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:20210505T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210505T100000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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:20260403T140831 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 BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210511T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210511T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210501T004328Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153106Z UID:10000474-1620734400-1620738000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Supporting Pathways to Careers in Agriculture for BIPOC Students DESCRIPTION:Presented by Minorities in Agriculture\, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS) and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\n\n\n\nJoin leadership from Minorities in Agriculture\, Natural Resources\, and Related Sciences (MANNRS) and Virginia Clarke\, SAFSF’s executive director\, for a dynamic discussion about opportunities to support pathways to careers in agriculture\, food systems\, and philanthropy for BIPOC students. MANNRS promotes academic and professional advancement by empowering BIPOC youth in agriculture\, natural resources\, and related sciences. How can SAFSF members support this mission and work; promote careers in philanthropy\, sustainable agriculture\, and food systems; and continue to shift power for a more inclusive and equitable future? URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/networking-supporting-pathways-to-careers-in-agriculture-for-bipoc-students/ 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:20210512T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210512T113000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210329T224244Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T171904Z UID:10000450-1620813600-1620819000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:WORKSHOP – A State-level Case Study in Advancing Food Systems Equity DESCRIPTION:Presented by The Thornburg Foundation\n\n\n\nThis session will provide a state-level case study from New Mexico highlighting systemic efforts centered on equity\, shared power\, and direct representation to transform the local food ecosystem. Presenters will discuss efforts to facilitate market opportunities for smaller-scale farmers – primarily through values-based institutional purchasing – while simultaneously providing fresh\, local food to lower-income populations in rural\, frontier\, urban\, and tribal regions across the state. This work has been resourced through public-private partnerships\, direct support of advocacy to increase state legislative funding for local purchasing\, and investments in Value Chain Coordination positions and other human capital needed to strengthen the food system. As a result\, New Mexico Grown for Schools\, Senior Centers\, and Early Childhood Sites and Double Up Food Bucks have emerged as instruments critical to the evolution of the local food ecosystem. Through this session\, funders will therefore learn about a place-based model that could be applicable in other contexts. \n\n\n\nSession goals:\n\n\n\nTo highlight successful collaboration among a variety of stakeholders in New Mexico that is providing new market opportunities for farmers and local\, nutritious food to lower-income populations.For funders to learn about strategic initiatives in New Mexico that are incentivizing local food system development\, and how philanthropy\, state\, and federal dollars support and fund this collaborative work.To demonstrate how value chain coordination\, public-private partnerships\, and advocacy can advance equity across the food system.\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBryan Crawford-Garrett – Moderator\, Thornburg Foundation; NM\n\n\n\n\nBryan Crawford-Garrett is the Food and Agriculture Policy Officer at the Thornburg Foundation and has been in this position since September 2017. In this role\, he manages the Foundation’s Food and Agriculture strategy and grantmaking portfolio. Bryan has nearly 20 years of experience working to strengthen local food and agricultural systems – in New Mexico as well as in numerous countries throughout the world. Prior to working with Thornburg\, Bryan was a consultant to non-profits and funders for five years. He has also worked for several years in leadership positions with international NGOs. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKendal Chavez\, New Mexico Public Education Department; NM\n\n\n\n\nKendal Chavez is the Healthy Schools Coordinator for the New Mexico Public Education Department. In partnership with rural\, urban\, and tribal school and school district entities\, she works to deepen the impact of coordinated school health programs in New Mexico schools. Chavez is also an alumna of FoodCorps’ AmeriCorps service program and George Washington University’s Food Policy Fellowship Institute. Chavez is currently studying public policy and public administration at the University of New Mexico. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHelga Garcia-Garza\, Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network; NM\n\n\n\n\nHelga Garza is Executive Director of Agri-Cultura Cooperative Network (ACN)\, a South Valley of Albuquerque farmer-owned cooperative. The network is inclusive of 32 allied farms from urban and rural Rio Grande communities committed to sustainable and regenerative growing methods. Helga is inspired by justice\, guided by her ancestral ceremonial agricultural calendar\, and engages community through a holistic intergenerational approach in developing a sustainable and equitable food system that is supportive of an environmental economy and community-driven markets. Helga is leading efforts that have increased equitable access to healthy local food\, by removing structural barriers such as price\, availability\, policy climate\, and increasing nutritional knowledge through curriculum development of a holistic family-based wellness program that is bilingual\, culturally relevant\, and community-based. Through these efforts\, Helga is building the capacity of New Mexico’s urban and rural small farmers ability to keep production local through an effective farm-to-market system that ensures household livelihood\, positive health outcomes\, economic activity and community wellbeing. Helga is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leader 2018-2021\, Castanea Fellow 2020 – 2021\, Governing Board Chair of the New Mexico Food and Agriculture Policy Council\, and Board President of South Valley Main St. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlma Maquitico\, Anthony Youth Farm; NM\n\n\n\n\nAlma Maquitico is an agroe-cological trainer working towards equity in the food system. Alma has worked extensively with small-scale farmers in southern New Mexico and west Texas by bringing them together to produce\, aggregate\, and market their goods for neighborhood-scale efforts and institutional wholesale buyers. Her experience is centeredin developing models to help primarily migrant and small-scale growersovercome barriers of scale\, means\, skill\, and language. As part of ateam that leads the Anthony Youth Farm\, Alma serves as a farmer-trainer and coordinator\, providing leadership and sustainable agricultural training to low-income youth. The Anthony Youth Farm runs a subsidized fresh food distribution program for rural communities facing chronic food inequities in southern New Mexico. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDenise Miller\, New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association; NM\n\n\n\n\nDenise Miller has been the executive directive of the New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association (NMFMA) since 2005. Denise directs the NMFMA’s wide-ranging food value chain activities devoted to programs\, projects\, and resources that help New Mexico farmers and food producers improve profitability\, and that improve the nutritional health of communities across the state. Denise has helped grow the NMFMA from state-registered non-profit with a $200\,000 annual budget to a 501c3 organization now managing more than $2 million in 2021\, much of which is pass-thru funds for food incentive programs\, farmer grants\, and partner resources. Denise previously worked in marketing for a variety of corporate\, small business\, and non-profit organizations. Denise received her BA in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison\, and her MA from St. John’s College in Santa Fe\, NM. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/a-state-level-case-study-in-advancing-food-systems-equity/ 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:20210512T113500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210512T120500 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210421T223414Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210422T233536Z UID:10000471-1620819300-1620821100@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 Fenyx\, 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-3/ 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:20210512T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210512T130000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210330T215043Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153105Z UID:10000465-1620820800-1620824400@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-community-connections-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:20210513T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210513T103000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210330T195020Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T171822Z UID:10000460-1620896400-1620901800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:WORKSHOP – A Window of Opportunity for Equitable Climate and Agriculture Policy: Possibilities and Pitfalls DESCRIPTION:Presented by Walton Family Foundation\, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture (FORA)\, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\n\n\n\nThe agriculture industry has an enormous responsibility to reduce and reverse its greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the face of climate change\, all while reckoning with an industrial system that marginalizes historically underserved communities and identities. \n\n\n\nWith a new Administration\, there is currently opportunity and political will to advance policies at the intersection of agriculture and climate change\, as well as momentum in carbon markets both in the public and private realms. How might philanthropy effectively engage to drive policy and carbon markets towards real greenhouse gas reductions and regenerative practices that work for a broad spectrum of farmers and farm operations? \n\n\n\nWe will explore this critical question with an eye toward solutions that engage underserved communities\, led by voices of farmers\, community leaders\, and policy experts. In an effort to favor engagement over presentation\, the conversation will begin in plenary and move toward Q&A followed by breakout sessions. \n\n\n\nSession goals:\n\n\n\nDiscuss the possibilities and pitfalls of new agricultural policy.Educate funders around ways they can affect policy to support integrated and equitable policy solutions.Engage with key voices and perspectives to guide possible action.\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPipa Elias – moderator\, Walton Family Foundation\n\n\n\n\nPipa Elias is deputy director of the Environment Program at the Walton Family Foundation. Before joining the foundation\, she worked at The Nature Conservancy\, where she was Director of Agriculture for North America. Skilled at applying scientific research to advance policy and conservation solutions\, Pipa leveraged collaborations to help producers meet the growing demand for food while protecting critical lands and waters. Prior to her work on the agriculture team at TNC\, Pipa was a senior policy advisor\, leading land use policy advocacy at the United Nations climate negotiations and other multilateral venues. In her eight years working on the UN climate negotiations she led a coalition of nearly a dozen NGOs that helped influence the system of incentives and measurements for the land-use sector in global climate agreements. Pipa also served as policy lead on the team that helped to publish a seminal paper on Natural Climate Solutions. Pipa received her M.S. in forestry from Virginia Tech\, and her B.S. in environmental science from the University of Notre Dame. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nEmily Bruner\, American Farmland Trust\n\n\n\n\nDr. Bruner has been a proponent of conservation agriculture for over a decade. As the Midwest Science Director for American Farmland Trust\, Dr. Bruner’s work focuses on identifying ways to accelerate adoption of soil health practices while simultaneously increasing the resiliency and productivity of Midwest farms. Prior to her current role\, she served as the Director for the Vigo County Soil and Water Conservation District\, as a Hydrologist with the United States Forest Service\, an adjunct faculty member at Saint Mary of the Woods College\, and as an Extension Associate for Natural Resources. Dr. Bruner’s work on nitrogen cycling in agricultural systems also led her to DC to investigate climate change mitigation policy as a Research Fellow with the Congressional Research Service. Bruner earned her PhD in Soil Science from Washington State University and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Conservation and Natural Resource Management with a minor in Sustainable Agriculture from the University of Kentucky. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMaisah Khan\, Mississippi River Network\n\n\n\n\nBio coming soon \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKristin Weeks-Duncanson\, Highland Family Farms\n\n\n\n\nBio coming soon \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCristel Zoebisch\, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition\n\n\n\n\nCristel holds an M.A. in Food Studies from New York University\, where she focused on food and agricultural economics and policy\, and she earned her B.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. Her graduate thesis analyzed three farm bill programs that support beginning\, socially disadvantaged and veteran farmers and ranchers. Her previous work includes participating on a program evaluation team for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Food Policy\, conducting food policy advocacy and educational activities for a national nonprofit organization\, and consulting. She staffs NSAC’s Conservation\, Energy and Environment Committee and helps coordinate its Climate Change Subcommittee. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/workshop-a-window-of-opportunity-for-equitable-climate-and-agriculture-policy-possibilities-and-pitfalls/ 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:20210513T103500 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210513T110500 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210421T223537Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210422T233509Z UID:10000472-1620902100-1620903900@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 Fenyx\, 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-4/ 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:20210514T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210514T103000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210330T214559Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T171749Z UID:10000464-1620982800-1620988200@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:CLOSING SESSION – Elevating and Resourcing BIPOC (Black\, Indigenous\, and People of Color) Farmers and Producers DESCRIPTION:Presented and Sponsored by 11th Hour ProjectThanks to Forum Platform Sponsors 11th Hour Project\, Fair Food Network\, GRACE Communications Foundation\n\n\n\nAll farmers and producers don’t have the same opportunities. For the sake of healing the earth and being in right relationship with each other\, we are confronting the systems that have encouraged climate chaos\, environmental injustices\, land theft\, and forced and exploited work\, including the white supremacy that fueled the disparities we see today around who ‘owns’ land\, who works the land\, and what that means for racial wealth inequities. \n\n\n\nDuring this session\, we will continue the work of listening to each other\, particularly to Black\, Indigenous\, and folks of color who work and steward the land in culturally relevant ways. Efforts from across the landmass are bringing together multi-ethnic farmers\, farming groups\, and allies to root our food and farming system in practices and policies that support BIPOC land stewards and help build health equity. What does equity look like in action? How do we coordinate around resourcing support for Black\, Indigenous farmers and stewards of color? \n\n\n\nJoin us in community and solidarity as we close out the Forum by grappling with these critical questions and taking on the truth and reconciliation work of our time. \n\n\n\nSpeakers \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPaola Diaz – moderator\, The 11th Hour Project; CA\n\n\n\n\nPaola is the Food and Agriculture Program Coordinator at The 11th Hour Project. Her work focuses on co-creating healthy\, regional food and farming system infrastructure\, towards a just transition framework that centers racial\, economic\, and environmental justice\, and community self-determination. She is a first-generation New Yorker with familial and ancestral roots in Colombia. \n\n\n\nShe graduated from SUNY Binghamton with a B.A. in sociology and psychology. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJanssen Hang\, Hmong American Farmers Association; MN\n\n\n\n\nJanssen Hang is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Hmong American Farmers Association. Janssen grew up growing\, harvesting and selling vegetables for the local food economy and currently runs his family-owned value-added business making spring rolls and egg rolls at the downtown Saint Paul Farmers Market. A 2001 Saint Olaf graduate in Biology and Asian Studies\, Janssen has over 20 years of experience in agriculture\, 12 years in small business management\, and 7 years as a licensed real estate agent. Janssen is also one among just a few certified Hmong Mekongs (cultural broker). Janssen likes to spend his free time with his family in the outdoors. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJosefina Lara Chavez\, Community Alliance with Family Farmers; CA\n\n\n\n\nJosefina Lara Chavez is CAFF’s Farm to Market Specialist and works largely with Latino growers in the same place where she grew up\, the Salinas Valley. She has a graduate degree in Public Administration\, from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. Through her work and volunteerism\, she has served communities locally and internationally with social justice\, equity\, and love being at the root of it all. She is passionate about creating stronger connections between people. Josefina recently launched her own farm\, Big Beaner Ranch\, a 1.5-acre agroecological operation in San Benito County\, CA\, where she grow specialty vegetables\, fruits\, herbs\, and flowers. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJason Lindsay\, Southeastern African American Farmers’ Organic Network; NC\n\n\n\n\nPeople and land stand at the center of Jason’s inspiration to collectively bring resolve for Black farmers across the southeast United States. With seven years of regenerative/carbon farming and four years of farm/farmer base organizing\, community and collective input is his position in moving things forward. Jason is the first generation in his family born off the farm and now the only farmer in the family. He was the first to register a farm in the city limits his home- town\, selling organic vegetables to local CSA’s\, juicing companies\, and a mobile food market. After years of cultivating community through the community garden network\, Jason developed a youth agricultural training program – Cultivating Young Entrepreneurs and a farm school curriculum. Now as a rural new and beginning farmer Jason continues to be an educator\, taking the practical and theoretical knowledge he has gained through his journey to reclaiming his agrarian identity and serves as a consultant to local farms and organizations on best practices\, certification\, market development\, and operation management. With a clear calling for this work\, Jason continues farming and building farmer-to-farmer relationships as a means to establish self-sustainable food systems throughout our communities. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNeely Snyder\, Dream of Wild Health; MN\n\n\n\n\nNeely Snyder is Executive Director of Dream of Wild Health\, a Native-led nonprofit organization in Minneapolis\, MN\, whose mission is to restore health and well-being in the Native community by recovering knowledge of and access to healthy Indigenous food\, medicine and lifeways. The organization has an office in Minneapolis and a 30-acre farm just 40 minutes north of the city. Neely is an enrolled member of St. Croix Chippewa and a direct descendent of Red Lake Nation and Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe. Throughout Neely’s career in the nonprofit sector\, she has worked with multiple organizations including Native Americans in Philanthropy and American Indian Cancer Foundation\, and also serves on The Family Partnership Board of Directors in Minneapolis. As an Ojibwe woman\, her passion is building stronger and healthier Native communities. She enjoys watching her kids play sports and spending time with family and friends. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/closing-session-elevating-and-resourcing-bipoc-black-indigenous-and-people-of-color-farmers-and-producers/ 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=UTC:20210514T110000 DTEND;TZID=UTC:20210514T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210330T215741Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153105Z UID:10000466-1620990000-1620993600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Closing Reflections DESCRIPTION:Presented by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\n\n\n\nClose out your two weeks of participation at the 2021 SAFSF Forum by joining us for this informal closing networking session. Connect with your peers and share what’s on your mind and what you’re taking with you as you leave the Forum. What exciting connections have you made? What questions will you continue to grapple with? What actions or continued learning might these two weeks inspire? \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\nChristine James – The John Merck Fund; VT\n\n\n\n\nChristine James came to The John Merck Fund in 2008\, after 20+ years working for small\, community-based human service and environmental nonprofit organizations in Maine and Massachusetts. She has a BA in art history from Bowdoin College and an MA in public policy from Tufts University’s Urban & Environmental Policy program. Just prior to coming to JMF\, she was executive director of EarthWorks\, a small urban greening organization based in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. Her work in Maine included four years as executive director of an educational organic farm and two years working on clean energy and climate change issues. Prior to becoming Executive Director\, she was JMF’s Director of Programs from 2008 to 2017\, when she oversaw the foundation’s environmental grants programs: Clean Energy\, Health and the Environment\, and Regional Food Systems. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/networking-closing-reflections/ 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:20210514T123000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210514T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210330T212403Z LAST-MODIFIED:20230426T153105Z UID:10000463-1620995400-1620999000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:NETWORKING – Next Generation Philanthropy Trivia 'Afterparty' DESCRIPTION:Presented and Sponsored by Frost Family Foundation\n\n\n\nYoung people across America are driving today’s calls for radical societal transformation. Likewise\, young trustees of family foundations are sparking new\, and sometimes radical\, conversations about how generational wealth is deployed through philanthropy. \n\n\n\nBring a drink or snack and a friendly sense of competition for a fun trivia ‘afterparty’ where you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other next generation philanthropists\, trustees\, and staff in the SAFSF network. This session is intended for young SAFSF members seeking to connect with each other. It also provides a learning and connecting opportunity for foundation trustees and staff who are preparing to bring younger members into active foundation roles. \n\n\n\nHost\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAshley Lukens\, Frost Family Foundation; HI\n\n\n\n\nAshley Lukens\, PhD is an independent philanthropic and development advisor in Hawaiʻi and Oregon. She has worked in and with the impact sector in Hawaiʻi since 2006 as the founder of the Hawaiʻi Food Policy Council\, owner of Baby Awearness\, director of the RISE Program at Kupu\, director of Hawaiʻi 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. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/networking-next-generation-philanthropy-trivia-session/ 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:20210519T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210519T170000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210402T132138Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210402T132139Z UID:10000467-1621443600-1621443600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice - Application Deadline DESCRIPTION:Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\, First Nations Development Institute (FNDI)\, and Melvin Consulting PLLC are excited to invite registration for a new Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice. Over the course of a year\, a group of 14 funders will gather to: \n\n\n\nInteract\, learn\, and build relationships with Native American practitioners\, organizations\, and communities offering food systems solutions;Share and sharpen their skills and strategies for investing in Indigenous partners who are leading sustainable agriculture and food systems work in Indian Country;Build awareness of and respond to the historic\, structural\, current (e.g. impacts of COVID-19)\, and philanthropic barriers that Native communities and Tribal governments face in obtaining funding; andEnjoy the fellowship and support of other funders committed to investing in Indigenous communities.\n\n\n\nApplications will be accepted through the end of the day on Wednesday\, May 19\, 2021. \n\n\n\n\nVIEW DETAILS URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/indigenous-food-systems-community-of-practice-application-deadline/ CATEGORIES:Deadlines ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IMG_2638-1-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210526T103000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210526T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210510T165826Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210510T165942Z UID:10000475-1622025000-1622030400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Farm and Food Business Viability for Thriving Communities DESCRIPTION:Presented by Community Food Funders; co-sponsored by the Joyce & Irving Goldman Family Foundation andSustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders\n\n\n\nFarm and food entrepreneurs in New England and the Hudson Valley are facing the challenges of climate change\, an economic structure that has left rural America in poverty\, as well as an ongoing history of racism\, sexism and bigotry. These rural communities in our region are resilient\, but they need our support to thrive. \n\n\n\nThe Agricultural Viability Alliance​\, formerly the Blueprint\, is made up of members who work to support the farmers and food businesses of this region to not only meet these challenges – but to create a thriving\, sustainable and more resilient food system. By providing essential 1-to-1 business support they reduce the stress and increase the stability and confidence of these foundational businesses while encouraging start ups. This type of assistance supports small business owners in preparing for climate impacts\, improving pay for farm workers\, and encouraging civic engagement from our rural community members. \n\n\n\nJoin CFF as we hear from farm and food business technical assistance providers\, as well as the entrepreneurs they support\, to understand this critical resource and how we can better support a thriving local food system. \n\n\n\nPresenters (list in formation) \n\n\n\nTodd Erling\, Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Development CorpChris Wayne\, GrowNYCJohanna de Graffenreid\, Agricultural Viability Alliance\n\n\n\nOnline webinar for funders only URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/farm-and-food-business-viability-for-thriving-communities/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Applegate_19-press-release-web-edit.jpeg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210608T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210608T120000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210520T153411Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210611T000036Z UID:10000476-1623150000-1623153600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:In the Kitchen Call: Funders' Role In Successful USDA Regional Food System Partnerships Proposals DESCRIPTION:USDA has announced the availability of $15.3 million in competitive grant funding for 2021 through the Regional Food System Partnerships (RFSP) program\, with a proposal deadline of July 6. This is 50 percent more than USDA awarded in 2020\, the first year of RFSP grantmaking\, thanks to a combination of funding from the 2018 Farm Bill and 2021 Pandemic Assistance for Producers. \n\n\n\nThe RFSP program encourages private philanthropy to fully engage as partners on these projects\, not simply as matching funders. USDA also encourages smaller farms and ranches\, new and beginning farmers and ranchers\, socially disadvantaged producers\, veteran producers\, and underserved communities to apply\, but these potential grantees may need support from current funders to help navigate the complicated application process and understand best practices for greatest chance of success. \n\n\n\nSAFSF members First Nations Development Institute\, MSU Center for Regional Food Systems\, and Thornburg Foundation were philanthropic partners on successful RFSP proposals in 2020. Join this informal discussion to hear why they partnered on RFSP proposals\, how their involvement strengthened the partnerships beyond their matching dollars\, and how you can leverage your support for grantees who could benefit from this new program. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/in-the-kitchen-call-funders-role-in-successful-usda-regional-food-system-partnership-proposals/ 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:20210708T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210708T133000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210603T161534Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210709T022731Z UID:10000477-1625745600-1625751000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:What's Up with Food and Farm Investing: A Peer Conversation with the SAFSF 2020-21 Investment Cohort DESCRIPTION:Eighteen experienced impact investors from the SAFSF network met regularly as a cohort over the past year to share learnings\, address challenges\, and find fellowship. This session shares a taste of the group’s conversations with the SAFSF network. During the session\, investors will discuss what inspires their work\, and how they think about investing in order to shift power\, achieve returns\, and build a more equitable food system. \n\n\n\nCohort member Katherine Pease of Pathstone will moderate a dynamic panel discussion with investor peers from the cohort. Following\, you can take your pick of three actionable breakout sessions where participants can connect with each other and with our cohort members. Choose to join a conversation about one of the following: \n\n\n\nGetting started with food and farm investing: Bring your questions and learn about some of the most approachable places to get started as a food and farm investor. Peer leaders: Rosalie Cates\, Philanthropy Northwest and the Giving Practice; Karla Miller\, Northwest Area Foundation; Lisa Sebesta\, Sitari Capital Investor power-shifts: Explore the dynamics of investor power\, respectful relationships with borrowers and communities\, and racial equity goals. Peer leaders: Kat Gilje\, Ceres Trust; Karen Swift\, Swift Foundation; Olivia Watkins\, Black Farmer Fund Building a food and farm portfolio: Learn how some ag-minded investors make both program- and mission-related investments (PRIs and MRIs) across asset classes\, build relationships\, and source deals. Peer leaders: Jason Ingle\, Closed Loop Capital; Katherine Pease\, Pathstone\n\n\n\nWhether you’re still exploring how to shift part of your endowment to social impact investing or have made many investments for financial return already\, we hope you’ll leave this conversation a little more inspired\, connected\, and ready to move forward in your work. \n\n\n\nNote: This webinar is limited to grantmakers and investors. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/safsf-investment-cohort-showcase-webinar/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/IMG_1786.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210713T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210713T123000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210622T193750Z LAST-MODIFIED:20211005T173349Z UID:10000481-1626174000-1626179400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:U.S. Food and Agriculture Policy: A Pivotal Moment For Action | Webinar 1 DESCRIPTION:In this first webinar of a 3-part series\, we will lay the groundwork for the current political context and implications for food and ag policymaking. The next 18 months are going to be critical for driving progressive policy change – it’s now or never. We will cover the American Jobs Plan and how this is our window of opportunity to deliver more funding for the 2023 Farm Bill to support regenerative agriculture initiatives\, as well as other critical policy priorities\, such as reparative policies that aim to support Black\, Indigenous\, and People of Color (BIPOC) who have been on the frontlines of the fights for food sovereignty\, racial justice\, climate justice\, food security\, worker justice\, land justice\, and environmental justice. Our goal with this webinar is to not only inform but to provide funders across the food and ag sector with both the context and the pathways for engaging in this critical moment\, including the opportunities to partner with key policy advocacy groups who need our support in the coming months. \n\n\n\nSpeakers: Panelists for this discussion will include experts from NSAC\, Native Farm Bill Coalition\, Young Farmers Alliance\, and other key policy and advocacy leaders \n\n\n\nView descriptions for the other session in the series \n\n\n\nWebinar 1: US Food and Agriculture Policy: A Pivotal Moment For Action | July 13\, 2021 \n\n\n\nFUNDERS ONLY: Download Key Takeaways\n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n \n\n\n\nWebinar 2: Pathways for Engagement: A Deeper Look at Key Policy Strategies and Opportunities | September 14\, 2021 \n\n\n\nWebinar 3: Playing to Win: How to Engage Both C3 and C4 Strategies | October 19\, 2021 URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/food-and-agriculture-policy-1/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/regenerative.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210721T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210721T123000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210623T213321Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210804T213736Z UID:10000484-1626865200-1626870600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:In the Kitchen Call: SAFSF Network Update DESCRIPTION:SAFSF’s Network Update is our annual membership conversation about who we are\, what we’ve accomplished\, and where we are headed together. Join staff and Board leaders to discuss the many milestones we’ve achieved in the past 12 months\, including: \n\n\n\nthe progress of our staff and Board equity journey;governance shifts with new Directors\, leadership\, and committees;new program and communications staff;an updated and expanded strategic plan; anda growing public profile on policy and practice issues at the intersection where agriculture and food systems meet philanthropy.\n\n\n\nWe’ll also talk about what’s ahead for the next 12-18 months\, including: \n\n\n\nstaying accountable to our Commitment to Racial Justice;ramping up and diversifying our communications outreach;analyzing and acting on the data from our triennial member evaluation survey (open now!);safely returning to in-person and hybrid convenings;adding new voices to member leadership and long-range thinking about the future of SAFSF.\n\n\n\nThis call is open to SAFSF members only. Registration is required. \n\n\n\nMEMBERS MAY ACCESS THE RECORDING AND PRESENTATION BY LOGGING IN TO THE MEMBER PORTAL AND CLICKING THE “MEMBER DATA” ICON URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/in-the-kitchen-call-safsf-network-update/ 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:20210727T091639 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210727T091639 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210727T231119Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210727T231119Z UID:10000488-1627377399-1627377399@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Network Partnerships - Building Effective Regional Food Funder Networks\, Part 3 DESCRIPTION:SAFSF has helped convene or been an advisor to many regional food funder networks over the years and seen someprosper while others struggled to find their footing. This five-part series on Building Effective Regional Food Funder Networks will provide a venue for learning\, sharing best practices\, and discussing new resources that can help ensure your food funder network makes a difference in your region and\, as part of a network of regional groups\, contributes to systemic change on a national level as well. Register for the whole series for $100 or individual sessions for $25 each. \n\n\n\nAugust 11: Part 1 – Network Structure and PurposeA clear understanding of the scope of work and the goals funders have for coming together is critical in order to measure progress and determine if your network’s efforts are successful. In this session\, we’ll discuss different ways to structure and staff regional food funder networks\, what kinds of gaps and needs networks often seek to address\, and look at various outcomes achieved by regional groups. \n\n\n\nSept 22: Part 2 – Meaningful MeetingsMeetings are important venues for building relationships. Meetings should also help move funders in a regional group toward their overall goals for collaboration. In this session\, we’ll talk about identifying relevant and timely topics\, balancing internal and external speakers and ensuring valuable takeaways from meetings. We’ll also talk about meeting frequency and how to engage participants to keep energy and enthusiasm high. \n\n\n\nOct 21: Part 3 – Network PartnershipsA regional food funder network is just one element of any regional food system. In this session\, we’ll look at co-programming with regional associations of grantmakers\, councils of governments and state/regional agencies to engage new funders and open new paths for leveraging philanthropic dollars. We’ll also look at strengthening regional cooperation through connections with food policy councils\, food system networks\, sustainable agriculture coalitions and others. \n\n\n\nNov 10: Part 4 – Regional-National Policy ConnectionsFood funders often find themselves stepping into the breach between federal policies and funding\, and the capacity to implement those policies or distribute that funding at the local and regional level. In this session\, we will address the roles regionally organized funders can play in helping to align regional and federal policy priorities so philanthropic dollars can be more effectively and equitably leveraged in communities. \n\n\n\nDec 14: Part 5 – Network OutreachLet other funders know what you are doing and invite them to engage with your network through strategic outreach. In this session\, we’ll examine how to use meetings and programs as outreach tools\, how to keep those in the network informed and in touch with each other\, ways to share your food system learnings with others in philanthropy\, and how to interact with media to bring wider attention to critical regional food issues. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nNetwork Partnerships – Building Effective Regional Food Funder Networks\, Part 3 URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/network-partnerships-building-effective-regional-food-funder-networks-part-3-2/ CATEGORIES:Webinars END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210806T170000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210806T170000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210721T151629Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210721T151630Z UID:10000487-1628269200-1628269200@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Nomination Deadline - Board of Directors DESCRIPTION:SAFSF is accepting nominations for two positions on the Board of Directors for three-year terms beginning in October 2021. Self-nomination or nominations of other qualified candidates are welcome. Click here for full description and nomination form. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/nomination-deadline-board-of-directors/ CATEGORIES:Deadlines ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/AdobeStock_222143026.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210811T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20210811T113000 DTSTAMP:20260403T140831 CREATED:20210622T184650Z LAST-MODIFIED:20210803T011425Z UID:10000479-1628676000-1628681400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Network Structure and Purpose - Building Effective Regional Food Funder Networks\, Part 1 DESCRIPTION:SAFSF has helped convene or been an advisor to many regional food funder networks over the years and seen someprosper while others struggled to find their footing. This five-part series on Building Effective Regional Food Funder Networks will provide a venue for learning\, sharing best practices\, and discussing new resources that can help ensure your food funder network makes a difference in your region and\, as part of a network of regional groups\, contributes to systemic change on a national level as well. Register for the whole series for $100 or individual sessions for $25 each. \n\n\n\nAs every region and network is different\, there is no one way or best practice that is going to apply to everyone. Rather than have so-called “experts” speak during these workshops\, we will kick off each conversation with a brief sharing from a funder or network with an instructive perspective on the topic at hand as a starting point for conversation. Our goal is to facilitate a semi-structured opportunity for all participants to share their experiences and\, as a group\, look for opportunities to develop shared resources and “workshop” approaches that increase the effectiveness of individual networks\, while strengthening connections between regional networks for greater impact across the nation. \n\n\n\nAugust 11: Part 1 – Network Structure and PurposeA clear understanding of the scope of work and the goals funders have for coming together is critical in order to measure progress and determine if your network’s efforts are successful. In this session\, we’ll discuss different ways to structure and staff regional food funder networks\, what kinds of gaps and needs networks often seek to address\, and look at various outcomes achieved by regional groups. Conversation kick-off: Virginia Clarke\, executive director of SAFSF. \n\n\n\nSeptember 22: Part 2 – Network Partnerships (note date change)A regional food funder network is just one element of any regional food system. In this session\, we’ll look at co-programming with regional associations of grantmakers\, councils of governments and state/regional agencies to engage new funders and open new paths for leveraging philanthropic dollars. We’ll also look at strengthening regional cooperation through connections with food policy councils\, food system networks\, sustainable agriculture coalitions and others. Conversation kick-off: Carol Pickering\, Dietel & Partners\, co-chair of the Food and Agriculture Systems Working Group of the Appalachia Funders Network. \n\n\n\nOctober 21: Part 3 – Meaningful Meetings (note date change)Meetings are important venues for building relationships. Meetings should also help move funders in a regional group toward their overall goals for collaboration. In this session\, we’ll talk about identifying relevant and timely topics\, balancing internal and external speakers and ensuring valuable takeaways from meetings. We’ll also talk about meeting frequency and how to engage participants to keep energy and enthusiasm high. Conversation kick-off: Adam Liebowitz\, North Star Fund\, director of Community Food Funders in New York. \n\n\n\nNovember 10: Part 4 – Regional-National Policy ConnectionsFood funders often find themselves stepping into the breach between federal policies and funding\, and the capacity to implement those policies or distribute that funding at the local and regional level. In this session\, we will address the roles regionally organized funders can play in helping to align regional and federal policy priorities so philanthropic dollars can be more effectively and equitably leveraged in communities. Conversation kick-off: Andrew McElwaine\, Heinz Endowments\, co-convener of Pennsylvania funder group organizing for 2023 Farm Bill advocacy. \n\n\n\nDecember 14: Part 5 – Network OutreachLet other funders know what you are doing and invite them to engage with your network through strategic outreach. In this session\, we’ll examine how to use meetings and programs as outreach tools\, how to keep those in the network informed and in touch with each other\, ways to share your food system learnings with others in philanthropy\, and how to interact with media to bring wider attention to critical regional food issues. Conservation kick-off: Karen Lehman\, director of Fresh Taste in Chicago. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/network-structure-and-purpose-building-effective-regional-food-funder-networks-part-1/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/IMG_7770-scaled-e1624486168122.jpg END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR