increasingly hostile environment.

Speakers:

Sofía Verónica Montez, Legal Fellow, Project South

Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Sofía (they / them) is a 2023 graduate at UNC School of Law aiming to grow as a movement lawyer for grassroots efforts countering the inhumane violence and displacement inflicted by Western imperialism. Sofía joined Project South as a J.D. Pathways Fellow to advance our ongoing and emerging projects for justice, including legal advocacy for basic utilities such as water, gas, and electricity for all regardless of citizen status or lack of social security documentation. During law school, Sofía supported immigrants’, labor, and housing rights through their service as a Certified Legal Intern at the UNC Civil Legal Assistance Clinic and as a Special Trips Coordinator for the UNC Pro Bono Board, informed by their developing experiences as a Fellow for the Peggy Browning Fund, as an intern for the Equal Justice Center and for Project South, and as an extern for Sur Legal Collaborative.

Amanda Weaver, Network Power Building Director, People’s Action

Amanda is the Network Power Building Director for People’s Action, the nation’s largest network of member-based, grassroots power-building organizations working for social, economic and racial justice, with 40 affiliates in 38 states and more than a million members.

She is a community organizer, trainer and director who has over a decade of experience building campaigns and programming with communities across Cook County IL and nationally across multiple states. She has experience and expertise in building electoral and community based organization to make concrete change for working people’s lives, and to elect working people to office. She has a passion for building community resilience and connection across differences.

Steven Wu, Organizing and Policy Director, Woori Juntos

Steven is the Director of Organizing & Policy at Woori Juntos, bringing expertise in policy development and community engagement.

At Woori Juntos, Steven oversees organizing and policy initiatives, building on experience as Manager, Organizing & Policy. Their work supports the organization’s commitment to ensuring access to health and social services for Asians, immigrants, and all Texans, while also promoting civic engagement to foster equity and justice. Steven contributes to the organization’s advocacy efforts and supports its mission to address structural challenges faced by communities.

Drawing on a background in research and policy analysis, Steven previously served as a Health Policy Associate at Scholars Strategy Network. In this role, they contributed to addressing public challenges and increasing the accessibility of research findings.

Their work history includes a role as Research Assistant at Georgia Tech, demonstrating applied knowledge of scientific principles. Steven holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Moderator:

Deepa Iyer, Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives, Building Movement Project

Deepa Iyer is a South Asian American writer, strategist, and lawyer. Her work is rooted in Asian American, South Asian, Muslim, and Arab communities where she spent fifteen years in policy advocacy and coalition building in the wake of the September 11th attacks and ensuing backlash. Currently, Deepa leads projects on solidarity and social movements at the Building Movement Project, a national nonprofit organization that catalyzes social change through research, strategic partnerships, and resources for movements and nonprofits. She conducts workshops and trainings, uplifts narratives through the Solidarity Is This podcast, and facilitates solidarity strategy for cohorts and networks. Previously, she has held positions at Race Forward, South Asian Americans Leading Together, the US Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center, and the Asian American Justice Center.

Deepa’s first book, We Too Sing America: South Asian, Arab, Muslim, and Sikh Immigrants Shape Our Multiracial Future (The New Press, 2015), chronicles community-based histories in the wake of 9/11 and received a 2016 American Book Award. Deepa’s most recent book (2022), a guide based on the social change ecosystem map that she created, is called Social Change Now: A Guide for Reflection and Connection. Her debut children’s picture book, We Are The Builders!, was released in the fall of 2024.

Deepa serves on the advisory council of the Emergent Fund. She has been an adjunct professor in Asian American Studies and Public Policy programs. Deepa is an immigrant who moved to Kentucky from Kerala (India) when she was twelve years old. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame Law School and Vanderbilt University.

Small Funders Learning Community Call: Responding in the Moment
2025-05-29 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This is a space for SAFSF members who identify as small funders to explore collective insights and discuss how our unique strengths can drive meaningful change. Together, let’s reflect on our journey, lessons learned, and explore our paths forward in this moment.

During this call, we will explore:

How have you responded to the federal administrative changes?

What do you think is most needed now, both for small funders and from small funders?

Whether you have been part of this Learning Community for a while or are new to the conversation, your perspective is valuable and very welcome. We’re looking forward to seeing you and discussing how this community can support small funders at this moment.

This is a SAFSF member-only group. If you identify as a small funder within the SAFSF membership and are interested in joining, please register below.

Pre-Forum Member Orientation
2025-06-03 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Are you joining us for the SAFSF Forum in June? Meet fellow member attendees at a pre-Forum orientation call for SAFSF members, new and veteran! Whether this is your first Forum or your 10th, join us to learn about new offerings at the 2025 Forum and how to best engage while in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico.

This call is especially helpful if you are bringing new staff, consultants, Board or Advisory Committee members who are unfamiliar with SAFSF or the SAFSF Forum.

Join SAFSF staff for a deep dive into the 2025 Forum including:

Why New Mexico?

What to Expect at the Forum

Forum Offerings and Mainstage Sessions

Member Engagement with the Forum

Exclusive Member Events at the Forum

How to Engage in Whova

This energizing conversation will excite you for the Forum ahead. Meet other members, learn the Forum processes, and get engaged! This event is a free, SAFSF member only event. Interested in SAFSF membership? Email us. (membership@safsf.org)

To register for this program, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF.
Please log in or register for an account.

2025 SAFSF Forum
2025-06-09 15:00 - 2025-06-12 17:00 (America/Phoenix)
The SAFSF Forum is a unique conference for the full spectrum of funders—including philanthropy, investors, community finance, and intermediaries—to engage with peers, movement leaders, and practitioners across the country around a shared mission for equitable and sustainable food and agriculture.

Join us June 9 – 12 in New Mexico

The 2025 Forum will bring SAFSF’s network to the Southwest for the first time in 20 years. We are gathering at Tamaya Resort, which is located on sovereign Santa Ana Pueblo land. Join us for skill building, networking, and leadership development in food and agriculture systems change.

Recap

Program

Sponsorship

FAQs

About Our Theme: Resilience, Justice, Democracy

For over 20 years, SAFSF has united funders in investing in sustainable food and agriculture. This year’s Forum envisions systems change rooted in Resilience, Justice, and Democracy. Programs will explore ways to achieve climate resilient and environmentally sustainable agriculture, justice and equitable outcomes for marginalized communities, and democratic control of food systems. Conference attendees will explore how diverse capital partners can empower frontline communities and strengthen movements for lasting systems change through dynamic sessions on culture and narrative, policy and advocacy, tools and infrastructure, and innovations in capital strategies.

Resilience: Creating food and agriculture systems that can withstand and adapt to challenges like climate change and social disruptions. This involves embracing climate stewardship, agroecology and regenerative farming, Indigenous traditional ecological knowledge, and building strong, adaptable communities.

Justice: Transforming food systems to address historical and systemic inequities. This theme focuses on uplifting marginalized communities and ensuring equitable access to resources, opportunities, and decision-making power in food and agriculture.

Democracy: Empowering communities to have a say in shaping the policies and practices that affect their food systems. This theme emphasizes community-led governance and policy, participatory decision-making, movement building, and civic engagement to create a more inclusive and representative food system.

Registration Rates

We are offering a 5% discount on registration for groups of 3 or more when registered and paid in one transaction. The discount will not apply if each person registers and pays separately.

Food System Partner registration is an SAFSF member benefit. Each SAFSF member organization is entitled to invite one representative of an organization that they are sponsoring to attend the Forum. Email membership@safsf.org for questions about this member benefit.

Funders who have been selected to organize Forum sessions are expected to cover travel and accommodations of their (non-funder) speakers, as well as a meaningful honoraria for their time and expertise. Registration fees will be waived for non-funder speakers confirmed prior to April 15, 2025. Funder speakers will receive a code for a discounted (member) registration rate. New this year, SAFSF has a limited budget to support scholarships for up to 20 community-based leaders who are speaking in plenary and program sessions. Scholarships have been distributed and this information has been communicated to organizers.

Make An Impact—Become a Sponsor

The 2025 Forum includes cutting-edge content, inspirational speakers, field-based learning, and new features such as live recorded podcasts and a wellness room! At this critical moment for philanthropy and investment, your sponsorship will amplify the impact of this unique conference.

Check out the sponsorship levels and benefits in this overview, and contact our Executive Director, Clare Fox to secure your sponsorship.

Hotel Information

The 2025 SAFSF Forum will take place in Santa Ana Pueblo at the beautiful Tamaya Resort. We encourage you to arrive on Monday, June 9 to take full advantage of evening networking.

TAMAYA RESORT – SOLD OUT

SAFSF has secured an overflow roomblock at Santa Ana Star Casino, 2 miles down the road from Forum hotel, for $169 plus taxes. Book your room online here (Group Code = BKG1128 / Password = [REDACTED] or call hotel reservations at 1-844-466-2378 and give them the group code. The last day to make reservations is May 25, 2025.

Host Committee & Local Advisor

Meet the local funders and leaders shaping the 2025 Forum to reflect local culture, context, and community impact. To learn more about this incredible committee, click here.

How Funders Can Address the Growing Famine in Sudan
2025-06-17 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This webinar is hosted by The Center for Disaster Philanthropy and co-sponsored by Alliance Magazine, Giving Compass, PEAK Grantmaking, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders, and United Philanthropy Forum.

One in three people worldwide (2.83 billion people) cannot afford a healthy diet. Hunger affects everything in a person’s life: physical health, mental health and cognitive development.

Hunger and famine are preventable. Global food production is high enough to feed everyone on the planet, but hunger continues due to unequal distribution of food and conflict. At least 85% of people experiencing hunger live in conflict-affected countries.

Goal 2 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals is Zero Hunger, which is defined as: “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture.” However, the targets of this goal are not being achieved, and in many cases, the situation is getting worse. More people need nutritional support and suffer from food insecurity than ever before.

Famines are the extreme outcome of persistent food deprivation. On Aug. 1, 2024, famine was declared in Sudan at Zamzam, one of the camps for internally displaced people, home to a million people. CDP’s Sudan Humanitarian Crisis Fund focuses on supporting mutual aid groups and emergency response rooms (ERRs) in the country, which are working hard to address the hunger crisis. Now that USAID funding has been halted, most ERRs have had to shut down their feeding programs, including all 40 community kitchens in Zamzam camp. The crisis is growing.

Join us for a webinar to discuss the systemic causes of hunger and the differences between famine and hunger. We will also explore why hunger and famine are preventable disasters.

By the end of this webinar, donors will:

Learn more about the disproportionate impact on women and girls.

Explore how funders can reduce famine and hunger.

Recognize the repercussions of USAID budget cuts.

Who should attend?

Anyone interested in learning about hunger and famine

Philanthropic organizations, individual donors and funders

Philanthropic advisors

Disaster response and recovery professionals

Community leaders and policymakers

Register Here

Speakers:

Federico Motka, Head of Emergencies and Humanitarian, Vitol Foundation

Federico Motka currently serves as the Head of Emergencies and Humanitarian Portfolio at the Vitol Foundation, a position held since September 2021. Previously, Federico co-founded FieldWorks, a social enterprise dedicated to supporting local non-profits, and worked at Amanacard in operations and special projects focused on providing aid to crisis zones. Additional experience includes coordinating assessment programs for IMPACT Initiatives and managing emergency projects for Welthungerhilfe, including responses to major crises in Afghanistan and natural disasters in Asia. Federico’s career also encompasses roles at ACTED and an internship with UNDP, with a strong academic background in Development Economics and International Development from Johns Hopkins SAIS and Geography and Economics from LSE.

Musab Swareldhab Saty, Humanitarian Response Coordinator, Adeela

Musab is a dedicated professional in project management and digital transformation with over 3 years of experience leading cultural and humanitarian projects. Currently, he serves as a Humanitarian Response Coordinator at Adeela, where he manages humanitarian aid projects, coordinates with donors, and represents the organization in national and international coordination councils. His passion lies in leveraging digital solutions to enhance project management and improve the effectiveness of humanitarian interventions.

His expertise also extends to overseeing workshops, increasing project visibility, and acting as a liaison between youth initiatives and Adeela. He is committed to making a positive impact on the communities he works with, while consistently striving for sustainability and innovation in his projects.

Moderator:

Patty McIlreavy, President and CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy

Patricia “Patty” McIlreavy (MAC-ill-ree-vee) is president and CEO of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, the only full-time resource dedicated to helping donors maximize their impact through more intentional giving in response to domestic and international disasters. CDP’s expertise and tangible results for communities worldwide have helped it evolve into a trusted resource for philanthropy. With over 30 years of experience in international humanitarian policy and practice, Patty brings a unique blend of operational and strategic expertise to disaster philanthropy. Throughout her career, she has focused on improving the effectiveness and impact of the aid sector.

Prior to joining CDP in March 2020, Patty served as vice president of the humanitarian team at InterAction. During that time, she directed InterAction’s efforts to assist the humanitarian community, including its NGO members, United Nations (UN) agencies and the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement (RC/RC), to address the needs of marginalized populations. While at InterAction, she represented the organizations’ membership and participated in numerous inter-agency and independent reviews of country-level coordination and impact, traveling regularly to crisis-affected countries. Patty expanded NGOs’ position, partnerships, and influence in multilateral and bilateral forums and global events and led the development of the InterAction CEO Pledge on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse, Exploitation, and Harassment of and by NGO Staff.

Patty has more than 17 years of lived overseas experience, primarily in Africa and the Middle East, working in direct support of response and recovery operations. While based out of Jordan, Patty worked as a consultant for a diverse group of organizations, including humanitarian NGOs, RC/RC, the UN and NATO. Before this, Patty worked for the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in positions of increasing responsibility, based out of Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Burundi and Kenya. As regional director for the Horn and East Africa, she oversaw IRC’s relief, rehabilitation and post-conflict development programming, totaling more than $134 million, across eight countries. Patty’s experience in the humanitarian field began in 1993 when she joined USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance.

A frequent writer and sought-after speaker on humanitarian leadership, equitable recovery and philanthropy in disasters and humanitarian crises, Patty has given keynotes and spoken on podcasts, with media and at events, such as The Value In Giving, Alliance Magazine, the Sabanci Foundation Seminar, Texas A&M PRIMR, The Conference Board and Exponent Philanthropy’s annual conferences.

Patty holds a master’s degree in International Affairs from the American University School of International Service and was a 2014-2015 fellow of MIT’s Seminar XXI program. She has served on multiple inter-agency committees, including the U.S. Department of State’s Stabilization Advisory Council, the UN OCHA Change Management Advisory Group and the CSIS Task Force on Humanitarian Access. She is currently a member of the Global Executive Leadership Initiative Technical Advisory Committee, the Forbes Non-Profit Council and a Leap Ambassador. Patty taught as an Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service from 2021 to 2024.

Open Call for Board Nominations
2025-06-24 00:00 - 2025-07-31 23:59 (America/Los_Angeles)
Interested in stewardship of Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders? An open call for nominations to SAFSF’s Board of Directors will run until July 31st.

Open board positions will be filled for three-year terms that begin on January 1, 2026. Open Board seats for 2026 are for both SAFSF members and non-member funders. Nominations will be reviewed by the member-led Nominating Committee and Board of Directors, with notification to selected candidates happening in late November 2025.

Please consider nominating yourself or a colleague to bring your perspective, expertise, and energy to the work of SAFSF!

We are looking for qualified candidates who display the following:

Participation in SAFSF: Demonstrated familiarity and commitment to advancing the mission of SAFSF through participation in events, learning spaces, committees or other pathways of participation.

Board or Governance Experience: Brings previous experience serving on a Board of Directors or strong familiarity with the governance role of a non-profit Board of Directors. .

Leadership Experience: Demonstrates leadership in the funding field and food and agriculture systems change work.

Values Alignment: Demonstrates alignment with SAFSF’s values and vision for social and racial equity in food and agriculture, and building a big tent of funders to support food system transformation.

Ethics: Demonstrates good faith interest in Board roles and responsibilities, including governance, fundraising, and championing the mission of SAFSF, and is free of conflicts of interest.

Contribution to Board: Demonstrates interest and ability to volunteer time and resources to advance the impact and fiscal health of the organization.

Representation: Contributes to diversity of perspectives on the Board, representing a diversity of experiences across gender, race/ethnicity, age, geography, subject matter expertise and type of funding organization.

Timeline for the nomination process:

July 30 | Applications due

August – October | Candidate interviews with the Nominating Committee

November | Board of Directors vote and new Directors notified

December | New Board Member Orientation

January | Term begins

Self-nomination or nominations of other qualified candidates are welcome. If you have questions about the form or process, please contact Holly Hanes at holly@safsf.org.

Board Nomination Form

Gather Round Monthly Membership Call
2025-06-26 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls, held on the 3rd Thursday of every month (4th Thursday for June!) at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month.

We want to hear what’s top of mind for you, what you are wrestling with, and what topics you want to explore deeper. Each call will have a different topic.

SAFSF members are automatically enrolled in Gather Round meetings, and will see the calendar invitations. If you do not, email membership@safsf.org to receive access.

Gather Round Monthly Membership Call
2025-07-17 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls, held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month.

HOW TO START A POOLED FUND 101with Growing Justice Fund

The July Gather Round will feature new SAFSF member, Growing Justice Fund. In 2024, GROWING JUSTICE awarded over $5 million in grants to 36 organizations working to transform food systems in their Tribes, regions and communities. GROWING JUSTICE: The Fund for Equitable Good Food Procurement is a multi-donor pooled fund co-designed by funders, farmers, advocates, food suppliers, purchasers and community partners from Native and non-Native communities across the country, with a focus on equitable good food procurement. If you work in health equity, racial justice, economic equity, and/or food justice, join us!This is your judgement-free space to ask any questions on starting a pooled fund, including:

challenges in the development process

aligning on a common vision, values, and desired impact

fund design and working with field leaders

community and stakeholder engagement + more!

MEMBER SPEAKERRicardo T. Rocha Advisory Chair, Growing Justice Fund

Ricardo T. Rocha Advisory Chair, Growing Justice Fund

Ricardo T. Rocha is originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, and immigrated here with his family at the age of 4. Ricardo T. Rocha graduated from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the Watson Institute in Boulder, Colorado. Ricardo is a well-recognized leader experienced in motivating and developing productive relationships within corporate environments as well as with members of the community, professionals in the public and private sectors, and elected officials at all levels of governance. Ricardo spends most of his time ideating, building, and scaling solutions to difficult societal or organizational problems.Ricardo is the Founder and CEO of Bondadosa, a social impact, technology based food logistics and transportation company designed to create a more kind, just and sustainable food system. Ricardo loves to work with teams of system thinkers, engineers, and talented designers to bring impactful visions to life. Ricardo is invested in community efforts regarding food insecurity, healthcare, immigration, the environment, education, and economic development.

SAFSF members are automatically enrolled in Gather Round meetings, and will see the calendar invitations. If you do not, email membership@safsf.org to receive access.

Deadline: Become an SAFSF Member
2025-07-30 00:00 - 23:59 (America/Los_Angeles)
For over 20 years, SAFSF has been the leading national membership organization for philanthropy and impact investors committed to creating an equitable and sustainable food and agriculture system. Our network of nearly 120 member organizations includes foundations, impact investors, community development finance institutions (CDFIs), funding collaboratives, and re-granting organizations. SAFSF membership offers networking, learning, professional development, and strategic collaboration opportunities. We are committed to racial equity and social justice. Join us for great impact if you are a values-aligned funder supporting sustainable agriculture and food systems.

Member Benefits

Our network thrives on active member participation. Key benefits include:

Member Portal and Listserv—Access to exclusive recordings, member rosters, and a forum to connect with other members.

Customized Data Insights—Request customized data reports to inform your funding strategy and identify funders with similar interests.

Communities of Practice—SAFSF members can join our Learning Communities. Currently, we offer groups tailored to Small Funders, Health Funders, and Indigenous Food Systems, led by member co-chairs and supported by SAFSF staff.

Annual Forum—Enjoy inspirational learning, dynamic connections, and community-building opportunities. Members receive discounted registration for their organization.

Policy Insights—SAFSF provides cutting-edge insights on policy change in food and agriculture. Stay informed with our monthly members-only email newsletter on key policy issues in sustainable agriculture and food systems.

Networking—Connect with new and experienced funders across various issue areas, funding types, and geographies.

Issues Alignment—Collaborate with strategic partners to co-develop or co-fund impactful projects with SAFSF strategic convenings and working groups.

Professional Development—Access growth opportunities, serve on committees, or join our Board of Directors.

Eligibility

The missions of our members should be in alignment with SAFSF’s own mission and values, as well as the SAFSF Commitment to Racial Justice.

We welcome those organizations and individuals who:

Operate in alignment with SAFSF’s core values;

Use grantmaking, lending, or investing as a core strategy to fulfill their mission and relate to SAFSF colleagues as peer funders, not in a fundraising capacity;

Share SAFSF’s goal of increasing viability of and funding for sustainable agriculture and food system organizations and enterprises;

Support relationship-building, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration within SAFSF’s framework;

Share experiences, perspectives, and expertise with SAFSF colleagues;

Provide financial support for SAFSF, its programs, and its initiatives; and

Show an interest in enhancing the reputation of and expanding opportunities for SAFSF.

Participation in SAFSF events and committees is open to all individual donors, executive and program staff, and members of the Board of grantmaking or investment organizations. Development or fundraising staff are not permitted to participate in SAFSF events or to subscribe to our listserv.

Application Process

Applications are reviewed quarterly (January 15, April 15, July 30, and October 15) by our Membership Committee and Board of Directors. Eligible organizations use grantmaking, lending, or investing as core strategies. We invite organizations to join as collaborative peers, not for fundraising purposes.

To explore SAFSF membership, please contact membership@safsf.org.

Membership Dues

Member organization annual dues are based on total grantmaking or investment that supports sustainable agriculture and food systems work.

Annual SAFSF-related grants or investmentsFoundation/InvestorsOther Funders/Intermediaries<$100,000$1,200$1,200$100,000-$249,999$1,500$1,500$250,000-$499,999$2,500$2,500$500,000-$999,999$5,000$2,500$1,000,000-$1,999,999$7,500$3,750$2,000,000-$4,999,999$10,000$5,000>$5,000,000$15,000-$60,000$7,500

Deadline: Open Call for Board Nominations
2025-07-31 00:00 - 23:59 (America/Los_Angeles)
Interested in stewardship of Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders? An open call for nominations to SAFSF’s Board of Directors will run until July 31, 2025.

Open board positions will be filled for three-year terms that begin on January 1, 2026. Open Board seats for 2026 are for both SAFSF members and non-member funders. Nominations will be reviewed by the member-led Nominating Committee and Board of Directors, with notification to selected candidates happening in late November 2025.

Please consider nominating yourself or a colleague to bring your perspective, expertise, and energy to the work of SAFSF!

We are looking for qualified candidates who display the following:

Participation in SAFSF: Demonstrated familiarity and commitment to advancing the mission of SAFSF through participation in events, learning spaces, committees or other pathways of participation.

Board or Governance Experience: Brings previous experience serving on a Board of Directors or strong familiarity with the governance role of a non-profit Board of Directors. .

Leadership Experience: Demonstrates leadership in the funding field and food and agriculture systems change work.

Values Alignment: Demonstrates alignment with SAFSF’s values and vision for social and racial equity in food and agriculture, and building a big tent of funders to support food system transformation.

Ethics: Demonstrates good faith interest in Board roles and responsibilities, including governance, fundraising, and championing the mission of SAFSF, and is free of conflicts of interest.

Contribution to Board: Demonstrates interest and ability to volunteer time and resources to advance the impact and fiscal health of the organization.

Representation: Contributes to diversity of perspectives on the Board, representing a diversity of experiences across gender, race/ethnicity, age, geography, subject matter expertise and type of funding organization.

Timeline for the nomination process:

July 31 | Applications due

August – October | Candidate interviews with the Nominating Committee

November | Board of Directors vote and new Directors notified

December | New Board Member Orientation

January | Term begins

Self-nomination or nominations of other qualified candidates are welcome. If you have questions about the form or process, please contact Holly Hanes at holly@safsf.org.

Board Nomination Form

Rising Heat, Rising Risks: Protecting Farmworkers in a Changing Climate
2025-08-06 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
Heat stress for outdoor workers lies at the intersection of climate change, labor rights, agriculture, and public health. Heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the U.S., and farmworkers are especially vulnerable, being 35 times more likely to die from heat-related exposure than other workers. As temperatures globally rise, the number of unsafe working days for farmworkers due to heat is projected to double by the middle of the century. Without autonomy over their schedules or a federal OSHA standard regulating heat stress hazards in the workplace, farmworkers are often forced to labor through extreme temperatures or smoke from wildfires.

In this webinar, a panel of farmworker organizers, health experts, and policy advocates, will discuss the impacts of extreme heat on farmworkers and how we can advocate for a more just food system.

By the end of this webinar, attendees will:

Understand how the climate crisis threatens farmworkers’ health and safety

Gain insight into the exploitative environments faced by farmworkers

Learn about the farmworker-led movements for improved protections and working conditions

Understand the federal and state policy landscape, including constraints and opportunities

Recognize opportunities for action and advocacy

This webinar is open to all. We especially encourage you to attend if you are:

A climate funder interested in the intersections between the climate crisis and agriculture

A policymaker focused on climate, public health, labor or food systems

A member of the public wondering how you can support farmworkers facing exploitative work environments

This webinar will be held in English and Spanish with interpretation for those who need it.

Summary of Notes & Resources

Speakers

Davin Cardenas, Organizing Director, North Bay Jobs with Justice

At North Bay Jobs with Justice, Davin Cardenas is organizing farm workers in Sonoma County towards a Just Transition, where workers challenge the most negative impacts within the wine industry, while training themselves in traditional ecological knowledge to protect the mother earth, and to have better jobs. Davin has lived in Sonoma County since 1999, graduating from Sonoma State University with a BA in Liberal Studies, and has been a community organizer for over 20 years, organizing immigrant and faith based communities for social, ecological, and economic justice. He has been trained in popular education, as well as Alinsky-ian organizing methodologies, and believes that solutions abound when we listen to the land, and listen to the workers. He also likes to run trails, read, and is a Golden State Warriors fan, naming his cat Curry, born the same year Steph Curry broke the NBA single season 3 point record for the first time (2013).

Anastasia Christman, Senior Policy Analyst, National Employment Law Project

Anastasia Christman joined National Employment Law Project (NELP) in June of 2011 as a policy analyst and has worked on issues of responsible outsourcing policies, green jobs, quality apprenticeship programs, and efforts to support workers in the financial services industry.Before coming to NELP, she helped to organize several thousand security officers in a city-wide campaign in Seattle and supported organizing and bargaining for tens of thousands of unionized janitors throughout the Western United States. She was the elected Vice President of SEIU Local 6, in Seattle, representing building service workers. Between 2000 and 2002 she conducted industry research for AFTRA, especially focused on Spanish dubbing artists for daytime soap operas, and for the Writer’s Guild looking at animation practices for shows like Spongebob Squarepants.Anastasia also spent several years investigating the private equity industry and leveraged buyouts and their effects on the front-line employees of purchased companies. The highlight of her pre-NELP career was wearing a wig and a purple spandex jumpsuit as part of an Abba-inspired band criticizing the political power of the private equity industry. Before that, she taught women’s history, the history of Los Angeles, and urban history at UCLA, Occidental College, and Pepperdine University.

Juanita Constible, Senior Advocate, Climate Adaptation, Natural Resources Defense Council

Juanita Constible is a senior advocate in NRDC’s Environmental Health program with more than 17 years of professional experience in communicating about the impacts of climate change. She works with partners across the United States to advance solutions to the health and safety threats of extreme heat, including workplace heat standards and forward-looking heat planning by federal and state agencies. Prior to joining NRDC, Juanita oversaw the science and solutions department at the Climate Reality Project, and later served as an adviser to the Climate Action Campaign. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in biology from the University of Victoria in Canada.

Elizabeth Mizelle, Assistant Professor, Baccalaureate Education, College of Nursing, East Carolina University

Elizabeth (Liz) Mizelle, PhD, RN is a nurse educator and researcher who has led multiple community-based and field research projects focused on the health effects of climate change and occupational exposures in rural populations. Currently funded by the CDC/NIOSH, her research evaluates a workplace intervention aimed at preventing dehydration and heat-related illness among farmworkers in North Carolina. Dr. Mizelle brings fourteen years of nursing experience in both rural and tertiary care hospitals, along with a decade of service as nursing faculty. She is an AgriSafe Nurse Scholar, a graduate of Yale’s Climate Change and Health Certificate Program, and is currently completing the Total Worker Health® Certificate Program at UNC-Chapel Hill. She is an institute member of the North Carolina Agromedicine Institute and serves as co-chair of the Policy and Advocacy Workgroup for the Carolina Advocates for Climate, Health, and Equity.

Yesica Ramirez, General Coordinator, Farmworker Association of Florida

Yesica Ramirez Garcia, the General Coordinator of Farmworker Association of Florida (FWAF) and the first woman to hold this role in its 40+ year history, brings a unique combination of firsthand experience as a farmworker and 12 years of service as a local organizer to her position. Her journey from farmworker to leader is a testament to her resilience and dedication.Born in Michoacan, Mexico, Yesica worked as a farmworker on land her family did not own before migrating to Apopka, Florida, where she worked in plant nurseries, exposed to harmful chemicals without proper protection. After developing health issues and a complicated pregnancy due to pesticide exposure, she left the nursery and discovered her passion for advocacy through participation in training and demonstrations at the Farmworker Association of Florida.Yesica’s commitment to health and safety protections for farmworkers has driven her work, from volunteering to leading roles in the organization. As Apopka Area Organizer and now General Coordinator, Yesica has organized workers and challenged the inhumane laws that have passed through local, state, and federal governments, fighting for social justice and for immigrant and workers’ rights. She has done everything from large food distribution events and vaccination days during COVID, hurricane disaster relief and response work in Central Florida, organizing demonstrations against unjust evictions, participating in community-based participatory research projects, creating Facebook Live events to inform the community, organizing Know Your Rights community meetings, participating on the Board of Directors of the Florida Immigrant Coalition and the Food Chain Workers Alliance, supporting victims of domestic violence, and much, much more.

Leticia Zavala, Co-Coordinator, El Futuro Es Nuestro

Leticia Zavala was born in Zacapu, Michoacan in 1979. At the age of six, her family migrated to the United States and immediately started following the migrant stream from Florida to Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. In her teenage years, she became a member of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, FLOC, as her family was working on a union farm. With the support of a migrant education foundation, she obtained a scholarship that helped her pay her way to college, and she graduated with a bachelor’s degree with a major in Sociology from Florida Southern College. After college, she got a call to return to the fields as an organizer and she joined the ranks of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC) once again. Since then, she has worked with immigrant communities in Mexico and North Carolina pushing to improve working and living conditions of agricultural workers. She is a member of Colectivo Binacional de Mujeres Migrantes, and part of the immigrant advisory council for the city of Zacapu, Michoacan. In 2017, Leticia was elected to serve on the executive board of the Farm Labor Organizing Committee, and she led FLOC’s organizing efforts in North Carolina for many years. In 2022, she joined an effort of FLOC members to take back the union for rank-and-file workers, and Leticia ran in the first contested election of the Farm labor Organizing Committee. Days after the election, Leticia was fired. Thirty farm workers joined together to found El Futuro es Nuestro / It’s Our Future, A farmworker led nonprofit that is leading the way to improve working and living conditions for farmworkers in North Carolina.

This webinar is hosted by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and sponsored by Center for Disaster Philanthropy, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture, Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, Grantmakers In Health, Health and Environmental Funders Network, Integrated Rural Strategies Group, Neighborhood Funders Group, and Philanthropy CA.

Gather Round: Movement Aligned Funding in the Wake of Federal Cuts
2025-08-21 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls, held on the third Thursday of every month at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month.

The August 2025 Gather Round session will explore what it means to be movement-aligned funders in a time of rising authoritarianism, shrinking federal support, and shifting philanthropic priorities. This member-only space will highlight the role of different types of funders – including intermediaries, CDFIs, investors, and foundations – in sustaining and scaling community-rooted solutions in quickly changing conditions.

This month’s session invites members to reflect on ways we can shift funding praxis to model solidarity, accountability, and partnership with the communities most impacted by the evisceration of federal funding opportunities. What does it mean to be “movement aligned” as a funder? What is the role of philanthropy in movements for change? What are food and agriculture movement groups calling for now? Come share what you are hearing and reflecting on with your peers. This is a space to connect, listen, and learn from one another—all SAFSF members are welcome!

SAFSF members are automatically enrolled in Gather Round meetings, and will see the calendar invitations. If you do not, email membership@safsf.org to receive access.

Jessy Beckett Parr, CCOF Foundation
A member of the Executive Team at CCOF, Jessy Beckett Parr excels at bringing teams together to create positive change. At CCOF her team works to fund and advocate for a world where organic is the norm. The CCOF Foundation has re-granted over 10 Million dollars to farmers, students, and organizations. Jessy holds a Master of Science degree in Community Development from the University of California, Davis, a certificate in ecological horticulture from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College. Prior to joining CCOF in 2013, she spent five years producing a global documentary on agriculture, Symphony of the Soil.

Outside of the office, she enjoys sharing time and food with her family and community on their peri-urban homestead.

Emily Parker, Butterfly Equity Foundation
Emily Parker is the Executive Director of the Butterfly Equity Foundation. Ms. Parker is responsible for the overall administration of the Foundation, including identifying and vetting potential grantee partners, proposal evaluation, fundraising, and impact strategy and analysis.

She has over 10 years of non-profit experience, with a focus on fundraising, budget planning, grantmaking, and operations. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Parker was the Director of Development for Food Forward, helping to scale its Southern California hunger relief and food recovery efforts through growing annual funds raised by over 400% during her tenure. Previously Ms. Parker worked in grants management and operations at Fundamental Inc., a Los Angeles-based philanthropic advising firm.

Ms. Parker serves as the Vice President of the board of directors of Safe Place for Youth and was formerly on the board of The Road Theatre. Emily is a Co-Founder of the LA Food Funders, member of the LA County Food Equity Roundtable, and serves on the Sustainable Ag and Food System Funders membership committee. Ms. Parker graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre.

Ian Simoy, The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation
Ian Simoy is the proud grandson of Filipino immigrants whose legacy as farmers and educators continues to shape his commitment to the care of land and people. As Program Officer at The Harry & Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Ian stewards the Foundation’s health portfolio of grants in Hawai‘i focused on improving health care, strengthening local food systems, and supporting community leadership. Ian began his career as a high school history teacher and coach in Hawaiʻi before moving into nonprofit leadership, where he led teacher recruitment and development at a large charter school network. At KIPP Foundation, he worked to expand college and career pathways for youth across the country, including developing programs and pilots that supported young people to serve as teachers and leaders in their home communities. Ian earned a bachelor’s degree in History from Vanderbilt and a master’s degree in Public Policy from Harvard, and lives in Mānoa Valley on the island of O ‘ahu with his Australian cattle dog, Largo.

Olivia Watkins, Black Farmer Fund
Olivia Watkins (she/her) serves as Co-Founder and President at Black Farmer Fund. Oliviais a social entrepreneur and impact investor. For the past seven years, she has financed,developed, and operated environmental and social projects across the US. She also servesas a board member for Soul Fire Farm Institute.

Prior to founding Black Farmer Fund in 2017, Olivia worked in several production roles atSoul Fire Farm Institute and Kahumana Organic Farms, leveraging her environmentalbiology background to manage and grow environmentally regenerative and sociallyimpactful business operations.

Olivia has an MBA from North Carolina State University in Financial Management, and a BAfrom Barnard College, Columbia University in Environmental Biology. She was alsorecognized on the 2021 Forbes 30 under 30 Social Impact list and The Grist 50.

August Health Funders Learning Community Call
2025-08-27 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Join us for our next Health Funders Learning Community call on Wednesday, August 27, at 12:00 – 1:00 pm PT. This call is an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow SAFSF members funding at the intersection of health, agriculture, and food systems, and engage in a meaningful discussion around specific challenges in funding health solutions.

During the call, we will explore:

The issues you and your organization are most deeply engaged with right now

How your organization is advancing food justice and food equity while navigating today’s political climate

How your organization is responding to SNAP cuts in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” and identifying opportunities for collaborative, responsive funding

This is a SAFSF member-only call. If you are interested in exploring membership, please contact our membership team.

To register for this learning community, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF.
Please log in or register for an account.

Maximize Your Membership Q3
2025-08-28 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)

From Charity to Justice: Advocating for Food as a Human Right
2025-09-03 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
This webinar is hosted by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and sponsored by Global Alliance for the Future of Food.

Our food system should exist to nourish people, promote health and well-being, and sustain the planet. Yet today, it prioritizes producing fuel and livestock feed, contributes to chronic health disparities—especially in communities of color—drives climate change, and entrenches food insecurity. This system fails to deliver on its most essential purpose: ensuring equitable access to healthy, sustainable food for all through dignified means. Approximately 47 million people experienced food insecurity in 2023. It’s time for a radical shift that stops framing the industrial food system as a model for charity and food as a commodity, and declares food as a human right.

Realizing the right to food will require coordinated reform across many sectors, including food systems, agriculture, public health, labor, and the environment. This webinar will feature members and partners of the National Right to Food Community of Practice, a coalition of more than 200 advocates and food systems leaders organizing with communities and creating building blocks for a broad-based social movement. Speakers will discuss their ongoing work challenging dominant narratives, organizing across regionally diverse coalitions, leveraging policy and advocacy for structural change, and engaging with global allies.

This webinar is open to all funders. Registrants will receive notes and key takeaways following the call.

Resources:

Summary Notes & Key Takeaways

A Holistic Approach to Right to Food in the U.S.

The Right to Food in the United States

What do we mean by the right to food?

Speakers:

Alison Cohen, Co-Founder, National Right to Food CoP

Alison has worked as an organizer and advocate alongside grassroots-led organizations and social movements in rural and urban communities for nearly 30 years in the struggle to build people- and ecologically-centered food and farming systems in the United States and throughout the world. Alison believes that grassroots-led social movements are the most effective means for dismantling inequitable systems and erecting new socially just ones. She is a co-founder of the National Right to Food CoP.

Noel Didla, Co-Chair, Mississippi Food Policy Council

Noel Didla is an immigrant from Guntur, South India, making Jackson, Mississippi home. Noel currently serves as the co-chair of the MS Food Policy Council and co-leads strategy, resource generation, design, community engagement and research for the MS Food Systems Fellowship. As someone hailing from the Global South living in the Deep South, Noel is committed to human rights, racial equity, economic equity and environmental justice centered transformative change as informed by the truths and legacies of peoples and places.

Luke Elzinga, Policy and Advocacy Manager, Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network

Luke Elzinga is the policy and advocacy manager at the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) Food Pantry Network, which last year assisted over 75,000 people facing food insecurity in Greater Des Moines. Luke is the current board chair of the Iowa Hunger Coalition and a co-chair of the Iowa Food System Coalition’s Local Food Policy Network priority team. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University and Master of Public Policy from the University of Northern Iowa.

Amy Jo Hutchison, Co-Founder, Voices of Hunger West Virginia, and West Virginia Campaign Director, MomsRising

Amy Jo is an organizer for economic justice who campaigns against poverty and hunger in West Virginia where she is a lifelong resident. Her lived experience is centered around poverty and raising her two children alone. In February 2020, Amy Jo spoke to the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform regarding the poverty level. Her testimony went viral and spurred her to found a grassroots movement called Rattle the Windows, where poor and marginalized folks are the experts and the leaders who come together to work toward economic justice and equity in their local communities, in West VA and throughout the nation. She is a co-founder and member of Voices of Hunger WV and serves as the WV Campaign Director for MomsRising.

Anna Lappé, Executive Director, Global Alliance for the Future of Food

Named one of TIME’s “eco” Who’s-Who, Anna is the founder or co-founder of three national organizations, including Real Food Media, a communications strategy non-profit, and the Small Planet Fund, which supports democratic social movements worldwide. In 2016, she launched the Food Sovereignty Fund of the Panta Rhea Foundation. In this role, Anna worked closely with philanthropic partners around the world, including the Global Alliance of the Future of Food, the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders, and the Agroecology Fund. She is an active board member of the Rainforest Action Network and serves on the Steering Committees of the Food and Farm Communications Fund and the Castanea Fellowship. A recipient of the James Beard Leadership Award, Anna is the co-author or author of three books on food, farming, and sustainability and the contributing author to, or featured in, nineteen more. Anna’s work has been translated internationally and featured in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Gourmet, and Oprah Magazine, among many other outlets. A frequent public speaker, her popular TEDx talks and Food MythBuster videos have been viewed nearly 2 million times.

Anna is based in the San Francisco Bay Area where she lives with her husband and daughters.

Jane Schmitz, Director, From Now On Fund

Jane, Director of the From Now On Fund, taught public health at Occidental College from 2011-2019. She is active locally within her own community and nationally to promote nutrition security for children and families. Jane serves on the Board of Center for Science in the Public Interest. She has a doctoral degree in public health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Moses Viveros, Executive Director of Food Access Organizations, YMCA of Seattle

Moses Viveros (they/them/theirs) is a community advocate that has connections to different Food Access work and movements in their hometown of Chicago, Minneapolis, and now Seattle where they currently live. Moses has worn many hats which include supporting these works and movements as a researcher, board member, staff member, and as an organizer. In their current role as Executive Director of Food Access at the YMCA of Greater Seattle, Moses oversees a suite of Food Access programs that support the needs of communities across the entirety of King County. Previously, Moses worked with the City of Minneapolis to support the development of an equitable and sustainable food system in the Twin Cities region. Moses also currently supports different community-led projects which include organizing with Beet Street Zine and supporting food redistribution efforts through the Chicagoland Food Sovereignty Coalition (CFSC).

Funding Communications and Journalism for Movement Building in Food Systems
2025-09-09 11:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
The stories we tell—and who tells them—shape public perception, policy, and action in our food systems. While corporations spend billions to control narratives, progressive voices advocating for sustainability, equity, and health are often underfunded and overshadowed. The result: misinformation, polarization, and an urgent need for systemic narrative change.This session, first presented at the 2025 SAFSF Forum, will explore the critical yet often overlooked role of communications and journalism play in food systems, including:

How storytelling and independent journalism shape public opinion, policy, and movements.

The impact of corporate influence, media consolidation, and public distrust in traditional media.

Strategies for funders to support authentic, impactful storytelling that drives change.

Featuring insights from journalists, funders, and movement leaders, this discussion will examine challenges facing progressive communicators and explore funding strategies to strengthen independent journalism, amplify grassroots voices, and build coalitions for narrative change.This webinar is open to all funders. Registrants will receive notes and key takeaways following the call.

Summary Notes & Key Takeaways

Speakers

Ana Bradley, Executive Director, Sentient Media (Moderator)

Ana Bradley is the Executive Director of Sentient, the only non-profit, nonpartisan news outlet solely focused on reporting on the effects of industrial agriculture on the environment, public health, animals, rural communities and climate change. She has led Sentient since January 2020.Prior to Sentient, she led an agency in London, where she worked with global clients and corporations for over a decade to help build dedicated digital communities. She championed women in tech and community building in creative industries. Ana is an experienced leader, digital content strategist and producer with over ten years of experience designing, producing, and distributing large-scale digital media campaigns.

Adam Hymans, Managing Director, Resource Media

Adam is an award-winning communications leader at Resource Media, bringing two decades of experience shaping culture, shifting policy and strengthening organizations for lasting impact.Resource Media—a national 501(c)(3) creative change agency—delivers strategic communications, creative campaigns and capacity building designed to both drive change and build durable narrative power within fellow nonprofits, foundations, governments and movement networks.Adam heads the food systems practice at RM and leads national and community-based initiatives at the intersection of climate, healthcare and civic engagement. His approach is grounded in ancestral wisdom, cutting-edge research, and the collective imagination of clients and community partners.

Neshani Jani, Director of Communications, HEAL Food Alliance

Neshani is the Communications Director at HEAL Food Alliance, leading media and communications strategy to amplify HEAL’s vision. She develops framing, narrative, messaging, and branding that elevate HEAL’s members and their impact. With over a decade of experience in nonprofit communications and strategic development—both locally and globally—she blends storytelling and strategy to grow power and shift narratives. Based in Oakland, CA, on Ohlone land, Neshani lives, works, and builds community with purpose.

Esperanza Pallana, Executive Director, Wildseeds Fund

Esperanza Pallana is an executive leader with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit management, specializing in philanthropy, communications, and policy advocacy. As Executive Director of Wildseeds Fund, she provides strategic leadership to expand grantmaking capacity, strengthen community-led decision-making, and advance movement-led philanthropy.

Esperanza has pioneered innovative community investment strategies such as community-controlled capital processes, liberatory frameworks for impact investing, reparative fee programs, and collaborative fundraising. In a previous role, Esperanza leveraged over $79.6 million to direct measurable impact in equitable food systems. She has served on nonprofit and government boards, where she successfully navigated startup growth, scale-up phases, legacy transitions, and strategic overhauls. Esperanza has also consulted on equity initiatives, organizational development, and civic engagement for foundations, policy organizations, and cultural institutions. She is a creative and dedicated driver of movement-led investments and strategic partnerships to advance community self-determination, economic empowerment, and leadership development.

Josh Wise, Managing Director and Publisher, Public News Service

Josh Wise is the Managing Director and Publisher at Public News Service. Josh got his start working for social impact when his mom gave him baseball card money for helping with a fundraising mailing when he was 6. He still has an affinity for putting labels on envelopes. Since then Josh has held leadership positions in the nonprofit and social impact sectors for over a decade. Josh has a BA from Macalester College and Masters in Public and Nonprofit Administration from Metropolitan State University, and a Special Engineer’s license from the state of Minnesota which means he can operate low-pressure commercial boilers. It’s a long story. He lives in St. Paul, MN with his family of 5 and several animals.

September Small Funders Learning Community Call
2025-09-11 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
This is a space for SAFSF members who identify as small funders to explore collective insights and discuss how our unique strengths can drive meaningful change. During this call, we will hear from Amy Mattias, Executive Director of Future Roots (SAFSF Member based in Idaho and formerly Sun Valley Institute for Resilience), who will share some lessons and celebrations of starting and implementing a revolving loan fund. The addition of a revolving loan fund can be a creative model for small funders to extend the impact of their grantmaking through different forms of capital tools.

Discussion topics will include:

How to start a revolving loan fund

Challenges encountered along the way and what to look out for

How it’s going now, highlights and positive impacts

Whether you have been part of this Learning Community for a while or are new to the conversation, your perspective is valuable and very welcome. We’re looking forward to seeing you and discussing how this community can support small funders at this moment.

This is a SAFSF member-only group. If you identify as a small funder within the SAFSF membership and are interested in joining, please register below.

Gather Round | Feeding the Climate Transition: Where SAFSF Members Are Leading
2025-09-25 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Can’t make it to New York City for Climate Week? Join our September Gather Round to explore how climate change connects with food and agriculture systems beyond carbon emissions. As climate change accelerates, these systems face unprecedented pressure, disrupting ecosystems, food security, and public health. It’s critical to anticipate and address these hurdles to build a future where people and the planet can thrive together.

The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls, held at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month.

SAFSF members are automatically enrolled in Gather Round meetings, and will see the calendar invitations. If you do not, email membership@safsf.org to receive access.

Developing a Funder Strategy In Response to SNAP Cuts
2025-10-07 10:00 - 11:30 (America/Los_Angeles)
The scale and scope of the $186 billion in SNAP cuts included in the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1) are staggering and could force millions to lose their benefits. There is a need to identify clear national, state, and local strategies for diverse capital partners to address the structural harm to SNAP and widespread negative impacts on hunger, health, nutrition and economic security posed by this legislation.

For the first 45 minutes of this call, speakers will share insights into emerging needs for advocacy, technical assistance, strategic communications, and other areas, in both the short and long term. Following Q&A with our panel, there will be funder conversations to reflect on how organizations are responding, what is being funded, and how we could collaborate.

This call is co-hosted by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Grantmakers In Health and is open to all funders. Please register below.

Summary Notes & Key Takeaways

Speakers

Crystal FitzSimons, President, FRAC

Crystal FitzSimons is the President for the Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), leading the organization to achieve its vision: A nation in which all people have the nutritious food they need to lead healthy and productive lives; and mission: To improve the nutrition, health, and well-being of people struggling against poverty-related hunger in the United States through advocacy, partnerships, and by advancing  bold and equitable policy solutions.

Prior to taking on the President role, Crystal oversaw FRAC’s work to improve and strengthen the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs. She analyzed policy to advocate for legislative and regulatory improvements to increase children’s access to the child nutrition programs. She helped develop strategy and direct national partnerships and field efforts to achieve program improvements through legislative and administrative changes. Recent successful efforts include the Pandemic and Summer EBT Programs; the child nutrition waivers during the pandemic that allowed schools to offer school meals to all their students at no charge, the nationwide expansion of the Afterschool Meal Program; and the Community Eligibility Provision.

She led FRAC’s efforts to provide technical assistance on the school, summer, and afterschool nutrition programs to national, state, and local partners. Crystal also has helped develop successful partnerships to support increased access to the child nutrition programs including the National Healthy School Meals for All Coalition; Partners for Breakfast in the Classroom, a project with the National Association of Elementary School Principals Foundation, the National Education Association Healthy Futures, and the School Nutrition Foundation; and CHAMPS (Cities Combating Hunger through the Afterschool Meal Program and Summer) with the National League of Cities.

Crystal is a sought-out policy expert for briefings, webinars, conferences, and state legislative hearings. She also is regularly quoted in the media, such as The New York Times, NPR, PBS NewsHour, Politico, the Washington Post, USA Today, and local media. Crystal is the author or co-author of numerous reports. Recent publications include: The Reach of School Breakfast and Lunch During the 2022-2023 School Year; The Case for Healthy School Meals for All; Community Eligibility: the Key to Hunger-Free Schools, School Year 2022-2023; Large School District Report Operating School Nutrition Programs as the Nation Recovers From the Pandemic; and Hunger Doesn’t Take A Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report.

Her previous work experience includes the Center for Community Change and Housing Comes First. She holds a BA in Philosophy and Sociology from Carroll College in Wisconsin and an MSW from Washington University in Missouri.

Chloe Green, Assistant Director of Policy, APHSA

Chloe Green (she/her), is the Assistant Director of Policy at the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), which is the bipartisan membership association for state and local human services agencies.

At APHSA, Chloe leads federal nutrition policy and program strategy, with a primary focus on SNAP. In her role, Chloe builds strategic partnerships, manages projects to formulate nutrition policy recommendations, and facilitates peer-to-peer exchanges with state SNAP agency teams nationwide. She serves as the APHSA staff liaison to the American Association of SNAP Directors (AASD) and the National Association for Program Information and Performance Measurement (NAPIPM) and supports additional peer groups and projects related to SNAP Employment Training, Summer EBT, and more.

Chloe is a former Bloomberg Fellow in Food Systems for Health at the Bloomberg American Health Initiative at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow at the Congressional Hunger Center, and a Wisconsin Idea Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Morgridge Center for Public Service. Before joining APHSA, she worked with food justice organizations in Los Angeles and researched farmers markets and incentive redemptions across Wisconsin.Chloe holds a Master of Public Health from the Bloomberg School of Public Health and bachelor’s degrees in Dietetics and Community Environmental Sociology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jorge Soto, Senior Associate, Annie E. Casey Foundation

Jorge Andres Soto is a Senior Associate for National Policy Reform and Advocacy at The Annie E. Casey Foundation where he the manages investments in food assistance, healthcare, and youth mental health advocacy and policy grantmaking. Prior to his time at The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Jorge was Associate Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) where he led policy and advocacy to address discrimination in housing, lending, and community development. Jorge also served as Co-Chair of the Fair Housing/Lending Task Force of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition responsible for advancing fair housing policy at the federal level. Jorge also previously worked as a labor organizer at Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and as a community organizer with CRECEN/American Para Todos, in Houston, Texas. Jorge earned his B.A. in History and American Studies from Wesleyan University.

SAFSF on the Road: Minneapolis
2025-10-07 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
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.

REGISTER

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.

Dual Film Screening in Minneapolis
2025-10-08 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago)
Share food and drinks with SAFSF, Croatan Institute, and Cogent Consulting for an evening reception at the historic Capri Theater starting at 6:00 PM on October 8, followed by the screening of two films (including SAFSF’s Digging In!) and an interactive panel discussion.

This is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and organizations passionate about regenerative change in food, fiber, and forest systems. All land stewards and attendees of the 2025 Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum (RFSI) will be provided free access to this side event.

RSVP

This is part of a nationwide film tour by Croatan Institute to mobilize capital for resilient food, fiber, and forest systems. Soil Wealth: Investing in Regenerative Agriculture, produced with support from Patagonia and SAFSF member Waverley Street Foundation, features farmers and capital providers to demonstrate effective, community-led solutions for funding the future of sustainable economies. Digging In produced by Sustainable Agriculture & Food System Funders (SAFSF) will be shown, focused on the US agricultural system and who controls our food and farmers.
