BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders - ECPv6.15.17//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-ORIGINAL-URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders REFRESH-INTERVAL;VALUE=DURATION:PT1H X-Robots-Tag:noindex X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Los_Angeles BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20200308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20201101T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20210314T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20211107T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20220313T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20221106T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:UTC BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:+0000 TZOFFSETTO:+0000 TZNAME:UTC DTSTART:20200101T000000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210222T235900 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210222T235900 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210122T214921Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210122T214922Z UID:10000436-1614038340-1614038340@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Application Deadline - Communications Director DESCRIPTION:Click here for job description. All interested applicants must apply online at tfaforms.com/4879050 no later than 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on Monday\, February 22\, 2021. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/application-deadline-communications-director/ CATEGORIES:Deadlines ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AdobeStock_70660836.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210225T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210225T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210203T170404Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210203T170625Z UID:10000437-1614250800-1614254400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Maximize Your Membership - SAFSF Member Engagement Orientation DESCRIPTION:NOTE: Participation in this call is limited to SAFSF members only\n\n\n\nMaximize Your Membership is a periodic presentation on the opportunities and services that come with SAFSF membership. This presentation is for both new members and those who have been around a few years\, as we are constantly evolving our member benefits in response to your feedback and the changing environment of sustainable agriculture and food systems philanthropy. The more you know about what you can do with SAFSF\, the more valuable we hope your membership will be to you and your organization. \n\n\n\nREGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/maximize-your-membership-safsf-member-engagement-orientation/ CATEGORIES:Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/69150276-37c0-4aa1-89aa-e60c04c2312d.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210302T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210302T110000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210209T193502Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210224T195421Z UID:10000439-1614679200-1614682800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Outcomes and Next Steps from the 2020 Policy Outlook and Strategy DESCRIPTION:We know many of our members were not able to attend the 2020 Policy Outlook and Strategy Conference. While you may have missed those conversations there is plenty of interest and space for you to engage in the work moving forward. These are exciting times with many policy opportunities ahead of us and we want everyone’s input! \n\n\n\nJoin your funder peers to hear an overview of the convening discussion\, the concepts that were developed and learn how you can participate\, engage and shape our work moving forward. We look forward to adding your voice to the conversation \n\n\n\nNote: This is a SAFSF member only call. \n\n\n\nMembers can access the report by clicking on the button below. \n\n\n\n\nDownload 2020 Policy Convening Report URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/member-debrief-results-of-the-2020-policy-outlook-and-strategy-conference/ CATEGORIES:Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/farmbillbriefing-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210317T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210317T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210203T172257Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210309T225334Z UID:10000438-1615982400-1615986000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Who's Who and Who We Know at USDA: An SAFSF Member Call DESCRIPTION:NOTE: Participation in this call is limited to SAFSF members only\n\n\n\nJoin us for a conversation about the new administration’s appointments and staff changes at USDA. We’ll do some “live mapping” to better understand the existing connections between SAFSF members and key figures who will be shaping administrative policy for agriculture and food systems for the next few years. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/whos-who-and-who-we-know-at-usda-an-safsf-member-call/ CATEGORIES:Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/usda-symbol-color-e1615845739877.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210331T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210331T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210322T132242Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210621T142404Z UID:10000443-1617188400-1617192000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Intersectional Impact Across Food\, Fiber and Finance DESCRIPTION:CROATAN CONVERSATIONS presented by Croatan Institute \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nOur warming climate\, rising health problems\, and hollowed-out communities are symptoms of the broken relationship between agriculture and capital.  Recent examples have demonstrated that there is an alternative path in which the tools of finance can be used to build Soil Wealth and foster positive impacts that intersect to tell the full story of the value created by stewarding landscapes. This conversation will kick off a series to explore how we can design\, enact\, and implement new relationships between food\, fiber\, and finance through the lens of the intersectional impacts that these systems provide.  \n\n\n\nJoin Croatan Institute Senior Fellow David LeZaks as he leads a discussion with A-dae Briones of First Nations Development Institute\, Sarah Kelley of Common Threads Consulting and SAFSF Fibers Roadmap\, Jennifer O’Connor of Guidelight Strategies\, and Mark Watson of Fair Food Fund. Panelists will share their experiences as changemakers in this arena and explore what has worked\, what has been learned\, and what lessons have emerged. \n\n\n\nSpeakers: \n\n\n\nDavid LeZaks\, Croatan Institute A-dae Briones\, First Nations Development Institute (SAFSF member)Sarah Kelley\, Common Threads Consulting / SAFSF Fibers RoadmapJennifer O’Connor\, Guidelight Strategies  Mark Watson\, Fair Food Fund (SAFSF member)\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/intersectional-impact-across-food-fiber-and-finance/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CroatanForum_OneColor_RGB-02copy.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210331T235900 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210331T235900 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210310T020906Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210310T020907Z UID:10000442-1617235140-1617235140@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Application Deadline - Communications Director DESCRIPTION:Click here for job description. All interested applicants must apply online at tfaforms.com/4879050 no later than 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday\, March 31\, 2021. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/application-deadline-communications-director-2/ CATEGORIES:Deadlines ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/AdobeStock_70660836.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210407T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210407T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210308T132958Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210329T231725Z UID:10000441-1617793200-1617796800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:In the Kitchen Call: 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge Kickoff DESCRIPTION:NOTE: Participation in this call is limited to SAFSF members only. \n\n\n\nFood Solutions New England will launch its 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge this week for the seventh year. We invite you to a conversation with SAFSF members who have previously participated in the Challenge and to discuss opportunities to learn and reflect with other SAFSF as a group during the 2021 Challenge. \n\n\n\nSAFSF Board members Leslie Hatfield and Carol Pickering\, along with SAFSF member Kalila Booker-Cassano\, who also serves on the FSNE Challenge Planning Team\, will help facilitate our kick-off conversation. Hear from SAFSF members who have done the Challenge previously\, either individually or as an organization\, and talk about expectations for the process.  \n\n\n\nBe sure to visit the FSNE Challenge website to register for the Challenge itself. And join us for all three SAFSF member-only discussions during the Challenge so that we can reflect on what we are learning together and talk about how it applies to our philanthropic work. \n\n\n\nSAFSF Member Conversations April 7 – Challenge KickoffApril 15 – Mid-Challenge Check-InApril 29 – Post-Challenge Reflections URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/in-the-kitchen-call-racial-equity-challenge/ CATEGORIES:Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020REC_OrgBadge-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210414T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210414T121500 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210223T214852Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210507T163327Z UID:10000440-1618398000-1618402500@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:An Eye-Opening Look at Indigenous Food and Agriculture Systems: Funder Webinar DESCRIPTION:Presented by First Nations Development Institute and SAFSF\n\n\n\nJoin SAFSF and First Nations Development Institute (First Nations) to learn about the beauty\, complexity\, and resilience of Native American communities and food and agriculture systems. Ricardo Salvador\, director of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists\, and A-dae Romero-Briones\, director of programs – Native Agriculture and Food Systems for First Nations\, will lead a dynamic discussion featuring several video clips from GATHER\, a feature-length film that celebrates Native food systems and the work being done to reclaim them. \n\n\n\nFunders will deepen their knowledge of U.S. food systems and how policy\, systemic racism\, and inequity have shaped Indigenous agriculture and food systems both historically and today. They will also learn how they can address the barriers Native communities face in obtaining funding for their work. \n\n\n\nSpeakers:\n\n\n\nRicardo Salvador\n\n\n\n\nRICARDO SALVADOR is an agronomist\, with specializations in the culture of maize\, crop production techniques\, sustainability and systems analysis. He has been an extensionist with Texas A&M University\, associate professor of Agronomy at Iowa State University\, program officer for Food\, Health and Wellbeing with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation\, and currently serves as the director and senior scientist of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Ricardo’s undergraduate degree in agricultural science is from New Mexico State University\, and his M. S. and Ph. D. degrees in crop production and physiology are from Iowa State University. At UCS\, Ricardo leads a team of 10 scientists\, economists\, policy analysts\, communications and outreach specialists\, with the goal of shifting the narrative around food so that decision-makers\, media\, and informed citizens recognize and act upon the knowledge that modern\, sustainable practices can be highly productive while also protecting the environment\, producing healthy food\, and creating economic opportunity. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA-dae Romero Briones\n\n\n\n\nA-DAE ROMERO-BRIONES (Cochiti/Kiowa) works as director of programs—Native Agriculture and Food Systems for First Nations Development Institute and manages the Native Agriculture and Food Systems Initiative at First Nations. She is formerly the director of community development for Pulama Lana’i. She is also the co-founder and former executive director of a nonprofit organization in Cochiti Pueblo\, New Mexico. Ms. Romero-Briones worked for the University of Arkansas’ Indigenous Food and Agricultural Intuitive while earning her LL.M. degree in food and agricultural law. Her thesis was on the Food Safety Modernization Act as it applied to the federal Tribal relationship. She wrote extensively about food safety\, the produce safety rule and tribes\, and the protection of Tribal traditional foods. A U.S. Fulbright Scholar\, Ms. Romero-Briones received her bachelor of arts in public policy from Princeton University\, received a law doctorate from Arizona State University’s College of Law\, and earned a LL.M. in food and agricultural law from the University of Arkansas. She currently sits on several boards\, including the Lana’i Elementary and High School Foundation. She was also recognized as a White House Champion of Change in Agriculture. She currently sits on the National Organic Standards Board. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/native-food-sovereignty/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AdobeStock_205525392.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210415T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210415T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210322T141608Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210329T231345Z UID:10000444-1618484400-1618488000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:21-Day Racial Equity Challenge Check-In DESCRIPTION:NOTE: Participation in this call is limited to SAFSF members only. \n\n\n\nWe’ll check-in on what we’re learning\, how we are managing the process\, and what the prompts bring up for us around the role of philanthropy at the intersection of agriculture/food systems and racial equity. \n\n\n\nSAFSF Member ConversationsApril 7 – Challenge KickoffApril 15 – Mid-Challenge Check-InApril 29 – Post-Challenge Reflections URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/21-day-racial-equity-challenge-check-in/ CATEGORIES:Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020REC_OrgBadge-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210420T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210420T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210413T155547Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210413T160412Z UID:10000469-1618920000-1618920000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Making Sense of the RFSP DESCRIPTION:The USDA Regional Food Systems Partnership grant is a new funding opportunity intended to support partnerships and collaboration that increase the impact and viability of regional food systems. SAFSF is partnering with The Wallace Center to help grantees and funders explore the RFSP and unpack what makes impactful partnerships\, projects and proposals in a year that will see significantly increased funding and a reduction in private match requirements for this grant. Private funders can bring more than just dollars to strengthen a potential partnership and open the way for new potential grantees. \n\n\n\nThis program is so new\, there are still many unknowns. What differentiates this program from other USDA grants? What makes a compelling partnership and project? How do you define “regional” or “partnership”? Hear from USDA-AMS staff\, current grantees\, and past grant reviewers to dig into these questions to help potential grantees and partners design competitive RFSP projects.  \n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE! URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/making-sense-of-the-rfsp/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/AdobeStock_203073802.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=UTC:20210421T090000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20210421T101500 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210408T005028Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210413T191325Z UID:10000468-1618995600-1619000100@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:What's in the Federal Stimulus for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems? DESCRIPTION:Are you curious about what is in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for sustainable agriculture and food systems? Or\, how about what might be in the recently announced American Jobs Plan for sustainable agriculture and food systems? \n\n\n\nDuring the call\, you will hear from staff members of the Senate and House Agriculture Committee and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They will discuss what was included in the American Rescue Plan for sustainable agriculture and food systems\, including where the USDA is regarding the implementation of those provisions. In addition\, Senate and House Agriculture Committee staff members will discuss the American Jobs Plan for sustainable agriculture and food systems. And we will save plenty of time for questions and discussion. \n\n\n\nThis call is limited to SAFSF members only URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/whats-in-the-stimulus-for-sustainable-agriculture-and-food-systems/ CATEGORIES:Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/AdobeStock_111855191.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210429T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210429T123000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210322T142126Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210407T185111Z UID:10000445-1619694000-1619699400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:21-Day Racial Equity Challenge Reflections DESCRIPTION:NOTE: Participation in this call is limited to SAFSF members only. \n\n\n\nShare your post-challenge reflections\, personal and professional next steps\, and discuss how SAFSF can/should continue to support this learning journey with our members. \n\n\n\nSAFSF Member ConversationsApril 7 – Challenge KickoffApril 15 – Mid-Challenge Check-InApril 29 – Post-Challenge Reflections URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/21-day-racial-equity-challenge-reflections/ CATEGORIES:Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2020REC_OrgBadge-2.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210503T080000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210514T170000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20201221T181511Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210402T133142Z UID:10000432-1620028800-1621011600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:2021 SAFSF Forum DESCRIPTION:The SAFSF Forum will again be held online in 2021 to bring you the opportunities for real-life learning and peer connection that funders look forward to all year. Spanning two weeks\, from May 3-14\, 2021\, the 2021 SAFSF Forum is a curated assortment of thought-provoking\, timely\, and diverse programming developed by your SAFSF funder peers. With a range of workshop and networking sessions offered over two weeks\, put together the schedule that works for your learning: \n\n\n\nTune in live and participate in dynamic discussions with expert speakersListen to session recordings at a time that works for youConnect and network with funder and investor peers working across the country\n\n\n\nThe Forum is developed by and for funders who are working on a variety of issues\, approaches\, and geographies. Attendees will leave with inspiration\, strategies\, and connections for impactful engagement related to their own work within the food system. \n\n\n\nClick here for information about sponsoring the 2021 SAFSF Forum \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout SAFSF\n\n\n\nSAFSF amplifies the impact of philanthropic and investment communities in support of just and sustainable food and agriculture systems\, and the SAFSF Forum is the only national gathering for and by funders supporting just and sustainable food systems change. The Forum challenges participants to understand the need for grantmakers and investors to take on risks in order to co-create more resilient\, sustainable\, and equitable food systems—and at the same time\, provides space to cultivate connections with peers so that no one organization is going it alone. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWho is a “Funder?”\n\n\n\nThe annual SAFSF Forum is designed by and for funders. Funders are considered those organizations using grantmaking or investments as a core strategy to fulfill their mission and who make grants or invest more than $50\,000 annually. This includes individual donors\, executive and program staff\,​ and members of the board of grantmaking organizations (family foundations\, individual donors\, corporate foundations\, government\, community foundations\, etc.)\, as well as representatives of non-profit or for-profit investment enterprises. Development or fundraising staff are not permitted to participate in SAFSF events. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegistration Rates\n\n\n\nMember $350Non-Member $400Philanthropy Support Organization $350Food System Partner* $350*Food System Partner registration is a member benefit. Email forum@safsf.org if you have questions about this member benefit.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n2021 Forum Advisory Committee\n\n\n\nDavid Beck\, Self-HelpLenore Beyer\, Kinship FoundationBryan Crawford-Garrett\, Thornburg FoundationPaola Diaz\, The 11th Hour ProjectNoah Fulmer\, Fair Food NetworkAshley Lukens\, Frost Family FoundationAnn Mills\, Agua FundCarol Pickering (chair)\, Dietel & Partners\, LLC Megan Saynisch\, GRACE Communications Foundation URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/2021forum/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210503T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210503T113000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T183259Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T171558Z UID:10000451-1620036000-1620041400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:OPENING SESSION – Reckoning a Way Forward: Co-Creating Philanthropy’s Course toward a More Just and Sustainable Food System DESCRIPTION:Presented by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF) and The John Merck Fund Thanks to Forum Platform Sponsors 11th Hour Project\, Fair Food Network\, GRACE Communications Foundation\, Thread Fund\n\n\n\nCoronavirus infection rates are down\, vaccination rates are up\, stress on the healthcare system is easing\, schools are reopening\, and our struggling economy is stabilizing. Five months into the Biden-Harris Administration and the 117th Congress\, USDA\, FDA\, EPA and other agencies are getting back to their regulatory and programmatic duties\, and legislators are getting back to the business of lawmaking.A return to normalcy is at hand.  But is that what we want?2020 highlighted deep injustices in every one of our systems—health care\, politics\, economics\, education\, law enforcement—and\, of course\, food and agriculture. Such upheaval and disruption is an opportunity to reimagine and improve systems. SAFSF’s 19th Annual Forum will help agriculture and food system funders and investors examine how our practices have perpetuated the systems that have failed us\, especially in this last tumultuous year\, and amplify the voices of those who have kept their neighbors fed by growing their own food\, supporting their local farms\, changing their businesses on the fly\, and advocating for authentic redress of entrenched food system injustices. These leaders are showing us the way toward a more just\, equitable\, and sustaining food system. Join us at the Forum–and during this opening session–as a first step in following their lead. \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKat Gilje\, Ceres Trust; CA\n\n\n\n\nKat Gilje is Executive Director of Ceres Trust. Ceres Trust\, whose name honors the ancient goddess of agriculture\, provides grants that support healthy and resilient farms\, forests and communities; and the ecosystems upon which we all depend.  Ceres Trust focuses on grassroots leadership and organizing\, equity\, and movement building toward systemic and transformational change.  Grant areas include:  education for farmers in organic\, sustainable and resilient farming systems; efforts to promote food crop biodiversity and public access to seeds; graduate student & farmer-led research in organic agriculture; protection & proliferation of our vital pollinators; protection of people\, farms & ecosystems from pesticide poisoning and from GMO contamination; protection of our forests from genetic engineering and use as biofuels; research by independent scientists; and documentary films & art (supported for public education purposes on key issues related to the Ceres Trust mission\, and as tools of cultural change). An agronomist and community organizer trained by Voices for Racial Justice in Minnesota\, Kat previously was co–director of Pesticide Action Network North America; co–founder/director of Centro Campesino; and senior associate at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.  She currently serves on the steering committee of the Bay Area Justice Funders Network and as chair of Genesis\, a faith and values–based organizing group in Oakland\, California. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nReverend Mariama White-Hammond\, New Roots AME Church; MA\n\n\n\n\nSpeaker bio coming soon. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKeoni Lee\, Hawaiʻi Investment Ready; HI\n\n\n\n\nKeoni Lee is the CEO of Hawai’i Investment Ready\, an impact investing intermediary with a mission to advance coordinated and collaborative capital approaches in support of a Just Transition for Hawaiʻi to a living island economy. HIR’s flagship program is its business accelerator that integrates ancestral wisdom with 21st century impact tools and experts. Keoni participated in HIR’s first accelerator cohort in 2013 as a co-founder of ‘Ōiwi TV\, the first Native Hawaiian language and culture television station. In his work with ʻŌiwiTV he had the privilege and honor to learn from and work in native communities across Hawai’i and around the world. These experiences and relationships to people and culture have shaped his perspective and drive his work to shift power by being grounded in indigenous knowledge and values. Keoni is active in community work and initiatives around decolonizing education\, food systems\, and the economy. In 2020\, he co-founded the ʻĀina Aloha Economic Futures initiative – an indigenous-led\, values and relationship-based liberation movement to transform Hawaiʻi’s economy. His leadership garnered selection as a Hawaiʻi Omidyar Fellow\, RSF Just Economy Institute Fellow\, and First Nations Futures Fellow. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/opening-session-workshop-reckoning-a-way-forward-co-creating-philanthropys-course-toward-a-more-just-and-sustainable-food-system/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210503T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210503T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T190255Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153108Z UID:10000453-1620046800-1620050400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Start Your Forum Experience Off Right: Newcomers Welcome DESCRIPTION:Presented by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\n\n\n\nIs this your first time attending the SAFSF Forum or participating in an SAFSF event? Or have you participated in the network for many years and are interested in learning how to make the most of this year’s online format to make peer connections and customize your engagement? \n\n\n\nWe invite you to join us for an informal welcome to the SAFSF network\, and an opportunity to connect with peers and connect with friendly peer faces you’ll be able to recognize on Zoom throughout the rest of the Forum. We’ll also share some tips and tricks to help you take full advantage of the online Forum experience. \n\n\n\nHost\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVirginia Clarke – Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders; CA \n\n\n\n\nVirginia Clarke is the executive director of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\, a network of grantmakers working to strengthen connections\, build capacity\, and foster collaboration of the philanthropic and investment communities in support of vibrant\, healthy and just food and farm systems. She has led the network in its growth and impact since starting with SAFSF in 2003 as a part-time coordinator. Prior to SAFSF\, she worked with a variety of international education programs including the University of California’s Education Abroad Program as the regional director assistant for Asia and Africa\, and the Salzburg Seminar in Austria where she was a program director and led outreach efforts in Latin America. Other life/work opportunities involved a stint at the World Bank; leading a management reorganization for a private clothing manufacturer; assisting immigrants in their efforts to secure legal residency in the U.S.; and creating/running a restitution project for juvenile offenders in Western Massachusetts. Her fluency in Spanish stems from living and working in Spain\, Bolivia and Mexico. Virginia has a Masters in International Administration from the School for International Training and a B.A. with honors in Spanish from the University of California\, Santa Barbara. A TEDx Manhattan alumni (2014)\, Virginia lives in Santa Barbara\, CA and has two daughters. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRenee Catacalos – Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders; MD\n\n\n\n\nRenee Brooks Catacalos joined SAFSF in 2019 with decades of experience in association management\, communications\, and food systems and sustainable agriculture work. In her current position\, she is focused on strengthening outreach to members and the broader philanthropic community\, creating opportunities for member engagement and benefit\, leveraging new resource partnerships\, and positioning SAFSF as the leading voice for sustainable agriculture and food systems philanthropy. Renee is a former Foreign Service officer\, having served tours in Mexico City\, Mexico and Istanbul\, Turkey. She has served in various communications\, management and business development capacities with the Houston Association of Realtors\, the Houston International Protocol Alliance\, VOLLMER Public Relations\, Future Harvest – Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture\, and the American Institute of Architects\, Potomac Valley Chapter. Additionally\, Renee was publisher and editor of Edible Chesapeake magazine from 2006-2009 and has served on the boards of ECO City Farms\, FRESHFARM Markets\, and the Neighborhood Design Center. She is currently on the Steering Team of the Chesapeake Foodshed Network (CFN). Her first book\, The Chesapeake Table: Your Guide to Eating Local\, was published in October 2018 by Johns Hopkins University Press. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/networking-first-time-at-the-forum/ CATEGORIES:Forum Networking,SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210504T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210504T113000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210329T222630Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T172251Z UID:10000446-1620122400-1620127800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:WORKSHOP – Food Without Borders: The Interconnectivity of U.S. and Mexico Food Systems DESCRIPTION:Presented by International Community Foundation\n\n\n\nFood systems in the United States and Mexico are inextricably linked. This session will explore\, educate\, and generate thoughtful dialogue around the interconnectivity of these systems including; farm labor on both sides of the border\, production practices\, food insecurity\, public health and food waste. The goal of this presentation is to both generate awareness and highlight innovative solutions to current cross-border challenges. This session will begin with a virtual trivia game where participants will work in teams to answer questions in various categories such as: Imports\, Farm Labor\, Food Waste and Culinary Traditions. We will then move into short presentations and Q&A with experts in each field and will conclude in small breakout groups for continued networking and discussion. \n\n\n\nSession goals: \n\n\n\nParticipants will have a greater understanding of the connectivity of food systems between the U.S. and Mexico.Discuss timely emerging issues/themes connecting the US/Mexico food systems with a focus on innovative and actionable solutions.Participants will have the opportunity to meet and engage with allies and potential project partners interested in cross-border food systems.\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMcKenzie Campbell – Moderator\, International Community Foundation; BCS\, MX\n\n\n\n\nMcKenzie Campbell is currently a Program Officer with the International Community Foundation (ICF)\, where she manages ICF’s growing portfolio of special projects in Baja California Sur\, Mexico. McKenzie is expanding ICF’s food system impact in the Baja Peninsula by incubating new initiatives and catalyzing collective action around; equitable access to fresh\, healthy food\, improved community health and resilience\, regenerative production practices and regional marketplace connectivity. McKenzie has 18 years of community organizing\, leadership development and nonprofit management experience. Before coming to ICF\, she served as the Director of the Colorado State University Center in Todos Santos\, where she helped launch CSU’s first international facility\, and founded Living Roots (Raíces Vivas)\, a nonprofit promoting remote ranching communities’ unique cultural heritage through social enterprise. She holds an MBA\, in Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise from Colorado State University and a BA in Political Science with a concentration in International Development from Oberlin College. An avid outdoor enthusiast\, McKenzie enjoys exploring the coast and mountains with her two young kids. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRobert Ojeda\, Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona; AZ\n\n\n\n\nRobert Ojeda was born and raised in Arequipa\, Peru\, where he grew up farming at his family’s farm. He joined the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona (CFBSA) in 2010\, where he is currently Chief Program Officer. In his role\, Robert oversees the CFBSA’s programmatic initiatives including hunger relief\, and community health\, education\, and development. Robert has a master’s degree in International Agriculture and Rural Development and a Ph. D. in Adult and Extension Education from Cornell University. He has over twenty years of experience doing community development work in Arizona and overseas. He regularly teaches community organizing and development workshops to Latin American youth leaders. He is an enthusiastic soccer player and Andean music musician. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRupal Patel\, Akasha Strategies; CA\n\n\n\n\nRupal’s environmental and social impact portfolio includes developing the 579 MW Solar Star Project\, ranked in the top 10 largest projects in the world; developing and managing an inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility program for Sun World International\, one of RRG’s largest agricultural operating companies; and originating the first employee benefit company in the U.S.\, California Harvesters\, of which Rupal is Co-founder and Board President. California Harvesters provides quality jobs to over 1\,200 farmworkers in California’s Central Valley. Prior to joining RRG\, Rupal gained extensive experience engaging with LGBTQ\, environmental justice\, labor\, poverty\, and immigration issues while working for organizations such as the Council of Michigan Foundations\, NAACP Washington Bureau\, Urban Justice Center\, Liberty Hill Foundation\, and the California Immigrant Policy Center. Rupal serves on the Board of Leading Harvest and is a Founding Member of the Integrated Capitals Investment Committee for The Heron Foundation. Rupal received her B.A. in Sociology and M.P.P. from the University of Michigan\, Ann Arbor. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLuis Garduño\, Alianza para Seguridad Alimentaria de Baja California Sur; BCS\, MX\n\n\n\n\nLuis Fernando Garduño\, is currently executive director of the BCS Food Security Alliance (Alianza para Seguridad Alimentaria – ASA) an organization working to transform food systems in Baja California Sur\, Mexico. Luis has been rapidly building ASA’s capacity to unite cross-sector stakeholders to address immediate food needs while beginning to make shifts toward healthier\, more resilient food systems. Under Luis’ leadership\, ASA is launching the state’s first food bank\, striving to prevent and reduce food waste\, promoting community health and mobilization around nutrition\, and piloting a regenerative production collective. Luis comes to ASA with 10 years of experience founding and co-directing Red Turismo Sustentable\, a hybrid for-profit/nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering small tourism businesses in rural areas that connect travelers with social development and conservation programs. Luis is committed to catalyzing efforts in support of food justice in Mexico and amplifying the voices of those that often go unheard. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/food-without-borders-the-interconnectivity-of-u-s-and-mexico-food-systems/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210504T113500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210504T120500 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T202604Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T172242Z UID:10000462-1620128100-1620129900@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Movement Break DESCRIPTION:Step away from your desk chair\, kitchen table\, or workspace for a grounding exercise and movement break. Join Erica\, a Radically Fit instructor\, in this 30-minute movement break. \n\n\n\nRadically Fit is Oakland’s body positive community gym for Queer\, Trans\, BIPOC\, Big Bodied & Fat folx & their allies\, regardless of experience or ability URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/movement-break/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210504T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210504T140000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T191039Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153108Z UID:10000455-1620133200-1620136800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Community Connections: Networking Tables DESCRIPTION:Presented by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\n\n\n\nBuild a break into your day by enjoying your coffee\, a snack\, a meal\, or just some nourishing dialogue as a community. No slides\, no presentation\, nothing formal—just an online version of small group conversations. Our online platform will put you at a virtual ‘table’ with others in the network for a short\, unstructured conversation\, then move you into another group and conversation. Listen in to what others are thinking about and learning at the Forum\, connect with others in the SAFSF network\, and join the dialogue. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/networking-networking-tables/ CATEGORIES:Forum Networking,SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210505T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210505T100000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T192550Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153107Z UID:10000456-1620205200-1620208800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Food and Farm Policy Helpdesk DESCRIPTION:Presented by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)Sponsored by Walton Family Foundation\n\n\n\nHave questions about food and farm policy? We’ve got answers and connections. Connect with SAFSF’s public policy director and members of the SAFSF Policy Committee during this un-programmed\, informal space. Bring your questions—big and small—about local\, state\, Tribal\, and federal food and farm policy\, or join just to listen in about what’s on the mind of your peers. We’ll do our best to give you answers\, connections\, and ideas of how you can best amplify and support policy and advocacy strategies \n\n\n\nHost\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTraci Bruckner – Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders; NE \n\n\n\n\nTraci Bruckner joined the SAFSF team in October 2018 with nearly two decades of experience in public policy. She leads SAFSF’s work that helps funders fully engage in the policy process\, both in support of their grantees and in their own activities\, to shift inequities in food and agriculture systems. Traci spent 15 years with the Center for Rural Affairs\, leading their federal and state policy efforts around agriculture\, conservation\, and beginning\, women\, and socially disadvantaged farmer issues. She also worked on state health care and tax policy issues. During her tenure at the Center\, Traci served as a member and chair of the USDA Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. This Advisory Committee provides recommendations to the Secretary of Agriculture on policies and programs that create and foster opportunities for a new generation of farmers and ranchers. Traci also served on and chaired the governance council of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition\, a national grassroots coalition advocating federal policy reform for the sustainability of food systems\, natural resources and rural communities. Before joining SAFSF\, Traci was with the Northeast Nebraska Behavioral Health Network as a community outreach director\, working to build community supports to foster a pipeline of behavioral and mental healthcare professionals. Prior to that\, Traci was the policy director of the Women’s Fund of Omaha\, working on a host of policy issues that impact women and girls. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/networking-ask-your-policy-questions-connect-with-the-policy-advisory-committee-and-traci-bruckner/ CATEGORIES:Forum Networking,SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210505T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210505T123000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210329T222911Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T172153Z UID:10000447-1620212400-1620217800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:WORKSHOP – Creating and Safeguarding a Better Food Future through the Law DESCRIPTION:Presented and Sponsored by Frost Family Foundation\n\n\n\nCourts have arisen as one of the best tools through which to effect meaningful social change and environmental protection across the food system. In many instances\, litigation is the only effective way to halt illegal\, damaging regulatory decisions promulgated to benefit corporations rather than public health and biodiversity. Litigating can result in stopping the approval and use of damaging industrial agricultural practices and resulting in protections for farming and impacted communities\, pollinators\, endangered species\, and public health. Litigation strategies also have the extra-legal benefits of raising public awareness\, raising consciousness\, and focusing appropriate public anger around destructive regulatory decisions. Litigation catalyzes public debate and encourages shifts towards organic and regenerative farming. This session will feature leading attorneys in the food and farming advocacy sector. Presentations will include a focus on integrating disadvantaged communities in litigation processes; examples of recent successful impact litigation; how litigation complements policy and grassroots organizing campaigns; successful litigation collaboration on cases; etc. \n\n\n\nSession goals:\n\n\n\nUnderstand the power of litigation.Understand how litigation fits into social movements. Learn from frontline cases and attorneys.\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAshley Lukens – Moderator\, Frost Family Foundation; HI\n\n\n\n\nAshley Lukens\, Ph.D. is an independent philanthropic and development advisor in Hawai’i and Oregon. She has worked in and with the impact sector in Hawai’i since 2006 as the founder of the Hawai’i Food Policy Council\, owner of Baby Awearness\, director of the RISE Program at Kupu\, director of Hawai’i Center for Food Safety\, and currently as the executive director of the Frost Family Foundation\, co-founder of Kūkulu\, and co-founder of Hoiʻwai Fund. https://www.ashleylukens.com/backstory \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKaren Allston\, Quinault Indian Nation; WA\n\n\n\n\nKaren Allston\, Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Quinault Indian Nation\, has served as its in-house counsel for over 15 years. Her representation focuses on land use and natural resources issues affecting the Quinault Nation both on- and off-Reservation. Prior to her tenure at the Quinault Nation\, she served as Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Law and Policy\, a water watchdog and river advocacy organization in Washington. Prior to that\, she was in-house counsel for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. Ms. Allston holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Washington and earned her J.D. cum laude from Seattle University. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nGeorge Kimbrell\, Center for Food Safety; WA\n\n\n\n\nGeorge Kimbrell is CFS’s Legal Director\, overseeing all of the Center’s legal work. Along with his Director duties\, George is counsel in many CFS cases. His legal\, legislative\, and policy work runs the gamut of many CFS program areas\, including pesticides\, genetically engineered organisms\, animal factory pollution\, food labeling\, foodborne illness\, organic standards\, and aquaculture. Among other landmark cases\, George was counsel in the first U.S. Supreme Court case on the regulation of genetically engineered crops. He received his law degree magna cum laude from Lewis and Clark Law School\, where he now teaches food and agriculture law as an adjunct professor. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nQuinton Robinson\, Rural Coalition; GA\n\n\n\n\nQuinton N. Robinson\, Esq. is a practicing attorney with litigation experience in the fields of employment and farm credit discrimination cases\, recently accomplishing groundbreaking legal precedents on behalf of minority farmers and ranchers. Mr. Robinson has served in many leadership capacities including\, a White House political appointee for the Obama Administration\, as a member of the Georgia State Directors of Rural Development with the United States Department of Agriculture\, the Director of the Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization at the U.S. Department of Agriculture\, and as the Assistant Counsel on the House Agriculture Committee \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSylvia Wu\, Center for Food Safety; CA \n\n\n\n\nSylvia Wu is a Senior Attorney/Managing Attorney\, Hawaii & California offices at the Center for Food Safety\, where she works on law and policy related to genetically engineered crops\, factory farming\, aquaculture\, pesticides\, and other food safety issues. As an attorney with CFS\, Sylvia has litigated against U.S. federal agencies over approval of herbicide-resistant genetically engineered crops and their associated pesticide use\, the approval of pesticides that are harming pollinators and other sensitive species\, as well as approval of industrial offshore aquaculture systems that will pollute our oceans and marine resources. Through legislative efforts and litigation\, Sylvia also works with local communities to defend communities’ right to protect themselves against the harms of industrial agriculture. Sylvia holds a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall). Sylvia is involved in various projects promoting local economy and urban agriculture in the Bay Area. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/creating-and-safeguarding-a-better-food-future-through-the-law/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210505T143000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210505T160000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210329T223259Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153107Z UID:10000448-1620225000-1620230400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Cook Along with Kitchenistas®: The Power of Communities to Use Food as a Platform for Change DESCRIPTION:Presented by International Community Foundation\n\n\n\nGrab a snack or cook along with Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center and the International Community Foundation (ICF) as we experience authentic connections that mirror the important ways we connect over food and how food can be used as a tool for change. \n\n\n\nWe invite participants to pull up a chair in our virtual kitchen to cook along with the Kitchenistas®. Don’t want to cook? No problem\, feel free to watch the recipe demo\, ask any questions\, and store that recipe away for later! We’ll also enjoy a screening of The Kitchenistas® of National City documentary trailer to see the impact of Olivewood’s Cooking for Salud® and Kitchenista® programs. Then\, enjoy our snack and an opportunity to get to know colleagues better through meaningful conversations about the power of community as it relates to food\, equitable and nutritious food access\, community building through peer led education\, and how to inspire impact through cross-border partnerships. \n\n\n\nIf you’d like to cook along\, click the links below to find the two recipes that we’ll be making together. If you don’t have all the ingredients\, don’t worry – this is a very forgiving meal that you can easily sub in whatever you have on hand. Quesadillas aren’t your thing? Don’t fret\, you’re welcome to bring any snack or meal you’d like.  \n\n\n\nHappy Quesadillas – Recipe + IngredientsMolcajete Salsa – Recipe + Ingredients\n\n\n\nSession goals:\n\n\n\nSession participants will learn about Olivewood’s Cooking for Salud® and Kitchenista® programs.Participants will have an opportunity to network and get to know each other in a more informal setting while enjoying a snack or meal.Participants will leave seeing the potential impact of collaborative community-based nutrition programs.\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMcKenzie Campbell – Moderator\, International Community Foundation; BCS\, MX\n\n\n\n\nMcKenzie Campbell is currently a Program Officer with the International Community Foundation (ICF)\, where she manages ICF’s growing portfolio of special projects in Baja California Sur\, Mexico. McKenzie is expanding ICF’s food system impact in the Baja Peninsula by incubating new initiatives and catalyzing collective action around; equitable access to fresh\, healthy food\, improved community health and resilience\, regenerative production practices and regional marketplace connectivity. McKenzie has 18 years of community organizing\, leadership development and nonprofit management experience. Before coming to ICF\, she served as the Director of the Colorado State University Center in Todos Santos\, where she helped launch CSU’s first international facility\, and founded Living Roots (Raíces Vivas)\, a nonprofit promoting remote ranching communities’ unique cultural heritage through social enterprise. She holds an MBA\, in Global Social and Sustainable Enterprise from Colorado State University and a BA in Political Science with a concentration in International Development from Oberlin College. An avid outdoor enthusiast\, McKenzie enjoys exploring the coast and mountains with her two young kids. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCallie Brust\, Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center; CA\n\n\n\n\nCallie is the Director of Programs for Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center. She has her Masters in Public Health and is also a Registered Dietitian. Over the last 10 years\, Callie has worked with nonprofits in Atlanta\, Georgia and San Diego County\, California to implement nutrition education and food access programs. She has experience developing science-based nutrition curriculum and teaching classes for kids\, families\, and older adults. Callie is grateful for the opportunity to support all of the wonderful Olivewood Garden programs and cultivate community partnerships. She enjoys spending time with friends and family in the kitchen where food and love abound. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJacqueline Ante\, Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center; CA\n\n\n\n\nJacqueline Ante is from Mexico\, born and raised in Tijuana BC. She currently lives in National City\, California with her husband and two kids. Jacqueline is a proud Kitchenista® from the 10th Generation of the Olivewood Garden’s Cooking for Salud® program. She’s witnessed how a lack of access to quality and nutritious food impacts your life and health negatively. Jacqueline facilitates free Kitchenista® programming\, coordinates nutrition education classes throughout the community\, and recruits and manages other Kitchenistas® to lead because they see the importance of how education can teach ways to improve your health and the health of your family. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPatty Corona\, Olivewood Gardens and Learning Center; CA\n\n\n\n\nPatty Corona is a first-generation and professional Kitchenista®. She is Mexican\, growing up in both the city and country with deep indigenous roots. Patty coordinates each generation of Cooking for Salud®\, equips other program graduates to lead and teach\, and explores new partnerships with local chefs\, community organizations\, and others working in the food system. She loves being a Kitchenista because she’s passionate about sharing and reconnecting new generations with their culture through food\, using the universal ingredient of love. Patty is part of a 4-generation matriarchy: her grandmother is 101\, her mother is 79\, she is 51 and her daughter is 19 years old. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/kitchenistas-the-power-of-communities-to-use-food-as-a-platform-for-change/ CATEGORIES:Forum Networking,SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210506T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210506T100000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T194216Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153107Z UID:10000459-1620291600-1620295200@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Coffee Chat: Nuts and Bolts of Grantmaking and Investing DESCRIPTION:Presented by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\n\n\n\nThis informal\, unscripted morning session provides a space to connect with peers and discuss the tools needed to effectively implement funding programs and collaborations in the food and agriculture system space. How are you translating knowledge about critical issues in the food system into support of transformative change\, and moreover\, ensuring that your application and review processes and board are aligned with this work? \n\n\n\nThis session may be of special interest to those new to philanthropy and those from small-staffed foundations looking for additional peer support\, but all are welcome\, no matter how much of a novice or expert you might consider yourself to be in this space. Come share the tools in your toolkit\, discuss the stumbling blocks that are proving challenging\, offer your learning to your colleagues\, and make valuable peer connections to support you moving forward. \n\n\n\nHosts\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVirginia Clarke – Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders; CA\n\n\n\n\nVirginia Clarke is the executive director of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\, a network of grantmakers working to strengthen connections\, build capacity\, and foster collaboration of the philanthropic and investment communities in support of vibrant\, healthy and just food and farm systems. She has led the network in its growth and impact since starting with SAFSF in 2003 as a part-time coordinator. Prior to SAFSF\, she worked with a variety of international education programs including the University of California’s Education Abroad Program as the regional director assistant for Asia and Africa\, and the Salzburg Seminar in Austria where she was a program director and led outreach efforts in Latin America. Other life/work opportunities involved a stint at the World Bank; leading a management reorganization for a private clothing manufacturer; assisting immigrants in their efforts to secure legal residency in the U.S.; and creating/running a restitution project for juvenile offenders in Western Massachusetts. Her fluency in Spanish stems from living and working in Spain\, Bolivia and Mexico. Virginia has a Masters in International Administration from the School for International Training and a B.A. with honors in Spanish from the University of California\, Santa Barbara. A TEDx Manhattan alumni (2014)\, Virginia lives in Santa Barbara\, CA and has two daughters. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLenore Beyer – Kinship Foundation; IL\n\n\n\n\nLenore Beyer is the Director of Conservation Initiatives at the Kinship Foundation where she manages Food:Land:Opportunity\, an initiative to create a resilient local food economy in the Chicago region\, and supports programming for Kinship Conservation Fellows Prior to joining Kinship\, Lenore was the vice president of policy and planning at Openlands\, a regional conservation land trust where she created the Hackmatack National Wildlife Refuge and integrated farmland protection with local food initiatives. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/networking-coffee-chat-new-to-philanthropy/ CATEGORIES:Forum Networking,SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210506T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210506T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210329T224004Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T172104Z UID:10000449-1620298800-1620306000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:WORKSHOP – Decolonizing Food Philanthropy: Moving Toward More Racially Just Funding DESCRIPTION:Presented by GRACE Communications Foundation and Ceres Trust\n\n\n\nIn the midst of the 2020 Uprising in defense of Black lives\, a group of BIPOC (Black\, Indigenous\, and other People of Color) leaders in the movement for just and sustainable food and agriculture systems published an Open Letter calling on foundations and philanthropic leaders to examine their own funding trends. They urged grantmakers to acknowledge – and invest in – the expertise and action led by BIPOC in their own communities\, and to consider participatory grantmaking processes that consulted BIPOC\, grassroots leadership. A handful of foundation program officers joined their calls for racial justice in philanthropy. In this session\, we’ll hear from three of the Open Letter’s co-authors\, and program staff who are pushing their foundations toward racial justice will facilitate confidential\, small-group breakouts\, where we’ll explore some of the challenges and opportunities for program officers and philanthropic leaders to take steps toward more racially just and equitable grantmaking practices. \n\n\n\nLimited capacity: 30 attendees. First come\, first served – no waitlist. $40 additional fee. \n\n\n\nSession goals:\n\n\n\nTo hear from BIPOC movement leaders more about their vision for a more equitable relationship between funders\, regrantors and NGOs\, and about the challenges they have encountered.To foster open dialog regarding specific practices like research/scans and participatory grantmaking\, and host confidential discussions on challenges faced by funders challenging white supremacy culture and structural racism in philanthropy.To build relationships among funders committed to addressing systemic racism in philanthropy and the Black\, Indigenous and People of Color movement leaders pushing for more just and equitable food systems.\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKat Gilje – Moderator\, Ceres Trust; CA\n\n\n\n\nKat Gilje is Executive Director of Ceres Trust. Ceres Trust\, whose name honors the ancient goddess of agriculture\, provides grants that support healthy and resilient farms\, forests and communities; and the ecosystems upon which we all depend. Ceres Trust focuses on grassroots leadership and organizing\, equity\, and movement building toward systemic and transformational change. Grant areas include: education for farmers in organic\, sustainable and resilient farming systems; efforts to promote food crop biodiversity and public access to seeds; graduate student & farmer-led research in organic agriculture; protection & proliferation of our vital pollinators; protection of people\, farms & ecosystems from pesticide poisoning and from GMO contamination; protection of our forests from genetic engineering and use as biofuels; research by independent scientists; and documentary films & art (supported for public education purposes on key issues related to the Ceres Trust mission\, and as tools of cultural change). An agronomist and community organizer trained by Voices for Racial Justice in Minnesota\, Kat previously was co–director of Pesticide Action Network North America; co–founder/director of Centro Campesino; and senior associate at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. She currently serves on the steering committee of the Bay Area Justice Funders Network and as chair of Genesis\, a faith and values–based organizing group in Oakland\, California. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNavina Khanna – Moderator\, HEAL Food Alliance; CA\n\n\n\n\nNavina has dedicated over 15 years to creating a more just and sustainable world through transforming food systems\, and in 2014\, her work was recognized with a James Beard Leadership Award. With a background in sustainable agriculture and food justice\, she’s worked as an educator\, community organizer\, and policy advocate\, organizing across sectors and communities. Based in Oakland\, Navina serves on the Board of Richmond’s Urban Tilth\, advises the Real Food Media Project\, and organizes with #Asians4BlackLives. A first-generation South Asian American\, Navina’s worldview is shaped by growing up – and growing food – in India and the US. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nStephanie Morningstar\, Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust; ON\n\n\n\n\nStephanie is Mohawk\, Oneida\, and mixed European descent. She is an herbalist\, soil and seed steward\, scholar\, student\, and Earth Worker dedicated to decolonizing and liberating minds\, hearts\, and land- one plant\, person\, ecosystem\, and non-human being at a time. Stephanie is the Executive Director and Resources\, Relationships\, and Reciprocity Co-Director of the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust\, an organization dedicated to advancing land access for Indigenous\, Black\, Latinx\, Asian\, and other land stewards of color. Stephanie grows medicines and food with her community at Sky World Apothecary & Farm; and teaches about the wonders of plant medicine at Seed\, Soil\, + Spirit School. Stephanie’s theory of change is rooted in community-driven\, self-determined solutions created by BIPOC communities for BIPOC communities. She carries with her over a decade of Indigenous community-driven systems change work in healthcare\, legal\, herbal\, agricultural\, land access\, and academic research spaces where she cut her teeth on speaking Truth to Power. Her work advancing sovereignty in institutional spaces with and for Indigenous communities has resulted in mandating Indigenous Cultural Safety training to service providers; Indigenous Dispute Transformation frameworks; and meaningful and ethical Indigenous-driven research in climate change. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEdna Rodriguez\, Rural Advancement Fund International (RAFI USA); NC\n\n\n\n\nEdna became RAFI-USA’s Executive Director in 2017\, after serving as Development Director and Director of Operations\, beginning in 2011. During her time at RAFI-USA\, Edna has strategically grown the organization’s capacity by streamlining financial management\, increasing and diversifying contributed income\, and organizing workflow to allow staff members to effectively function within their own programs as well as in cross programmatic core teams. Additionally\, she is a fervent advocate for equity and justice and was instrumental in launching the Farmers of Color Network. Originally from the Dominican Republic\, Edna was raised in a global environment\, growing up between The Hague\, Netherlands\, and Santo Domingo. Prior to joining RAFI-USA\, Edna served as Senior Program Officer at the Atlanta Women’s Foundation\, and Director of Educational and Career Services at the Latin American Association in Atlanta\, GA. Edna holds a B.A. in Economics with a concentration in Latin American Studies from Haverford College. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMark Winston Griffith\, Brooklyn Movement Center; NY\n\n\n\n\nMark is the founding Executive Director of the Brooklyn Movement Center (BMC)\, a Black-led community organizing group based in Central Brooklyn. At BMC\, Mark convened the first organizing meetings that led to the formation of the Central Brooklyn Food Coop (CBFC) and now serves on the CBFC Board of Directors.  Mark was the founding Executive Director of the Central Brooklyn Partnership and co-founder of the Central Brooklyn Federal Credit Union in the early nineties and later served as the Executive Director of the Drum Major Institute for Public Policy. Mark currently serves on the leadership team of the National Black Food and Justice Alliance and is a 2019-2020 Castanea food justice fellow. Mark is also a board member of the Cooperative Economics Alliance of New York City\, Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union\, Communities United for Police Reform\, Black Freedom Project\, Free Speech TV and The City news site.  Mark has served on the faculties of the CUNY Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism\, and the CUNY Center for Labor and Community Studies\, and is currently a visiting assistant lecturer in Community Economic Development at Pratt Institute. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/decolonizing-food-philanthropy-moving-toward-more-racially-just-funding/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210506T130500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210506T133500 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210421T221943Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210422T233612Z UID:10000470-1620306300-1620308100@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Movement Break DESCRIPTION:Step away from your desk chair\, kitchen table\, or workspace for a grounding exercise and movement break. Join Erica\, a Radically Fit instructor\, in this 30-minute movement break. \n\n\n\nRadically Fit is Oakland’s body positive community gym for Queer\, Trans\, BIPOC\, Big Bodied & Fat folx & their allies\, regardless of experience or ability URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/movement-break-2/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021_Forum_emailheader_noyear-e1617368728817.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210507T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210507T103000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T195330Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T172044Z UID:10000461-1620378000-1620383400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:WORKSHOP – Solidarity Not Charity: How Mutual Aid Groups Fed Millions of Neighbors During the COVID-19 Pandemic DESCRIPTION:Presented by Ioby and Claneil Foundation\n\n\n\nMutual aid organizations bloomed in the spring of 2020 as neighborhoods sought ways to feed their most vulnerable during covid-19. Whether they found roots in the queer disability movement or in the Black Panthers or simply mimicked other groups\, mutual aid’s success was often tightly connected to its liberating structures and rejection of typical nonprofit requirements. The mantra “Solidarity not Charity” was a direct rejection of the professionalization of the social sector\, and allowed groups to build authentic relationships and participation from the community. Hear directly from the leaders of several mutual aid groups to understand their lived experiences in feeding tens of thousands of people — from building infrastructure\, volunteer networks\, support and feedback loops\, from the ground up. \n\n\n\nSession goals:\n\n\n\nLearn about the ways that unincorporated groups found success in delivering to neighbors in need\, building from the ground up.Hear first-hand accounts of the ways that groups listened to their communities and adapted to community needs throughout the pandemic (so far). \n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nErin Barnes – Moderator\, Ioby; NY \n\n\n\n\nErin Barnes is co-founder and CEO of ioby\, which mobilizes neighbors who have good ideas to become powerful civic leaders who plan\, fund\, and make positive change in their own neighborhoods. In 2018\, Erin was accepted into the inaugural class of Obama Foundation Fellows for ioby’s contribution to civic innovation. In 2012\, the Rockefeller Foundation awarded Erin and her co-founders at ioby the Jane Jacobs Medal for New Technology and Innovation. Before ioby\, Erin Barnes was an editor at Men’s Journal magazine\, freelance writer\, and contributor to Al Gore’s book Our Choice. She conducted field research on water and fisheries markets in Latin America\, and was a community organizer at Save Our Wild Salmon Coalition. She has served on the boards of the Bronx and Manhattan Land Trusts\, EcoDistricts\, and Resource Media. She has a B.A. in English and American Studies from the University of Virginia and an M.E.M. from Yale University. Erin lives in Brooklyn\, NY.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKelvin Taitt\, East Brooklyn Mutual Aid; NY \n\n\n\n\nKelvin Taitt is a community organizer from Brooklyn and the co-founder of East Brooklyn Mutual Aid (EBMA)\, which he helped to launch in April 2020. He’s also the director of strategic growth and operations at The Corbin Hill Food Project\, a New York City nonprofit dedicated to distributing local\, farm fresh food\, especially to low-income communities and communities of color. Previously\, he served as the director of operations at Brooklyn Packers\, a worker-owned and Black-led food distribution cooperative\, and he remains an equity owner. Formerly a wedding MC and event planner\, Kelvin has long been civically engaged; as a resident of Brownsville\, he participates in his neighborhood association and volunteered for a local homeless shelter and food pantry. It wasn’t until the pandemic\, however\, that Kelvin threw his entire being into the work of addressing his community’s food insecurity. Kelvin harnessed the volunteer power of EBMA and the distribution power of Brooklyn Packers to build out an infrastructure that delivers farm fresh produce to a hundred households per week—an effort soon to expand thanks to new partnerships with local organizations and faith-based institutions. EBMA and Brooklyn Packers have also collaborated to provide food to pantries\, community fridges and community kitchens. Additionally\, EBMA worked with the USDA to distribute 1\,000 food boxes a day\, three days a week for six weeks\, from the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. Kelvin also led the project with Brooklyn Packers in partnership with The Corbin Hill Food Project to distribute 4\,000 pantry food boxes a week to New Yorkers in five boroughs for 16 weeks for GetFoodNYC. Prior to the pandemic\, Kelvin held the positions of event producer at Masters of Ceremony and of president at Elegancia Entertainment\, his own entertainment and production company specializing in Latin American and Caribbean events \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMelissa Branfman\, Wyckoff House; NY \n\n\n\n\nMelissa serendipitously landed at the Wyckoff House Museum just over a decade ago with an interest in museums and art. She soon became inspired by her colleague Jason who activated the land by growing food and teaching from plants as a means of connecting with the community. Previously Melissa had studied Art History and pre-Colombian visual culture\, while also teaching at several NYC art museums\, including the Brooklyn Museum and the Guggenheim. Starting as the Education Director at Wyckoff\, she eagerly explored the intersections of food systems\, history\, plants\, and community. Soon after\, she assumed the responsibility of Executive Director\, learning to navigate the world of fundraising\, board development\, programming\, partnerships\, human resources and more. One of her proudest achievements at Wyckoff has been to grow the organization towards a more robust farm and garden program\, including a paid summer apprenticeship for local teens. Melissa is continually inspired and challenged by the opportunity of collaborating with her staff and community at the Museum. She loves building connections within the largely Caribbean neighborhood\, learning about plants and growing\, and being inspired by her co-workers broader passions. She loves baking\, cooking\, dancing\, meditating\, Mexico\, and learning new things\, most recently trying ceramics\, while recovering from a broken jaw. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nZach Tan Strein\, Wyckoff House; NY \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKacy McGill\, Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid; NY \n\n\n\n\nKacy McGill (they/them) co-founded and currently serves as the co-director of Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid (PRWA). McGill has previously worked in restaurants as well as for non-profit advocacy groups and political campaigns. Initially collecting and distributing goods from McGill’s front porch and eventually growing to an operation that provides direct aid to over a hundred workers and their families each month\, PRWA was started by volunteers with the goal of addressing the immediate material needs of restaurant workers who suddenly faced financial\, food\, housing and health insecurity at the onset of the pandemic. In response to outreach and communication with aid recipients and the restaurant worker community at large\, McGill has helped broaden the scope of PRWA’s mission to include the empowerment of workers to address issues in the local restaurant industry that made the disruption of the pandemic particularly damaging. McGill and their colleagues found that restaurant workers not only needed material assistance to bridge the gap until they could resume work\, but desperately needed the means to confront the fact that their jobs had not ensured dignity and security before the pandemic and had no assurance that they would in the future. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nElina Malkin\, Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid; NY \n\n\n\n\nElina Malkin is a bartender\, organizer\, and an artist\, with over 15 years of experience in hospitality and the arts. She is currently a working board member of Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid\, Treasurer of the Pittsburgh chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild\, bartender at Tina’s\, and co-manager of 3577 Studios and performance space\, and calls on her background in grassroots\, intersectional organizing and arts project management to support community causes. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/2305/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210507T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210507T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210423T195324Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153107Z UID:10000473-1620385200-1620388800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING - BIPOC Attendee Networking DESCRIPTION:All Forum participants who identify as Black\, Indigenous\, and/or People of Color are invited to share a supportive and respectful space to foster connection and share experiences. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/networking-bipoc-attendee-networking/ CATEGORIES:Forum Networking,SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021_Forum_emailheader_noyear-e1617368728817.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210510T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210510T113000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T184132Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T172018Z UID:10000452-1620640800-1620646200@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:WORKSHOP – Words Matter: How to Advance Racial Equity in Conversations with Decision Makers DESCRIPTION:Presented by Voices for Healthy Kids – American Heart Association\n\n\n\nVoices for Healthy Kids\, an initiative of the American Heart Association\, works to make each day healthier for all children. Our work is steeped in equity through grant making\, technical assistance to systems change efforts at the local\, state and tribal policy and collaborations. But what does that mean in 2021? Voices for Healthy Kids has spent the last 18 months focused on how we can call more explicitly for racial equity in all parts of our work – including our tools\, resources\, operations and support of grantees. This session will discuss these efforts with a focus on the culmination of our work in 2020 – a messaging guide to support grantees to call for racial equity in policy change.    \n\n\n\nWe will review a tool we created this year\, the Racial Equity in Public Policy Message Guide that provides readers with guidance on how to talk effectively about racial equity in policy and systems change. We will also share how we are supporting grantees and how some have used the Message Guide in their local efforts.   \n\n\n\nThis session offers an opportunity to learn successful approaches that participants will be able to apply to their own work and a chance to review and practice messages. \n\n\n\nFindings will be relevant to funders working on policy and systems change.  \n\n\n\nSession goals:\n\n\n\nReview the equity efforts within the Voices for Healthy Kids initiative – including grant making and supporting grantees– that lead to a more overt call for racial equity in our grant and policy efforts.  Discuss the importance of being overt that policies and funding must prioritize communities that have been impacted by structural racism. Review and practice messages from the Voices for Healthy Kids Racial Equity in Public Policy Message Guide that are call for racial equity with decision makers.  Identify ways funders can best support advocates as they talk about racial equity within their work.  \n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTerra Hall – Moderator\, Voices for Healthy Kids / American Heart Association; CA\n\n\n\n\nTerra Hall\, M.Sc.\, is the media advocacy manager for Voices for Healthy Kids. She collaborates with campaigns to provide them with the essential technical assistance\, state and local communications advocacy strategy\, and editorial guidance they need to pass public health policies. Terra came to Voices for Healthy Kids from the media relations department from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network\, a nonprofit dedicated to improving health outcomes for patients with and survivors of pancreatic cancer. There\, she leveraged media relations to raise awareness about the disease\, clinical trials and the need for increased research and funding. Prior to working in the nonprofit sector\, Terra spent more than a decade as a TV and digital news journalist\, where she reported state and local politics\, health and breaking news. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChristine Compton\, Voices for Healthy Kids / American Heart Association; WV\n\n\n\n\nChristine Compton\, M.P.H.\, is a policy engagement manager for Voices for Healthy Kids with an expertise in nutrition policies that support the healthier communities nationwide. Before joining Voices for Healthy Kids\, Christine served as the American Heart Association’s government relations director for West Virginia from 2013-2018. She fought to protect clean indoor air policies throughout the state. She also passed CPR in Schools legislation\, Shared Use Limited Liability legislation\, Stroke Systems of Care legislation and a 65-cent increase in the state’s tobacco tax. She is a two-year consecutive recipient of the Award of Excellence within the Great Rivers Affiliate (serving Ohio\, Kentucky\, Pennsylvania\, West Virginia and Delaware)\, has been named 2015-2016 Lobbyist of the Year\, and received the 2015-2016 Rome Betts National Award of Excellence from the American Heart Association. Christine has also worked at the American Lung Association in West Virginia\, where she was the manager of the West Virginia Asthma Coalition and the founder of West Virginia’s Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Task Force. Additionally\, she was a trainer for their Freedom from Smoking and Not on Tobacco cessation programs. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJennifer Messenger\, Metropolitan Group; OR\n\n\n\n\nJennifer envisions a world where everyone can reach their best health and well-being. She works with clients and communities to make that a reality by changing policies\, power structures\, access to information and services\, or whatever else it takes. Most of Jennifer’s career has focused on public health\, and she leads MG’s work in that area. She keeps a sharp focus on health equity and has a keen interest in addressing the many social factors that have an inequitable influence on health\, such as educational success. She has led efforts to reduce the tobacco industry’s marketing power and influence\, build reproductive well-being\, increase job and housing options for people with disabilities\, make schools healthier for students and staff\, ensure that people have safe places to walk\, and connect people to affordable and culturally reflective health care services\, among other issues. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nApril Wallace\, Voices for Healthy Kids / American Heart Association; MD\n\n\n\n\nApril Wallace is the health equity partnership manager for Voices for Healthy Kids. As a public health professional and passionate advocate\, her work is dedicated to understanding the root causes of inequities and working to ensure the most socio-economically disadvantaged communities are represented and resourced across the initiative. Prior to joining Voices for Healthy Kids\, she was the program lead for the Million Hearts Collaboration and developed partnerships with health organizations and community partners to support regional cardiovascular health programs. Her experience also includes leading diverse work groups\, along with developing and implementing health education and promotion programs to improve health in communities nationwide. April is an alumna of Howard University\, holding a Bachelor of Science in health sciences and master’s degree in healthcare administration and education. She is committed to advancing equity and civil rights for people of marginalized populations. A native Detroiter\, she is passionate about engaging communities to build collective power and improve health outcomes. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/workshop-words-matter-how-to-advance-racial-equity-in-conversations-with-decision-makers/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210510T160000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210510T170000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T190626Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153106Z UID:10000454-1620662400-1620666000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Crafting with Fibers with Cocktails or Mocktails DESCRIPTION:Presented by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)Sponsored by The Conservation Fund/Resourceful Communities\n\n\n\nSAFSF has a long-time tradition of welcoming those among us who are crafters to bring their crafts to our tables when we meet in person. \n\n\n\nFor our virtual convening\, connect with other crafters online and learn more about the SAFSF Fibers Roadmap while working on projects together. \n\n\n\nHosts\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nVirginia Clarke\, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders; CA\n\n\n\n\nVirginia Clarke is the executive director of Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\, a network of grantmakers working to strengthen connections\, build capacity\, and foster collaboration of the philanthropic and investment communities in support of vibrant\, healthy and just food and farm systems. She has led the network in its growth and impact since starting with SAFSF in 2003 as a part-time coordinator. Prior to SAFSF\, she worked with a variety of international education programs including the University of California’s Education Abroad Program as the regional director assistant for Asia and Africa\, and the Salzburg Seminar in Austria where she was a program director and led outreach efforts in Latin America. Other life/work opportunities involved a stint at the World Bank; leading a management reorganization for a private clothing manufacturer; assisting immigrants in their efforts to secure legal residency in the U.S.; and creating/running a restitution project for juvenile offenders in Western Massachusetts. Her fluency in Spanish stems from living and working in Spain\, Bolivia and Mexico. Virginia has a Masters in International Administration from the School for International Training and a B.A. with honors in Spanish from the University of California\, Santa Barbara. A TEDx Manhattan alumni (2014)\, Virginia lives in Santa Barbara\, CA and has two daughters. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSarah Kelley\, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders; RI\n\n\n\n\nSarah Kelley serves as Consultant/Project Director to SAFSF for its Special Project on Sustainable Fiber and Textiles. She is the Principal of Common Threads Consulting\, working with philanthropic clients to provide strategy development\, research\, impact assessment\, and facilitation. Other recent work includes interview-driven analysis for the Guidelight Strategies/Patagonia regenerative agriculture landscape assessment\, with a focus on racial equity in regenerative ag\, and strategy development for a family foundation seeking to defend environmental health progress from libertarian and corporate influence. Sarah is the author of Common Threads: U.S. Foundation Opportunities in Sustainable Fiber and Textiles\, published by SAFSF and recently cited in Vogue Business. Previously\, Sarah served for 10 years as Senior Program Officer at Island Foundation\, where she directed the Environment portfolio and managed $1.2 million in annual grants. In that role she developed and implemented a program on equity\, inclusion\, and environmental justice\, including an innovative cohort-based model for grantee equity training. She is a Board member and Treasurer of New England Grassroots Environment Fund\, and she was selected as a 2018-19 RSF Integrated Capital Fellow\, focusing on integrating investment and grantmaking strategies to drive change. Sarah holds an M.S. in Plant and Soil Science from UMass Amherst and a B.A. in History from Yale. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/crafting-corner-with-cocktails-or-mocktails/ CATEGORIES:Forum Networking,SAFSF Forum END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210511T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210511T103000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T193223Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T171949Z UID:10000457-1620723600-1620729000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:WORKSHOP – Integrated Capital for Self-Determination and Resilience in Regenerative Agriculture DESCRIPTION:Presented by Swift Foundation and Guidelight Strategies\n\n\n\nHow can we fill the critical gaps in financing the transition to regenerative agriculture that supports the economic self-determination of Indigenous\, Black\, and other communities of color? \n\n\n\nNow is the time to ensure that the “regenerative” capital structures we develop center community economic and Indigenous Peoples’ rights and self-determination at their core. How do we guarantee that these funds explicitly address equity and structural racism that Indigenous Peoples\, farmers of color\, and other marginalized groups face\, especially regarding land access; and ensure that regenerative agriculture investments do not only strengthen white farmers\, who already own 98% of farmland in the US? \n\n\n\nWe will hear from speakers working on integrated capital structures across our landscapes\, and explore opportunities to create new financial entities necessary to support the growing needs of these sectors\, ensure equity\, and ensure that access to patient\, blended capital is equitable and available through creative strategies such as blended finance\, loan loss revenues\, CDFIs and loan funds. \n\n\n\nSession goals:\n\n\n\nSet context of current financial landscape and challenges and opportunities\, centering economic self-determination and food sovereignty as integral to regenerative agriculture and Indigenous agriculture.Inspire other philanthropic organizations and institutions with financial power to move more money towards regenerative agriculture led by BIPOC communities\, such as supporting loan loss reserves with grants alongside investments.Encourage more collaboration\, conversation\, and investment by funders and investors into innovative BIPOC-centered regenerative agriculture opportunities.\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSuzanne Benally – Moderator\, Swift Foundation; NM\n\n\n\n\nSuzanne Benally is Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa. She grew up in the community of Shiprock\, New Mexico on the Navajo Nation. Her maternal clan is Kinlichii̒nii (Red House People) and she was born for Naashaashi (Bear People Clan). Suzanne has worked in higher education and the non-profit sector for 35 years. Most recently\, Suzanne served as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival\, an international Indigenous rights advocacy organization that advocates for Indigenous Peoples’ rights\, self-determination\, land\, language\, culture\, and political resilience. Formerly\, she served as the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs at Naropa University\, and was a core faculty member and previous chair of the environmental studies department. Her extensive experience spans positions devoted to social justice\, diversity\, and equity. Suzanne is currently co-chair of the International Funders for Indigenous Peoples and a Trustee of the Naropa University Board of Trustees. She is a cohort member of the Rothko Chapel’s Spirituality and Social Justice initiative to further contemporary understandings about spiritualty and social justice. Deeply committed to social\, environmental and climate justice\, her work\, passion\, and interests center on relationships and interconnectedness between land\, spirituality\, culture\, and people as reflected in narratives and stories past and present. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnthony Chang\, Kitchen Table Advisors; CA\n\n\n\n\nAs the son of Asian immigrant small business owners\, Anthony has been drawn to food and the people behind our food throughout his life\, driven by values of social justice and ecological responsibility. From learning how to make dumplings from his dad as a kid and working part-time jobs in a cafe and organic vegetable basket home delivery service\, to building relationships with farmers like Marsha and Modesto of Oya Organics at the Mountain View farmers’ market\, he has long respected the incredibly hard-working people who grow\, produce\, cook\, serve and share delicious food. Anthony has spent 20+ years working in economic opportunity for communities of color\, in particular immigrant communities. Much of his experience has centered around exploring different ways to channel capital to communities of color and immigrant small business owners. He learned the benefits and drawbacks of CDFI lending to small businesses through 15+ years at Opportunity Fund and California FarmLink. Serving on the boards of Common Future (current) and RSF Social Finance (past)\, he has contributed to uplifting the bridges and financial intermediaries between wealth holders and community wealth builders and/or social enterprises. Anthony has most recently partnered on experimenting with new models of BIPOC-led and governed resources through projects like the collaborative CA BIPOC Farmer/Land Steward Relief Fund. His current role at Kitchen Table Advisors focuses on institutional level change which shifts capital in ways that fuel the economic viability and self-determination of a multi-racial next generation of sustainable small farms and ranches. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChrystel Cornelius\, Oweesta Corporation; CO\n\n\n\n\nChrystel Cornelius is the President & CEO of the Oweesta Corporation\, a national Native CDFI intermediary predominantly serving Native communities across the United States\, Alaska\, and Hawaii. Ms. Cornelius has worked with Native communities for most of her professional career\, with more than 23 years of experience working in the Native economic development field. She is an enrolled member of the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin and a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians located in North Dakota. Ms. Cornelius has dedicated her career to capitalizing Native communities upholding tribal sovereignty and self-determination measures through the issuance of capital and organizational capacity building efforts. Chrystel Cornelius is a founding steering committee member and previously held the position as the Board Secretary for the Native CDFI Network (NCN). Ms. Cornelius is also a former board member of Opportunity Finance Network (OFN)\, is a current board member of the Community Reinvestment Fund (CRF) and holds the position of Board Chair for the Red Feather Development Group. Ms. Chrystel Cornelius attained a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Mary in Bismarck\, North Dakota. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSkya Ducheneaux\, Akiptan Fund; SD\n\n\n\n\nSkya Ducheneaux\, an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe\, spent the first 18 years of her life on a cattle ranch on the CRST Reservation in South Dakota and has a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in Business Administration. Previously\, Skya worked for the Intertribal Agriculture Council; first as an intern and most recently as a Project Coordinator\, where she was introduced to the Native Community Development Financial Institution world (Native CDFI). Skya worked diligently to create the first national Native CDFI dedicated to Indian agriculture\, Akiptan\, which launched in 2019. Today\, she is the Executive Director of Akiptan and remains connected to agriculture\, just from the other side of the table. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/workshop-integrated-capital-for-self-determination-and-resilience-in-regenerative-agriculture/ CATEGORIES:SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210511T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210511T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T153439 CREATED:20210330T193911Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153106Z UID:10000458-1620734400-1620738000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Community Conversations: Attendee-led Ad Hoc Networking DESCRIPTION:Presented by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\n\n\n\nWe know there are many important issues we could not fit into our Forum agenda. This time presents an opportunity for you to host or join a conversation on a topic we missed\, go deeper on a discussion started earlier in the week\, connect with peers who are located in your region or supporting similar issues\, bring forward a question you’ve been grappling with\, or build out a new collaboration. \n\n\n\nSuggest an informal conversation topic you’d like to host—ranging from the professional to the fun—when you register for the Forum\, or in the Forum web/mobile platform. Browse conversation topics that your peers plan to host in the Forum web/mobile platform\, along with meeting room details. \n\n\n\nCan’t make this time? You’ll also be able to host other side meetings and ad hoc conversations at any time throughout the two-week Forum. Details will be included in the Forum web/mobile platform\, which will go ‘live’ for registrants at the end of April. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/community-conversations-attendee-led-ad-hoc-networking/ CATEGORIES:Forum Networking,SAFSF Forum ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021_Forum_emailheader_2021_USE-copy.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR