BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders - ECPv6.15.17//NONSGML v1.0//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH X-WR-CALNAME:Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders 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:20240310T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20241103T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20250309T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20251102T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20260308T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20261101T090000 END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0800 TZOFFSETTO:-0700 TZNAME:PDT DTSTART:20270314T100000 END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0700 TZOFFSETTO:-0800 TZNAME:PST DTSTART:20271107T090000 END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251201T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251201T123000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20251028T195250Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251031T142349Z UID:10000721-1764586800-1764592200@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Federal Headwinds\, Frontline Resilience: Understanding the Impacts & Opportunities for Action - Session 3 DESCRIPTION:This funder series is organized by The Funders Network\, Health and Environmental Funders Network\, Neighborhood Funders Group\, Chesapeake Bay Funders Network\, Climate and Energy Funders Group and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders in partnership with ClimateMAX\, a new national collaborative and intersectional table of NGOs advancing and defending climate and environmental justice policy solutions. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn just a few months\, the current administration has dealt a series of significant setbacks to climate and communities: Billions of dollars\, including $2.6 billion for climate and environmental justice programs\, have been slashed from the federal budget. Agencies meant to protect our water and air have been gutted. And the promise of historic investments in climate-resilient infrastructure has been largely stripped away. \n\n\n\nBut despite these fierce federal headwinds\, there are opportunities for action — and models of collaboration\, partnership and frontline resilience. \n\n\n\nJoin us for a three-part learning series for funders Federal Headwinds\, Frontline Resilience: Understanding the Impacts & Opportunities for Action. \n\n\n\nThese webinars will bring together funders\, nonprofit and community leaders to share analysis of recent actions under the current administration\, including impacts on frontline communities and leaders. They’ll also create space for funders to look past silos and consider best ways to leverage their resources\, networks and expertise to meet this moment with urgency and flexibility.The series is designed as a three-part learning arc but funders are welcome to attend individual sessions as their schedules allow. Attendees will automatically be confirmed for all three sessions when registering. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegister Here\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSession 3: Rising from the Ashes: Collaboration & Innovation Advance Strategies that Work \n\n\n\nWe will end the series with a discussion of the work and key strategies moving forward to build collaborative efforts that will drive solutions that advance energy affordability\, resilience in the face of growing climate disasters\, and health and safety. We will acknowledge the issues at stake in the context of mid-term elections and upcoming state legislative sessions. The final session also will spotlight ways that philanthropy is mobilizing to support work in communities. And it will highlight funder initiatives that model collaboration and partnership\, urging funders to lean in and get involved. \n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\nMaria Doerr\, Program Officer\, Rural Climate Partnership\n\n\n\nByron Gudiel\, Executive Director\, Center for Earth\, Energy and Democracy\n\n\n\nJacqueline Patterson\, Founder and Executive Director\, Chisholm Legacy Project\n\n\n\nAiko Schaefer\, Executive Director\, Just Solutions\n\n\n\nJennifer Somers\, Co-Executive Director\, Collectrify: A Frontline-Led Energy Fund\n\n\n\n\nStay tuned for additional speaker updates! URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/federal-headwinds-frontline-resilience-understanding-the-impacts-opportunities-for-action-session-3/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Federal-Headwinds-Webinar-Series-Fall-2025-4_eMTR.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251202T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251202T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20251104T223455Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251205T160104Z UID:10000723-1764669600-1764673200@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:SNAP Strategy Funder Working Group: Training and Technical Assistance Opportunities DESCRIPTION:Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Grantmakers In Health are forming a funder Working Group to coordinate a strategic response to the SNAP cuts in H.R. 1. The Working Group is an actionable response to insights shared by field leaders in a SNAP-focused webinar in October. \n\n\n\nRecognizing the far-reaching implications of SNAP for food security\, health\, and economic equity\, this Working Group will serve as an information hub and a strategic coordination space\, designed to help funders act quickly\, effectively\, and in alignment with one another. We will organize three meetings to start and then assess next steps. The first Working Group call highlighted advocacy opportunities.The second Working Group call will explore how funders can support training and technical assistance for state agencies navigating significant and sudden changes in how SNAP operates\, including assessing the factors influencing error rates and technology solutions to reduce them. Tim Shaw\, Director of the Benefits Transformation Initiative at the Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Program\, will also provide a status update on state action and responses to H.R. 1 requirements.The third Working Group Call will focus on opportunities to support strategic communications. \n\n\n\nThis Working Group is open to all funders currently responding to or actively considering a response to SNAP cuts. Funders do not need to be members of SAFSF or GIH – if you are wrestling with the impact of SNAP cuts for your communities\, this space is for you. Please register below. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIntelligence Gathering with Experts\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nTim Shaw\, Director\, Benefits Transformation Initiative and Senior Policy Advisor\, Financial Security Program\n\n\n\nAs the Director of the Benefits Transformation Initiative and Senior Policy Advisor for the Financial Security Program\, Tim works to advance promising policies that address the most pressing financial security challenges facing people in America. Working with leaders across levels of government\, Tim and Aspen FSP’s Benefits team seek to provide policy\, nonprofit\, and market leaders with the innovative ideas\, research\, and networks of leaders they need to design and enact policies that help people weather financial shocks and comfortably afford everyday life. \n\n\n\nBefore joining the Aspen Institute\, he was an Associate Director for Economic Policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. While there\, he was the policy lead for BPC’s Paid Family Leave Task Force and led projects on economic opportunity\, retirement security\, and fiscal policy. Prior to that work\, he was a tax and budget staffer at the Government Accountability Office. His work has been featured in numerous publications\, including the Washington Post\, Politico\, and the Wall Street Journal. \n\n\n\nTim holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish from Washington University in St. Louis and a Master of Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/snap-strategy-funder-working-group-training-and-technical-assistance-opportunities/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/food-access.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251204T070000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251204T083000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20251107T180821Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251115T031254Z UID:10000724-1764831600-1764837000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Reimagining Food in Prisons: Opportunities for Funders and Advocates DESCRIPTION:This event is hosted by Community Food Funders and co-sponsored by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders. \n\n\n\nFood insecurity is often seen as a challenge faced outside of institutional walls\, but for millions of incarcerated individuals\, access to nutritious\, diverse\, and quality food remains a critical issue. In prisons across the Northeast\, food serves not only as sustenance but as a reflection of human dignity\, health\, and opportunity for rehabilitation. Yet\, many facilities still struggle with outdated systems that fail to recognize the importance of nutrition\, cultural relevance\, and community voice. \n\n\n\nAt this upcoming webinar\, you will hear from leading organizations working to reshape the food landscape within carceral facilities. Experts will present insights and data to help frame the issue\, and then share innovative strategies\, policy reforms\, and community-led initiatives aimed at improving the quality and diversity of food served. \n\n\n\nAddressing food inequities in prisons is a powerful entry point to advancing racial justice and promoting holistic community health. By investing in food justice within correctional systems\, we can nurture a more humane and equitable approach that benefits individuals\, families\, and communities across the region. \n\n\n\nJoin us to deepen your understanding of this often hidden issue. Together we can help forge a future where food in prisons reflects not just nutritional standards\, but values of dignity\, diversity\, and justice. \n\n\n\nLearn\n\n\n\n\nExamine the intersection of food justice\, racial equity\, and human rights within the criminal justice system.\n\n\n\nExplore how current prison food systems reflect larger issues of racial and economic injustice\, and the role funders can play in fostering meaningful change.\n\n\n\nHear firsthand from organizations leading efforts to incorporate local\, sustainable ingredients\, promote food justice\, and empower marginalized communities affected by incarceration.\n\n\n\nUnderstand the barriers faced by groups working to improve food offerings in correctional facilities\, and how they are being addressed. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nRegister Here\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichael Capers\, Sweet Freedom Farm\n\n\n\n\nGrowing up in a food desert\, Michael was only able to understand food as a tool for survival. Over time\, Michael started to see food for what it truly is\, a tool to heal and resist. Through his work as a farmer\, activist\, and community bridge builder at Sweet Freedom Farm\, he seeks to give marginalized people\, including prisoners\, agency in defining their own health through education\, opportunity\, and access. Michael became active in the food justice movement while he was serving his 14-year prison sentence. He doubled down on his efforts immediately after his release in February of 2022. Since his release\, Michael has worked towards creating a food justice network that can expand his overall impact. Michael has helped to pioneer the bring back care packages movement\, speaking about it in interviews and publishing an article about it. He has worked with the Sing Sing Family Collective; RAPP (Releasing Ageing People in Prison campaign); All Of Us; Vocal-NY; Kites Nest; Center for Community Alternatives\, and the Shared Plate Fun. As a bridge-builder\, Michael created a panel discussion series to highlight the struggles of formerly incarcerated people and has been hosting farm stands at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. He attends rallies and protests; advocates to senators and assembly members; while continuing to write and speak about the issues he cares about. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBritt Florio\, Program Manager\, Farm to Institution New England\n\n\n\n\nBrittany Florio (she / her) is the program manager at Farm to Institution New England. In this role\, Britt managing program development\, outreach\, and communications to catalyze change in the dynamic farm to institution movement. She has been working in the food system since 2010. Prior to her work at FINE\, Britt co-owned a regenerative herb and vegetable farm business in the Hudson Valley\, New York. After leaving the farm life\, she worked at UMass Amherst as the Sustainability Coordinator for UMass Dining and as an adjunct faculty member\, teaching Sustainability Science. Britt holds a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Natural Resources from the University of Connecticut and a Master’s degree in Sustainability Science with a concentration in Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture from the University of Massachusetts\, Amherst. In her free time\, Britt loves fermenting foods\, kayaking\, foraging\, and making wild flower bouquets. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJalal Sabur\, Sweet Freedom Farm\n\n\n\n\nIn 2010\, Jalal began farming with Wassaic Community Farm – growing produce for farmers markets while running a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program and gleaning project. While at Wassaic Community Farm Jalal co-founded the Freedom Food Alliance and the Victory Bus Project. The Freedom Food Alliance is a collective of small rural and urban farmers\, activists\, artists\, community folks and political prisoners who use food as an organizing tool. The Alliance founded the Victory Bus Project to connect urban and rural communities and to support families of prisoners by providing transportation (along with a box of farm-fresh food) for folks visiting prisoners in the Hudson Valley. In 2013\, Jalal started Sweet Freedom Farm in Germantown\, NY\, to continue the work of the Alliance. Sweet Freedom Farm is growing and distributing vegetables\, grains\, herbs\, and maple syrup\, prioritizing the folks affected by the incarceration system. Sweet Freedom is also a training site for young BIPOC farmers\, a gathering space for partnering projects in the alliance\, and building a Grow Food\, Not Prison movement. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJennifer Scaife\, Executive Director\, Correctional Association of New York\n\n\n\n\nJennifer joined CANY as Executive Director in 2018. She previously held positions at the New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice\, the San Francisco Adult Probation Department\, and the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. Jennifer started her career as Program Director at Prison University Project (now Mount Tamalpais College) running the day-to-day operations of a college program at San Quentin State Prison in California. Jennifer holds a BA from the College of William and Mary\, an MA from Hollins University\, and an MFA from Indiana University Bloomington. She has taught creative writing workshops in prisons\, jails\, juvenile detention facilities\, and community arts studios. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLeslie Soble\, Senior Program Manager\, Food In Prison\, Impact Justice\n\n\n\n\nLeslie Soble (she/her) manages the Food in Prison Project and is the lead author of Impact Justice’s national report\, Eating Behind Bars: Ending the Hidden Punishment of Food in Prison. An ethnographer and folklorist\, she has spent over five years immersed in research on the carceral eating experience and its impacts on individuals\, communities\, and the environment. In her current role\, she oversees the organization’s initiatives at the intersection of food and incarceration.Beyond Impact Justice\, Leslie is the founder and artistic director of Story Soup\, a project that creates contexts for dialogue across cultural and generational borders through food and narrative. Her ongoing academic research focuses on food as a cultural text\, aesthetic domain\, and site of performance. Leslie also serves as a teaching artist with various DC-based arts programs and has over a decade of experience designing and facilitating cultural competency workshops to explore identity\, systems of oppression\, and intercultural/intergenerational communication. \n\n\n\nLeslie holds an MA in cultural sustainability from Goucher College\, with a focus on the intersection of foodways\, narrative theory\, and social practice art\, and received her BA in gender studies from Brown University\, where her course of study focused on grassroots movements for social change. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/reimagining-food-in-prisons-opportunities-for-funders-and-advocates/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Sweet-Fredom-bags-for-web-copy-2.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251210T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251210T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20250724T163147Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251119T174812Z UID:10000702-1765364400-1765368000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:December Health Funders Learning Community Call DESCRIPTION:Join us for our last Health Funders Learning Community call of the year on December 10 at 11 AM PT / 2 PM ET. This call is an excellent opportunity to connect with fellow SAFSF members funding at the intersection of health\, agriculture\, and food systems\, and engage in a meaningful discussion around specific challenges in funding health solutions.2025 marked the start of a crisis that will continue to play out over many years. We will see ripple effects of the Trump administration’s decisions to cut thousands of staff positions at federal agencies like HHS\, EPA\, and USDA\, slash billions in public health funding\, and sign into law unprecedented changes to programs like Medicaid and SNAP. During the last Health Funders Learning Community call of 2025\, we will reflect on this year’s key lessons that can carry us into 2026 with more clarity and strength.  \n\n\n\nThis is a SAFSF member-only call. If you are interested in exploring membership\, please contact our membership team. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo register for this learning community\, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF. \nPlease log in or register for an account. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/december-health-funders-learning-community-call-2/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/food-recovery.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251216T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251216T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20250131T173106Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260106T195902Z UID:10000661-1765886400-1765890000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Maximize Your Membership Q4 DESCRIPTION:Maximize Your Membership is an orientation webinar for SAFSF members\, new and veteran! If you are new staff at a new or long-time SAFSF member organization\, have not engaged in SAFSF programming or member benefits yet yourself\, want a refresher on all that is available to you as a SAFSF member organization\, or just want to connect\, join us! \n\n\n\nThis quarterly membership call features our newest SAFSF members  – help us welcome them into this community. Join Clare Fox\, Executive Director\, and Holly Hanes\, Senior Membership Associate\, for a deep dive into all things SAFSF\, including: \n\n\n\n\nCelebrating & sharing your membership internally and externally;\n\n\n\nMember Perks – including the annual Forum\, exclusive offerings\, and Learning Communities; \n\n\n\nHow to access your SAFSF benefits; \n\n\n\nSAFSF Professional and Leadership Development Pathways; \n\n\n\nTools and resources available to you; \n\n\n\nEvent Preview \n\n\n\n\nThis energizing conversation will excite you for the quarter ahead and expose you to one (or many!) benefits of membership that you were not utilizing to help in maximizing your SAFSF experience. Meet other members\, learn the SAFSF processes\, and get engaged! This event is a free\, SAFSF member only event. Interested in SAFSF membership? Email us. (membership@safsf.org) URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/maximize-your-membership-q4/ CATEGORIES:Member Only,Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/315796b3-2f37-e31b-b026-37d8c833ffa5-1-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251218T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20251218T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20250414T183111Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251204T203206Z UID:10000685-1766062800-1766066400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Gather Round Monthly Membership Call: Reflecting on 2025 DESCRIPTION:The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls\, held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST\, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month.  \n\n\n\nWhat a year 2025 has been! As the year comes to a close\, how are you making sense of the losses and the gains? How has the year changed and challenged you and your work? Join us for the last Gather Round to reflect on how far we have come and what we hope the next year will bring.  \n\n\n\nSAFSF members are automatically enrolled in Gather Round meetings\, and will see the calendar invitations. If you do not\, email membership@safsf.org to receive access.  URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/gather-round-december/ CATEGORIES:Member Only,Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Gather-Round.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260121T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260121T111500 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260108T163946Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260108T174832Z UID:10000730-1768989600-1768994100@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Breaking Through: Constitutional Solutions to the Environmental Crisis DESCRIPTION:As climate\, health\, and fundamental rights face attack\, the question is not whether regulation matters\, but how we develop innovative and collaborative tools that deliver lasting protection for people and the planet. \n\n\n\nFor decades\, U.S. environmental protection has relied on a permit-based system to limit pollution.  This approach delivered important gains but wasn’t designed to address today’s cumulative climate harms\, intergenerational rights\, or systemic inequity. Over time\, this system has been corrupted by political and economic pressures favoring industry and short-term interests. The consequences?  Limited power for those most affected\, unequal burdens for poor communities and communities of color\, and few meaningful protections for children and future generations.  \n\n\n\nJoin two long-time leaders in constitutional environmental protection for storytelling\, strategic insights\, and dialogue about how these constitutional approaches deliver durable legal and societal change–and why this moment calls for expanding our collective approach. \n\n\n\nGreen Amendments For The Generations works through civic education and democratic processes to enshrine explicit environmental protections in state constitutions\, and then helps communities enforce them through advocacy and legal action. Our Children’s Trust uses litigation to advance social and legal recognition that these rights already exist–implicit in constitutional guarantees like life\, liberty\, and equality. Together\, these strategies reinforce one another\, creating stronger legal infrastructure that benefits environmental\, public health\, and justice efforts. \n\n\n\nThis work transforms our system at a critical moment by breathing life into the human right to a healthy environment and stable climate system. When their collective work succeeds\, we shift from corporation-profit-pollution frameworks to life-rights-health frameworks—fundamentally changing how agencies operate and becoming a resource for communities and advocates across environmental\, health\, and justice work. \n\n\n\nThis discussion is intended for folks in funding or funder-adjacent roles.  The formal discussion will last 60 minutes\, and speakers will be available an additional 15 minutes for questions. \n\n\n\nThis webinar is hosted by Health and Environmental Funders Network and co-sponsored by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nREGISTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMaya K. van Rossum \n\n\n\nMaya is the Founder of Green Amendments For the Generations and has also led the 4 state watershed-based advocacy organization\, the Delaware Riverkeeper Network\, for over 30 years. In her role there\, Maya was the lead and only environmental plaintiff in the landmark case that defeated pro fossil fuel fracking legislation\, breathed new life into Pennsylvania’s long ignored environmental rights amendment and became the foundation for the 2014 founding of the national Green Amendment movement and organization. Since then\, New York passed an amendment in 2021 and proposals are now advancing in over 20 additional states\, with half a dozen more on the way\, and there is increasing use of existing Green Amendments in Pennsylvania\, New York and Montana. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMat dos Santos \n\n\n\nMat dos Santos is the Co-Executive Director of Our Children’s Trust\, where they lead organizational strategy advancing constitutional protections for a healthy environment and stable climate. They bring nearly two decades of experience in constitutional\, civil rights\, and complex litigation across public-interest and private-sector settings. Previously\, Mat served as Legal Director of the ACLU of Oregon\, practiced complex litigation at Morrison & Foerster\, and managed global commercial litigation and risk for a multinational pharmaceutical company—experience that informs their systems-level approach to legal and institutional change. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/breaking-through-constitutional-solutions-to-the-environmental-crisis/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/AdobeStock_212949512.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260122T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260122T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260116T145501Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260116T145503Z UID:10000738-1769086800-1769090400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Gather Round Monthly Membership Call DESCRIPTION:The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls\, held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST\, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month. \n\n\n\nWelcome Back! As we begin a new year\, this Gather Round is an opportunity for members to reconnect\, reflect\, and ground in community.  \n\n\n\nThis session is lightly facilitated\, creating space to share what’s top of mind as we move into 2026.  Come as you are and share: what you’re carrying forward\, what you’re leaving behind\, and what questions or priorities are emerging in your work.  Join us and listen\, share\, and be in conversation with peers across the SAFSF network. \n\n\n\nSAFSF members are automatically enrolled in Gather Round meetings and will see the calendar invitations. If you do not\, email membership@safsf.org to receive access.  URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/gather-round-monthly-membership-call/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Gather-Round.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260129T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260129T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20251210T164237Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260129T193637Z UID:10000725-1769680800-1769684400@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Movement-Aligned Funding Learning Community DESCRIPTION:Systems change requires a deliberate shift in power. In a landscape where the industrial\, consolidated\, and corporate food system is well-funded\, deeply entrenched\, and politically coordinated\, community-led movements must be equally robust—supported with consistent resources\, strong social infrastructure\, and long-term investment. \n\n\n\nShifting power means centering and following the leadership of those most affected by injustice—Black\, Indigenous\, and People of Color; immigrants; workers; 2SLGBTQIA+ people; women; disabled\, low-income\, poor\, and other urban and rural marginalized communities. Movements for food justice and food sovereignty need sustained investment in the organizing\, coalition-building\, and leadership development that enable communities to build and wield power over time. \n\n\n\nThis requires resources that are distributed nationally\, regionally\, and locally to support base building\, advocacy\, and community-led interventions across local\, state\, Tribal\, and national scales. Social and structural change is only possible when communities have the time\, infrastructure\, and capacity to organize—not just react. \n\n\n\nFunders play a critical role in supporting this work. To be “movement-aligned\,” funders must adapt practices and priorities to the values and leadership of frontline communities. This includes trusting community governance\, supporting grassroots leadership\, sharing decision-making power\, and shifting traditional funder prerogatives—even when it is uncomfortable. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWho Is This For?\n\n\n\nThis quarterly\, peer-led Learning Community is open to all SAFSF members. It is a space for honest dialogue\, where funders can share practices\, mistakes\, uncertainties\, and lessons learned with a shared intention of improving accountability to the communities most impacted by food system injustice. \n\n\n\nWe will read short pieces together and periodically invite movement leaders to ground the conversation. However\, this is not a curriculum-based or exhaustive learning space\, and we recognize that funders must seek learning directly\, in non-extractive ways\, from grassroots organizations and frontline leaders beyond this setting. Rather\, this Learning Community is designed to help funders learn about the principles and mechanics of movement building and do the internal work to be an effective ally.  \n\n\n\nAll SAFSF members are welcome\, and we especially encourage funders who are newer to movement-building or movement-aligned grantmaking or investing to participate. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhy a Funder-Only Learning Community on Movement-Aligned Funding?\n\n\n\nThis space is intentionally designed for funders because: \n\n\n\n\nFunders need a place to build internal discipline and accountability without placing additional burdens on movement leaders to constantly educate them.\n\n\n\nFunders must examine their own power\, habits\, and practices—work that often requires internal organizing and strategy alignment.\n\n\n\nFunders need to be prepared before meaningfully engaging with movement partners\, so that conversations with frontline leaders are not extractive\, repetitive\, or centering funder needs.\n\n\n\nThis learning community complements—not replaces—direct engagement with movement organizations. The core purpose is to strengthen funders’ readiness to show up better in those relationships.\n\n\n\n\nOur intention is to help funders transform their practices to be accountable partners in multiracial\, frontline-led movements\, not to create a bubble where funders only talk to funders. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLearning Community Goals\n\n\n\n\nLearn about principles of long-term movement building for systems change from experienced practitioners and through the examination of successful examples in food systems context.\n\n\n\nBetter understand investment needs and funding practices that center the leadership of impacted communities\, support movement building\, and community-led food systems transformation.\n\n\n\nLearn and exchange best practices to increase frontline and grassroots organizations’ capacity (e.g.\, time\, financial resources\, communications infrastructure) so they can build leadership and power within the broader movement ecosystem.\n\n\n\nExplore the importance of organizing across the capital spectrum and across different issue areas (e.g.\, health\, food\, climate\, environment) in alignment with frontline communities of color and movement organizations.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBackground and Details \n\n\n\n\nThe idea for this new Learning Community came from two SAFSF Members— Chicago Food Policy Action Council and Michigan State University’s Center for Regional Food Systems—and follows a networking session with both funders and practitioners at the SAFSF Forum in 2025. \n\n\n\n\n\nCalls will not be recorded to facilitate more transparent conversations. \n\n\n\n\n\nPre-meeting reading materials will be shared in advance. \n\n\n\n\n\nWe highly encourage you to attend all sessions in the series to stay connected with your colleagues and incorporate learnings into your work throughout the year\, but you are welcome to join at any point. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis is a SAFSF member-only series. If you are interested in exploring membership\, please contact our membership team. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/movement-aligned-funding-learning-community/ CATEGORIES:Learning Community,Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SAFSF-20250511-3100-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260206T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260206T104500 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260128T164446Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260209T150336Z UID:10000739-1770372000-1770374700@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Responding to H.R. 1: Funder Opportunity to Help States Mitigate SNAP Coverage Losses DESCRIPTION:Co-Hosts: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Grantmakers In Health. \n\n\n\nH.R. 1’s unprecedented requirement that states pay for a share of SNAP benefits based on their payment error rates will impose a massive financial burden on state budgets\, forcing them to choose between cutting other programs and services\, reducing SNAP eligibility\, or even stopping participation in SNAP entirely.  \n\n\n\nTo mitigate this threat\, the Aspen Institute’s Financial Security Program and Social Finance have partnered to develop a proposal to help states effectively implement H.R. 1 and reduce some of the coverage losses and fiscal impacts. The concept\, based on a successful model that supported states during Medicaid Unwinding\, is to deploy small teams of digital services and process design experts directly to states or counties (depending on the type of SNAP administration).  \n\n\n\nThis proposal is an outgrowth of many conversations\, including those as part of the SAFSF-GIH SNAP Funder Working Group\, between advocates\, state and county offices\, funders\, and many more. It is one of many essential strategies to ensure that millions of Americans continue to have access to SNAP.  \n\n\n\nPlease join this briefing to learn more about this timely intervention.  \n\n\n\nThis call is open to all funders currently responding to or actively considering a response to SNAP cuts. Funders do not need to be members of any of the co-hosting funder networks – if you are wrestling with the impact of SNAP cuts for your communities\, this space is for you. Please register below. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/responding-to-h-r-1-funder-opportunity-to-help-states-mitigate-snap-coverage-losses/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/food-access.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260210T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260210T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260109T165910Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260212T211246Z UID:10000731-1770721200-1770724800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:SNAP Strategy Funder Working Group: Strategic Communications Opportunities DESCRIPTION:Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Grantmakers In Health are forming a funder Working Group to coordinate a strategic response to the SNAP cuts in H.R. 1. The Working Group is an actionable response to insights shared by field leaders in a SNAP-focused webinar last October.  \n\n\n\nRecognizing the far-reaching implications of SNAP for food security\, health\, and economic equity\, this Working Group will serve as an information hub and a strategic coordination space\, designed to help funders act quickly\, effectively\, and in alignment with one another. We will organize three meetings to start and then assess next steps. The first two Working Group calls highlighted advocacy opportunities and training and technical assistance opportunities.  \n\n\n\nOur upcoming Working Group Call will focus on strategic communications opportunities. Elizabeth Wenk\, Principal and Managing Director\, and Nick Seaver\, Senior Vice President and Co-Director of Training Programs at Burness\, will share new insights from message testing about SNAP that highlights messaging that moves audiences\, insights on which arguments resonate and counter opponents\, and how different groups respond to these messages. The State Innovation Exchange (SiX) Food\, Agriculture\, and Rural Economies team will also share what they are hearing from state legislators advocating for SNAP\, and how funders can support state policymakers’ efforts to protect the program. \n\n\n\nThis Working Group is open to all funders currently responding to or actively considering a response to SNAP cuts. Funders do not need to be members of SAFSF or GIH; if you are wrestling with the impact of SNAP cuts on the communities you serve\, this space is for you.  \n\n\n\nIntelligence Gathering with Experts\n\n\n\n\nAlabama State Senator Merika Coleman (D-19)\n\n\n\nElizabeth Wenk\, Principal and Managing Director\, U.S.\, Burness\n\n\n\nNick Seaver\, Senior Vice President and Co-Director of Training Programs\, Burness\n\n\n\nJennie Day-Burget\, Senior Communications Officer\, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation\n\n\n\nState Innovation Exchange (SiX) Food\, Agriculture\, and Rural Economies team URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/snap-strategy-funder-working-group-strategic-communications-opportunities/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/food-access.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260217T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260217T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260204T154635Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260204T154840Z UID:10000741-1771326000-1771329600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice Alumni Circle DESCRIPTION:The Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice (IFSCoP) is a learning and relationship-building cohort for funders interested in advancing support for Native-led food systems work. Developed by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders\, First Nations Development Institute\, and Melvin Consulting PLLC\, this program brings funders together to engage directly with Indigenous leaders\, deepen understanding of structural and philanthropic barriers in Indian Country\, and build more effective strategies for supporting Native food sovereignty and sustainable agriculture. The IFSCoP has been offered every other year since 2021.  \n\n\n\nIn times of crisis\, our values can be the anchor that guides how we show up for one another. Alumni of the Indigenous Food Systems Community of Practice are invited to join this virtual session\, where we will explore how funders and community leaders come together to respond in ways that are aligned with shared principles and centered on community needs. Participants will reflect on how they are partnering with grantees and local stakeholders to meet the moment and strengthen collective impact. \n\n\n\nThis virtual gathering is open to past IFSCoP participants only. Stay tuned for more information about Cohort 3 launching in 2026! URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/indigenous-food-systems-community-of-practice-alumni-circle-2/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/unnamed.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260218T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260218T103000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260129T153232Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260130T184250Z UID:10000740-1771405200-1771410600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:From Fossil Fuels to Toxic Pesticides: Connecting Corporate Control\, Climate\, and Environmental Health DESCRIPTION:Co-Hosts: Funders for Regenerative Agriculture (FORA)\, Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN)\, Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders (SAFSF)\, and URSA Collective. \n\n\n\nEverybody needs to eat. We believe that everyone wants a healthier food system\, but just need to be convinced it’s possible. We’ll show how the story of paraquat can build a drumbeat for broader narratives appealing to a wide audience\, such as: \n\n\n\n\nCorporate consolidation is driving farmers to the brink;\n\n\n\nFarming without synthetic pesticides can be more profitable over time\, and helps farmers regain independence from agrochemical conglomerates;\n\n\n\nAgricultural and industrial advocacy communities can organize together against the harms and massive profits of the four largest agrochemical companies. Together we are more powerful than we think\, and new audiences are interested in our messages.\n\n\n\n\nAt this funder briefing\, we encourage a robust discussion on how we can tell impactful stories together\, and advance a collective agenda for sustainable agriculture that values human health and dignity over corporate profits. \n\n\n\nThis session on the intersection of industrial and agrochemical corporate control\, climate impacts\, and environmental health inequities will showcase the findings of the recently released Phase 1 report\, Designed to Kill: Who Profits from Paraquat?\, and an accompanying storymap that illustrates the full lifecycle of the synthetic pesticide paraquat\, from fossil fuel extraction to transport to chemical manufacturing\, application\, and resulting exposure. These campaign materials are part of a broad systems approach that help coalitions “bust out of silos” between industrial and agricultural chemical issues\, and domestic and international chemicals campaigning\, while bringing pesticides into the climate conversation. \n\n\n\nPhase 2 of the work will launch a power-building campaign focused on the need to hold giant agrochemical companies accountable for their harms to people and climate across national borders. Our movement needs to go beyond communicating and organizing for individual pesticide bans and motivate root changes to our food system. \n\n\n\nThis discussion is intended for folks in funding or funder-adjacent roles. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAnn Thrupp\n\n\n\nSenior Program Officer\, Clif Family Foundation\nANN THRUPP has extensive experience in sustainable\, organic\, equitable and regenerative agriculture and food systems in the United States and internationally. For more than 35 years\, she has been a pioneer working on the intersection of agriculture\, ecology\, food security\, social justice\, and public health. Ann has held leadership positions in non-profit organizations\, government\, academia\, business\, and now philanthropy.  \n\n\n\nShe is currently working as Senior Program Officer of Food Systems Transformation for the Clif Family Foundation. In 2022-23 she was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to conduct research about pesticide use in banana production in Costa Rica. Ann previously served as the Director of the California Food is Medicine Coalition (2019-2022) and was founding Executive Director of the Berkeley Food Institute at the University of California Berkeley from 2013-2019. Prior to that\, she was Manager of Sustainability and Organic Development at Fetzer and Bonterra Vineyards for 11 years (2003-2013). She also worked for several years with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Agriculture Initiative in the Western Region office\, and for 10 years\, was Director of Sustainable Agriculture at World Resources Institute\, leading projects in Latin America and other regions of the world. \n\n\n\nAnn has a PhD and Master’s degree from Sussex University in England (with Marshall and Fulbright scholarships)\, a BA from Stanford University (Phi Beta Kappa)\, with double majors in Human Biology and Latin American Studies. She has more than 75 publications\, including three books (with two as co-author)\, and has served on boards of non-profit organization and advisory committees in the field. She is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program and is fluent in Spanish. She is an avid runner (and was an All-American cross-country runner at Stanford University) and enjoys gardening\, music\, and creative writing. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDiedre Nelms\n\n\n\nDirector of Communications\, Coming Clean\nDeidre is the Director of Communications for Coming Clean. She provides consistent framing\, messaging\, and promotion of Coming Clean’s work and that of strategic partner\, the Environmental Justice Health Alliance for Chemical Policy reform\, across communication channels including mass media\, social media\, websites\, and internal network communications.With a Master’s degree in philosophy\, Deidre was previously communications organizer for a graduate union local and taught environmental ethics at Georgetown University. She now lives in Kansas City\, Missouri. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAmy Tamayo\n\n\n\nNational Policy and Advocacy Director\, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas\, Inc.\nAmy is the National Policy and Advocacy Director at Alianza Nacional de Campesinas\, Inc.\, where she strategizes and advocates alongside farmworker women in advancing their policy priorities in the areas of immigration\, environmental justice and pesticides\, workers’ rights\, and ending violence against women. Prior to joining Alianza\, Amy was a Justice Catalyst legal fellow at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante\, where she focused on challenging labor abuse and discrimination migrant workers face during recruitment and in the workplace. Amy has a Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law\, and has over 10 years of experience working on intersectional issues in women’ s rights. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nCristóbal Lagunas\n\n\n\nOrganizing Lead\, Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network\nCristóbal is Organizing Lead for Pesticide Action & Agroecology Network. Cris is a strategist\, and organizer currently based in Boston\, MA. His work is rooted in the belief that our people hold the power to transform the world when we move together. Born in Chile and shaped by the immigrant struggle in the U.S.\, Cris has spent years organizing alongside frontline communities fighting for immigrant rights\, climate justice\, and Just Transition. Whether it’s building narrative power\, crafting campaigns\, or showing up in the streets\, Cris brings heart\, humor\, and deep commitment to the work of collective liberation. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/from-fossil-fuels-to-toxic-pesticides-connecting-corporate-control-climate-and-environmental-health/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pexels-stitch-20280076-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260219T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260219T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260209T155411Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260209T155702Z UID:10000743-1771506000-1771509600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Gather Round: Making Space to Connect DESCRIPTION:The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls\, held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST\, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month. \n\n\n\nIn February\, Gather Round will hold space during Black History Month with an emphasis on presence\, storytelling\, and connection. We’ll begin with a brief grounding and a short film highlighting Black farming and land stewardship\, offering a moment to reflect on the living legacy of Black agrarian leadership. From there\, we’ll move into breakout discussions on community care\, sustainability in our work\, and learning and unlearning. We will also have an open\, unprompted shared space for conversation.  \n\n\n\nThis gathering is an invitation to plant seeds together as we look ahead to gathering in Savannah\, Georgia\, later this year\, and to continue holding history\, care\, and community at the center of our work. \n\n\n\nThis event is designed for SAFSF members. Registering below will automatically register you for Gather Round each month. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo register for Gather Round\, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF. \nPlease log in or register for an account. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/gather-round-making-space-to-connect/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/4A0A8294-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260227T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260227T113000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260209T152108Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260304T195437Z UID:10000742-1772186400-1772191800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Withstanding the Assault: Strategies for Philanthropy to Support Frontline Organizations and the Communities Most Impacted DESCRIPTION:Even the most pessimistic among us were not adequately prepared for this past year’s multi-pronged federal attack on the health and wellbeing of disadvantaged farmers\, new immigrants\, SNAP recipients\, and the organizations that advocate for these diverse communities and the ecosystems that we depend on. These challenges have been ratcheted up in 2026\, with a farm economy spiraling toward crisis and skyrocketing food insecurity compounded by ICE activities in Minneapolis and other cities. This webinar\, organized by the Food & Farm Democracy Initiative (FFDI)\, is an opportunity for funders to hear from frontline organizations\, some that are focused on policy advocacy and others that are addressing the hardships created by this Administration. One year in\, panelists will share how their organizations and communities are responding to support farmers\, ranchers\, and families and how they are anticipating what comes next. These panelists\, as well as leaders from the FFDI founding organizations (National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition\, RAFI\, Red Clover Collaborative\, and Regenerative Agriculture Foundation)\, will also ground-truth how philanthropy can effectively respond to this reality.  \n\n\n\nIn addition to FFDI\, this webinar is co-sponsored by the Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders\, Health & Environment Funders Network\, Rural Climate Partnership\, and the Platform for Agriculture and Climate Transformation. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJohn Benedict \n\n\n\nFarmer\, Desert Sky Produce \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nZoe Hollomon\n\n\n\nMidwest Farmers of Color Collective \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJohnElla Holmes\n\n\n\nKansas Black Farmers Association \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nHannah Kinney Smith\n\n\n\nPasa Sustainable Agriculture URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/withstanding-the-assault-strategies-for-philanthropy-to-support-frontline-organizations-and-the-communities-most-impacted/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/farmgrainbins.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260304T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260304T143000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260212T212007Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T165823Z UID:10000744-1772629200-1772634600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Making Values-Based Procurement Work: Lessons from the Georgia ACRE Collective DESCRIPTION:Join the Food Systems Leadership Network\, The Common Market\, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders for a 90-minute webinar highlighting lessons from the Georgia ACRE Collective\, a place-based\, collective-impact model that coordinated partners and investments across the supply chain to unlock new markets for farmers while delivering on values-driven purchasing goals. \n\n\n\nRather than focusing on a single intervention\, this session will explore how multiple aligned organizations worked together – from farm infrastructure and technical assistance to forward commitments and institutional partnerships – to build the conditions for success. \n\n\n\nSpeakers will share: \n\n\n\n\nA concise overview of the Georgia ACRE Collective model\n\n\n\nOn-the-ground realities from a participating farmer\n\n\n\nReflections on the role of philanthropy in supporting durable\, place-based food system change\n\n\n\nActionable takeaways for funders and practitioners interested in replication or adaptation\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis webinar is designed for funders\, investors\, and food system leaders seeking practical insight into aligned capital\, shared risk\, and collaborative strategies that lead to durable impact. We are excited to share this conversation alongside SAFSF members The Common Market and The Conservation Fund\, and the full constellation of partners who made the Georgia ACRE Collective possible. This webinar sets the stage for deeper learning about food systems in Georgia at the 2026 SAFSF Forum in Savannah\, Georgia\, June 22–25. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nREGISTER URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/making-values-based-procurement-work-lessons-from-the-georgia-acre-collective/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/PBPNGreenhouseTourGroup03.KCForum2022-e1741917182338.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260309T093000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260309T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260220T162410Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260305T140832Z UID:10000747-1773048600-1773054000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Funding Narrative Power 101: From Communications to Systems Change DESCRIPTION:Blue Sky Funders Forum\, Chesapeake Bay Funders Network\, Climate and Energy Funders Group\, Funders for Regenerative Agriculture\, Grantmakers in Health\, Health and Environmental Funders Network\, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders\, and The Funders Network. \n\n\n\nWho gets to shape how society understands health and harm\, what is true and trustworthy\, what is possible\, who belongs and who is deserving? In a time when concentrated power holders control the media landscape but popular uprising is growing\, conversations about the environment; health; and politics have never been more polarized. The competition for narrative power is taking center stage\, but how do narratives gather power in the first place? \n\n\n\nPlease join us for a 90 minute interactive workshop with your funding peers that will provide: \n\n\n\n\nSimple frameworks to understand what narrative power building is and what it practically means to fund narrative infrastructure \n\n\n\nAn appreciation for how different aspects of narrative work reinforce one another and an understanding of the role for collaborative\, cumulative and/or complementary funding \n\n\n\nInsights on how funding can support an ‘influence loop’ that leads individuals to take action\, rather than more passive communications strategies that can have limited impact \n\n\n\nIndividual and small group reflection to sharpen what role you and your colleagues are interested in playing\, where you may want to invest in the future\, and how you may need to create internal “buy in” for narrative work at your organizations \n\n\n\n\nFolks who are funders or consultants in philanthropy are welcome to participate in the workshop regardless of whether your organization has ever funded narrative and communications work. Participants are strongly encouraged to attend for the full 90 minutes. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nREGISTER URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/funding-narrative-power-101-from-communications-to-systems-change/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ConservationPolicyClimate.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260319T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260225T210005Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260319T142644Z UID:10000753-1773925200-1773928800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Gather Round: In This Moment: Regional Insights  from Across Our Membership DESCRIPTION:In this Moment: Regional Insights  from Across Our Membership \n\n\n\nThe Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls\, held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST\, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month. \n\n\n\nAcross the SAFSF network\, members are responding to federal shifts and funding uncertainty by leaning into local\, state and regional alignment and place-based collaborative capital strategies. In this month’s Gather Round\, we will discuss regional trends in the SAFSF membership and how funders are coordinating across funding needs within their respective communities. Whether you are a regional or place-based funder or simply want to learn about what’s happening on the ground across the country\, this month’s discussion will offer a space to reflect on the importance of regionality in food systems. Come prepared to share about how regionality shows up in funding food systems at your organization. This month’s Gather Round is a precursor to a regional networking event that will be virtually hosted by SAFSF next month as a way to deepen funding partnerships within your region.   \n\n\n\nCome ready to listen\, learn and share. \n\n\n\nInterested in SAFSF membership? Email us and learn more. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo register for Gather Round\, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF. \nPlease log in or register for an account. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/gather-round/ CATEGORIES:Gather Round,Member Only,Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Gather-Round.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260324T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260324T103000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260220T165725Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260220T173435Z UID:10000748-1774342800-1774348200@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Food Policy Councils: Food justice\, democracy\, and civic engagement DESCRIPTION:Co-sponsored by Community Food Funders\, New York Health Foundation\, Council of New Jersey Grantmakers\, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders \n\n\n\nOrganizing and activating networks for policy changes are hallmarks of a healthy democracy. In this moment\, food policy councils (FPCs) are responding to federal funding freezes\, harmful federal food system policies\, and communities in crisis. Their ability to address community needs on the ground and in collaboration with their local representatives can help communities weather challenges at the federal level. Strong FPCs also create stable political structures that outlast changes in administrations.  \n\n\n\nFood systems are complex and interconnected\, and driving change requires collaboration and cooperation across sectors\, geographic boundaries\, and political ideologies. FPCs have served as convening bodies that promote civic engagement and provide platforms for communities to advocate for healthy\, just\, and sustainable food systems. With approximately 300 FPCs across the country\, serving communities large and small\, they bring together diverse actors to influence policy in their communities. \n\n\n\nWhile FPCs have been around for decades\, their prominence increased during the COVID-19 pandemic\, largely due to their success in meeting communities’ rapidly evolving food system needs. Findings from Johns Hopkins’ Center for a Livable Future’s 2021 census found that 82% facilitated connections across food systems sectors\, 76% advocated for policy changes\, and 50% collaborated with government staff or elected officials to secure funding for food system services. \n\n\n\nJoin us for a deep dive on the work of FPCs. By highlighting the critical work they do\, and some of the challenges they face\, funders will come away from this webinar with actionable strategies to support and engage with FPCs near them.  \n\n\n\nLearn\n\n\n\n\nMeet two national organizations providing technical assistance and funding to food policy councils nationwide.\n\n\n\nLearn about food policy councils and the critical roles they play in advancing health\, equity\, and civic engagement around food.\n\n\n\nDiscover tools to connect with councils in NJ\, NY\, and CT. \n\n\n\nHear stories from local FPCs about how they’re responding to the shifting federal food policy landscape\, deepening their equity work\, and inspiring civic engagement in their communities.\n\n\n\n\nThis event is designed for funders. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nREGISTER URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/food-policy-councils-food-justice-democracy-and-civic-engagement/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/NJFDC-mtg-for-web.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260325T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260325T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260305T141948Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260323T021349Z UID:10000754-1774443600-1774447200@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Health Funders Learning Community Call DESCRIPTION:Join us for the first Health Funders Learning Community call of 2026. \n\n\n\nHealth funders are navigating urgent community asks in an increasingly unstable policy and economic landscape. This session is designed as a connection and sense-making space for SAFSF members funding at the intersection of health\, agriculture\, and food systems. \n\n\n\nTogether\, we will move beyond high-level language and explore what “deploying capital” really means right now — including how members are thinking about payout levels\, multi-year commitments\, general operating support\, advocacy funding\, and state-level strategies. \n\n\n\nThis conversation will be grounded in on-the-ground realities from participants’ regions and is intended to support practical peer exchange as we launch the 2026 quarterly series. \n\n\n\nThis is an SAFSF member-only call. If you are interested in exploring membership\, please contact membership@safsf.org. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo register for this learning community\, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF. \nPlease log in or register for an account. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/hflc2/ CATEGORIES:Learning Community,Member Only,Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/food-recovery.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260326T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260326T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260225T195542Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260309T154530Z UID:10000749-1774526400-1774530000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Maximize Your Membership DESCRIPTION:Maximize Your Membership is an orientation webinar for SAFSF members\, new and veteran! If you are new staff at a new or long-time SAFSF member organization\, have not engaged in SAFSF programming or member benefits yet yourself\, want a refresher on all that is available to you as a SAFSF member organization\, or just want to connect\, join us! \n\n\n\nThis quarterly membership call features our newest SAFSF members  – help us welcome them into this community. Join Clare Fox\, Executive Director\, and Holly Hanes\, Membership Manager\, for a deep dive into all things SAFSF\, including: \n\n\n\n\nCelebrating & sharing your membership internally and externally;\n\n\n\nMember Perks – including the annual Forum\, exclusive offerings\, and Learning Communities; \n\n\n\nHow to access your SAFSF benefits; \n\n\n\nSAFSF Professional and Leadership Development Pathways; \n\n\n\nTools and resources available to you; \n\n\n\nEvent Previews \n\n\n\n\nThis energizing conversation will excite you for the quarter ahead and expose you to one (or many!) benefits of membership that you were not utilizing to help in maximizing your SAFSF experience. Meet other members\, learn the SAFSF processes\, and get engaged! This event is a free\, SAFSF member only event. Interested in SAFSF membership? Email us. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo register for this program\, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF. \nPlease log in or register for an account. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/maximize-your-membership-3/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/315796b3-2f37-e31b-b026-37d8c833ffa5-1-1.png END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260331T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260331T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260310T152443Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T194950Z UID:10000755-1774951200-1774954800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:SNAP Funder Working Group: Food Security Data Collection DESCRIPTION:Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Grantmakers In Health have formed a funder Working Group to coordinate a strategic response to the SNAP cuts in H.R. 1. Recognizing the far-reaching implications of SNAP for food security\, health\, and economic equity\, this Working Group serves as an information hub and a strategic coordination space\, designed to help funders act quickly\, effectively\, and in alignment with one another. Previous Working Group calls have highlighted advocacy\, training\, and technical assistance\, and strategic communications opportunities for funders.  \n\n\n\nOur upcoming Working Group Call will focus on data collection opportunities following USDA’s decision to terminate the Economic Research Service’s (ERS) Household Food Security Survey. For more than 30 years\, this survey provided the nation’s most consistent measure of food security\, shaping our collective understanding of the drivers of food insecurity and informing key food and nutrition policy decisions. No existing data source offers the same level of insight\, and its loss will make it harder to assess the impacts of H.R. 1’s SNAP cuts. Experts from the Capital Area Food Bank\, Healthy Eating Research\, and the Urban Institute will discuss why continued data collection—using consistent methods and metrics—matters and how funders can support this work.  \n\n\n\nThis Working Group is open to all funders currently responding to or actively considering a response to SNAP cuts. Funders do not need to be members of SAFSF or GIH; if you are wrestling with the impact of SNAP cuts on the communities you serve\, this space is for you. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/snap-funder-working-group-food-security-data-collection/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/food-access.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260409T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260409T123000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260219T190843Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260306T154033Z UID:10000746-1775732400-1775737800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:The Pesticide Industry's Multi-Front Campaign for Legal Immunity: A Critical Moment for Funders DESCRIPTION:Co-hosted by Funders for Regenerative Agriculture (FORA)\, Health and Environmental Funders Network (HEFN)\, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\, and URSA Collective. \n\n\n\nThe pesticide industry is pursuing a coordinated\, multi-front strategy to win broad legal immunity—through the Supreme Court\, state legislatures\, and federal policy changes—that could severely limit the ability of farmers\, farmworkers\, families\, and communities to seek accountability for pesticide harms. With major developments expected in 2026\, including the Supreme Court’s consideration of Monsanto v. Durnell\, renewed state “failure-to-warn” preemption bills\, and likely Farm Bill/appropriations language\, the window for intervention is narrowing. \n\n\n\nThis webinar will map the immunity playbook and why it keeps resurfacing; clarify the current state of play\, including what has worked (and what hasn’t); and assess the highest-leverage risks and opportunities across the federal\, state\, and Supreme Court pathways. We’ll close with concrete strategic roles for philanthropy—across health\, food\, environment\, and agriculture—to better resource emerging efforts and key groups engaging on these fronts and help prevent permanent immunity from being locked in. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nREGISTER URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/the-pesticide-industrys-multi-front-campaign-for-legal-immunity-a-critical-moment-for-funders/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/pexels-stitch-20280076-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260416T130000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260416T140000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260311T145137Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260311T145138Z UID:10000759-1776344400-1776348000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Gather Round DESCRIPTION:The Gather Round Monthly Membership Calls\, held on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 1 pm PST / 4 pm EST\, serve as a regular “drop in” space for SAFSF members. These calls are focused on connection and continuing dialogue on topics explored in virtual learning events and other programs hosted by SAFSF during the month. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo register for Gather Round\, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF. \nPlease log in or register for an account. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/gather-round-4/ CATEGORIES:Gather Round,Member Only,Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Gather-Round.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260424T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260424T100000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260403T192446Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T192448Z UID:10000765-1777021200-1777024800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Voter Insights: Special Battleground Report on Food and Health DESCRIPTION:This session is co-hosted by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF)\, the Farm to Fork Initiative\, and the From Now on Fund.  \n\n\n\nWith funding support from the Farm to Fork Initiative and the From Now on Fund\, Navigator Research recently surveyed 1\,200 likely voters in 2026 House and Senate battleground races to understand which policies these constituents believe will make Americans healthier\, and which food and ag issues they think Congress should address. \n\n\n\nThis nonpartisan research revealed that battleground voters prioritize food safety and science-backed health information nearly as much as lowering healthcare costs\, showing strong support for banning food toxins and boosting local agricultural supply chains. Additionally\, these constituents are highly concerned about protecting nutrition programs like SNAP and school lunches. \n\n\n\nJoin this funder-only briefing to hear directly from Navigator Research Managing Director Melissa Toufanian\, who will explore key polling insights that can inform how we build power and educate policymakers in the lead-up to the midterm elections and beyond. \n\n\n\nThis session is open to all funders. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMelissa Toufanian\n\n\n\nManaging Director\, Navigator Research\nMelissa Toufanian is the Managing Director of Navigator Research\, where she leads the development and distribution of effective messaging and polling on the issues that matter most to the American public. She previously served at the U.S. Department of State during the Biden administration as Senior Advisor to the Secretary and Deputy Assistant Secretary. She helped lead the Climate in Foreign Policy Project at the UN Foundation and was Communications Director for a 2018 red-to-blue House race. Melissa served within the Obama administration in several roles supporting the Secretary of State and State Department spokesperson. A native of upstate New York\, Melissa holds an M.S. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from George Washington University. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Funder-Only Registration\n \n "*" indicates required fields \n \n EmailThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.This field is hidden when viewing the formRegisterName*\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Organization*Title*Email*\n \n Are you a funder?*\n \n Yes\, I am affiliated with a funding organization.\n SAFSF defines funders as staff\, board members\, trustees\, donors\, program officers\, and other professionals from organizations using grantmaking or investments as a core strategy to fulfill their mission.\nThis field is hidden when viewing the formEvent Name\nIt may take longer than expected to process your submission\, please only click submit once. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/voter-insights-special-battleground-report-on-food-and-health/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/food-access.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260429T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260429T120000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260403T193110Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T202508Z UID:10000763-1777460400-1777464000@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Part 1 — Unlocking Land\, Equity\, and Climate Opportunity: Lessons from the Mobile Heirs’ Property Support Initiative DESCRIPTION:This two-part webinar series\, featuring leaders at the Center for Heirs’ Property\, Mississippi for Justice\, and World Wildlife Fund\, will take a deep dive into the topic of heirs’ property as a land title issue and how addressing heirs’ property–through education\, technical assistance\, and legal support–unlocks opportunities for productive land use and opportunities for wealth creation. Heirs’ property is a widespread issue affecting family-owned land across the United States and represents a significant portion of land in the South. It disproportionately affects certain communities\, including low-income and Black communities\, due to historical barriers to clear title. Addressing heirs’ property is a critical step in strengthening land tenure\, enabling productive land use\, and supporting the goals of Black Agrarianism. \n\n\n\nPart 1 will explore the heirs’ property model developed\, tested\, and implemented by the Center for Heirs’ Property (CHP) over the past 21 years. It will also examine how this model was implemented in the Mobile Basin region of Mississippi and Alabama through a partnership with World Wildlife Fund and Kimberly-Clark—aligning CHP’s interest in testing model replication with WWF and Kimberly-Clark’s goals of supporting forestry\, and addressing underlying factors contributing to persistent poverty\, including heirs’ property. This effort also aligned with the Mississippi Center for Justice’s expansion of its heirs’ property work\, establishing it as a key legal partner in the region. \n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAndrea’ Barnes\n\n\n\nDirector\, Heirs Property Campaign\, Mississippi Center for Justice\n\nAndrea’ Barnes is a native of Mississippi and an accomplished attorney\,leader\, and public servant. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree fromTougaloo College\, a Master of Business Administration from Jackson StateUniversity and a Doctor of Jurisprudence from Thurgood Marshall School ofLaw. Andrea’s is licensed to practice law in Mississippi. \n\n\nAndrea’ currently serves as the Director of the Heirs’ Property Campaign forthe Mississippi Center for Justice\, a non-profit public interest law firm. TheHeirs’ Property Campaign is dedicated to providing legal assistance andcommunity education to families around the state. The Campaign’s missionfocuses on helping families preserve ownership of their land and maintaintheir family legacy for future generation. \n\n\nPrior to joining the Center\, Andrea’ practiced family law\, estate and probateadministration\, and personal injury litigation. Her professional experiencealso includes service as a law clerk with the Circuit Court of Hinds County\,Mississippi\, a prosecutor with the Hinds County Attorney’s Office\, and asPublic Records Officer and Staff Attorney for the Mississippi Department ofCorrections. \n\n\nIn addition to her legal practice\, Andrea’ has contributed to legal educationas an adjunct professor at Tougaloo College\, where she instructed aspiringlawyers in litigation and trial practice. She has also served on the Board ofDirectors for the Spencer Perkins Center for Reconciliation and CommunityDevelopment\, further demonstrating her commitment to communityengagement and reform. \n\n\nAndrea’ is actively involved in numerous professional organizations andassociations\, including the Mississippi Bar\, Magnolia Bar\, Metro BlackWomen Lawyers Association\, among others. She has received multipleaccolades and recognition from both the profession and community. \n\n\nAs an entrepreneur\, businesswoman\, and attorney by training\, Andrea’ iswidely regarded as a servant leader whose life and work reflects a steadfastcommitment to faith\, integrity\, and justice. \n\n\nIn her spare time\, Andrea’ enjoys spending quality time with her family\,gardening\, and traveling. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nJennie L. Stephens\, Ph.D.\n\n\n\nCEO\, Center for Heirs Property\nJennie L. Stephens\, Ph.D.\, is a native of Walterboro\, SC\, and an accomplished executive leader with deep expertise in nonprofit management\, advocacy\, and community development. She has successfully secured over $25 million in funding\, driven policy reforms\, and established strategic partnerships to promote land preservation\, economic equity\, and social justice. \n\n\n\nAs the Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Heirs’ Property since 2006\, Jennie has expanded the organization’s budget from $150K to $12M\, developed a replicable nonprofit model used in six states\, and secured $25M in federal and foundation funding to expand the Center’s impact and build a national heirs’ property alliance. Her leadership has empoweredhistorically under-resourced landowners with the legal and financial tools needed to protect and sustain their property. \n\n\n\nJennie’s expertise extends into academia as an Adjunct Professor at Mercyhurst University\, where she taught grant writing and program development. She is also a published author\, with her work featured in academic journals\, ABA publications\, and documentary films\, includingGaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land and America’s Forests in South Carolina. She has served on numerous boards and committees\, including the American Forest Foundation Board of Directors (current) and the USDA Equity Commission Agriculture Subcommittee (2022-2024). She has been honored as a TEDx speaker\, a BALLE Fellow\, and a Charleston RegionalBusiness Journal 40 Under 40 Award recipient. \n\n\n\nJennie holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University\, a Master’s in Public Administration\, and a B.S. in Business Administration(Accounting). Beyond her professional work\, Jennie is an avid baker who enjoys experimenting with new recipes for her family and coworkers. Her passion is to help people prosper in every area of their lives through leadership\, advocacy\, and community engagement. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nKerry Cesareo\n\n\n\nSenior Vice President\, Forests and Freshwater\, World Wildlife Fund\n\nKerry Cesareo\, senior vice president for forests and freshwater\, leads a portfolio of strategic initiatives in pursuit of WWF’s goal to conserve the world’s most important forests and freshwater ecosystems—for nature\, climate\, and people. This includes investing in forest conservation\, management\, and restoration as essential means of mitigating climate change; restoring and replenishing wetlands and river basins; implementing nature-based solutions with Indigenous peoples and local communities; and reducing the impacts of unsustainable logging\, agriculture\, unsustainable water management\, and infrastructure. \n\n\nKerry previously led WWF’s forest markets work\, launching the North American program of the Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN) and forging partnerships with Fortune 500 companies on environmentally responsible supply chains for wood and paper products. She has also managed global operations for GFTN as well as the start-up of the Sustainable Forest Products Global Alliance\, a public-private partnership with the US Agency for International Development. She has served as cochair of the board of the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC®)-US\, a certifier of forestry best practices that WWF helped found in 1994. \n\n\nKerry first began working on forest issues during a summer partnering with First Nations on Vancouver Island\, British Columbia\, as they prepared for their inaugural timber harvest through a newly formed company\, Iisaak Forest Resources. The creation of Iisaak and its commitment to FSC had helped to end decades of conflict among environmentalists\, First Nations\, and logging companies in Clayoquot Sound. Iisaak received FSC certification in 2001 and inspired Kerry’s career. \n\n\nPrior to joining WWF\, Kerry worked as an environmental scientist\, a forest inventory researcher\, an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer\, and a US PIRG field manager. She received a BS in biology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nIn brief\, Part 1 will cover the original model developed by CHP\, and its pilot replication/adaptation\, and Part 2 will be a conversation with partners on the ground – a “theory to practice” sequence.  We encourage registrants to attend both parts. The key points speakers will cover are: \n\n\n\n\nContextualizing heirs’ property as a land title issue and the Center for Heirs’ Property Model\n\n\n\nWhy and how the model was implemented in the Mobile Basin and other areas in the South\n\n\n\nHow addressing heirs’ property supports productive land use\, economic opportunity\, and  Black Agrarianism\n\n\n\n\nSee details for Part 2\, on May 6\, here! \n\n\n\nThis webinar series is open to all. We especially encourage you to join if you are:  \n\n\n\n\nAttending the SAFSF Forum in Savannah\, Georgia. This series will provide critical regional context.  \n\n\n\nA  funder interested in land ownership\,  economic development\, and working lands.\n\n\n\nA policymaker focused on agriculture\, land use\, or property rights.\n\n\n\nA member of the public interested in learning more about heirs’ property.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Mobile Heirs’ Property Series Registration\n Please fill out this form once to register for Part 1 and Part 2 of the series. \n "*" indicates required fields \n \n InstagramThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.This field is hidden when viewing the formRegisterName*\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Organization*Title*Email*\n \n Are you are funder?*\n \n Yes\, I am affiliated with a funding organization.\n \n \n No\, I am not affiliated with any funding organization.\n SAFSF defines funders as staff\, board members\, trustees\, donors\, program officers\, and other professionals from organizations using grantmaking or investments as a core strategy to fulfill their mission.\nThis field is hidden when viewing the formEvent Name\nIt may take longer than expected to process your submission\, please only click submit once. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/part-1-unlocking-land-equity-and-climate-opportunity-lessons-from-the-mobile-heirs-property-support-initiative/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Mississippi-Land-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260430T100000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260430T110000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20251210T192729Z LAST-MODIFIED:20251211T190012Z UID:10000726-1777543200-1777546800@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Movement-Aligned Funding Learning Community DESCRIPTION:Systems change requires a deliberate shift in power. In a landscape where the industrial\, consolidated\, and corporate food system is well-funded\, deeply entrenched\, and politically coordinated\, community-led movements must be equally robust—supported with consistent resources\, strong social infrastructure\, and long-term investment. \n\n\n\nShifting power means centering and following the leadership of those most affected by injustice—Black\, Indigenous\, and People of Color; immigrants; workers; 2SLGBTQIA+ people; women; disabled\, low-income\, poor\, and other urban and rural marginalized communities. Movements for food justice and food sovereignty need sustained investment in the organizing\, coalition-building\, and leadership development that enable communities to build and wield power over time. \n\n\n\nThis requires resources that are distributed nationally\, regionally\, and locally to support base building\, advocacy\, and community-led interventions across local\, state\, Tribal\, and national scales. Social and structural change is only possible when communities have the time\, infrastructure\, and capacity to organize—not just react. \n\n\n\nFunders play a critical role in supporting this work. To be “movement-aligned\,” funders must adapt practices and priorities to the values and leadership of frontline communities. This includes trusting community governance\, supporting grassroots leadership\, sharing decision-making power\, and shifting traditional funder prerogatives—even when it is uncomfortable. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWho Is This For?\n\n\n\nThis quarterly\, peer-led Learning Community is open to all SAFSF members. It is a space for honest dialogue\, where funders can share practices\, mistakes\, uncertainties\, and lessons learned with a shared intention of improving accountability to the communities most impacted by food system injustice. \n\n\n\nWe will read short pieces together and periodically invite movement leaders to ground the conversation. However\, this is not a curriculum-based or exhaustive learning space\, and we recognize that funders must seek learning directly\, in non-extractive ways\, from grassroots organizations and frontline leaders beyond this setting. Rather\, this Learning Community is designed to help funders learn about the principles and mechanics of movement building and do the internal work to be an effective ally.  \n\n\n\nAll SAFSF members are welcome\, and we especially encourage funders who are newer to movement-building or movement-aligned grantmaking or investing to participate. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhy a Funder-Only Learning Community on Movement-Aligned Funding?\n\n\n\nThis space is intentionally designed for funders because: \n\n\n\n\nFunders need a place to build internal discipline and accountability without placing additional burdens on movement leaders to constantly educate them.\n\n\n\nFunders must examine their own power\, habits\, and practices—work that often requires internal organizing and strategy alignment.\n\n\n\nFunders need to be prepared before meaningfully engaging with movement partners\, so that conversations with frontline leaders are not extractive\, repetitive\, or centering funder needs.\n\n\n\nThis learning community complements—not replaces—direct engagement with movement organizations. The core purpose is to strengthen funders’ readiness to show up better in those relationships.\n\n\n\n\nOur intention is to help funders transform their practices to be accountable partners in multiracial\, frontline-led movements\, not to create a bubble where funders only talk to funders. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nLearning Community Goals\n\n\n\n\nLearn about principles of long-term movement building for systems change from experienced practitioners and through the examination of successful examples in food systems context.\n\n\n\nBetter understand investment needs and funding practices that center the leadership of impacted communities\, support movement building\, and community-led food systems transformation.\n\n\n\nLearn and exchange best practices to increase frontline and grassroots organizations’ capacity (e.g.\, time\, financial resources\, communications infrastructure) so they can build leadership and power within the broader movement ecosystem.\n\n\n\nExplore the importance of organizing across the capital spectrum and across different issue areas (e.g.\, health\, food\, climate\, environment) in alignment with frontline communities of color and movement organizations.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBackground and Details \n\n\n\n\nThe idea for this new Learning Community came from two SAFSF Members— Chicago Food Policy Action Council and Michigan State University’s Center for Regional Food Systems—and follows a networking session with both funders and practitioners at the SAFSF Forum in 2025. \n\n\n\n\n\nCalls will not be recorded to facilitate more transparent conversations. \n\n\n\n\n\nPre-meeting reading materials will be shared in advance. \n\n\n\n\n\nWe highly encourage you to attend all sessions in the series to stay connected with your colleagues and incorporate learnings into your work throughout the year\, but you are welcome to join at any point. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThis is a SAFSF member-only series. If you are interested in exploring membership\, please contact our membership team. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo register for this learning community\, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF. \nPlease log in or register for an account. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/movement-aligned-funding-learning-community-2/ CATEGORIES:Learning Community,Member Only ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/SAFSF-20250511-3100-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260504T120000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260504T130000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260219T184607Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260316T152334Z UID:10000745-1777896000-1777899600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:From the Ground Up: Finance and the Future of Regenerative Agriculture | Film Screening and Discussion DESCRIPTION:Co-hosted by Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders and Croatan Institute \n\n\n\nJoin us for a virtual double-feature film screening and conversation exploring one of the most pressing questions in food and agriculture today: how do we finance the transition to regenerative systems at the scale and speed this moment demands? \n\n\n\nThis joint screening features excerpts of the film Digging In from the Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders and Soil Wealth: Investing in Regenerative Agriculture from Croatan Institute. Together\, these films illuminate the opportunity in regenerative agriculture to restore soil health\, strengthen rural economies\, and build climate resilience. They also expose a shared tension: while regenerative practices are proven and growing\, capital structures have not kept pace. \n\n\n\nFollowing the screenings\, a moderated panel with funders\, investors\, and field leaders will examine the role of transformative finance in unlocking this transition. We will explore how grantmaking\, investing\, and lending can move beyond short-term risk frameworks to support long-term stewardship\, farmer viability\, and community wealth. The conversation will share practical insights on what is working\, where capital is still misaligned\, and how funders can collaborate to close critical financing gaps. \n\n\n\nThis event is designed for philanthropic and investment leaders who are: \n\n\n\n\ncurious about a just\, democratic\, and sustainable food and agriculture system;\n\n\n\ngrappling with how to deploy non-extractive capital more effectively;\n\n\n\nseeking peers committed to aligning finance with ecological and social outcomes\n\n\n\n\nWhether you are already funding in this space or exploring your next steps\, this screening and discussion offers a grounded entry point into why regenerative agriculture needs new financial tools and why the time to act is now. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Funder-Only Registration\n \n "*" indicates required fields \n \n LinkedInThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.This field is hidden when viewing the formRegisterName*\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Organization*Title*Email*\n \n Are you a funder?*\n \n Yes\, I am affiliated with a funding organization.\n SAFSF defines funders as staff\, board members\, trustees\, donors\, program officers\, and other professionals from organizations using grantmaking or investments as a core strategy to fulfill their mission.\nThis field is hidden when viewing the formEvent Name\nIt may take longer than expected to process your submission\, please only click submit once.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSpeakers\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWilliam Barber III\n\n\n\nCEO\, Rural Beacon Initiative\, LLC.\nWilliam J. Barber III currently serves as the Director of Equitable Investment and Energy Justice at the Coalition for Green Capital and the CEO of Rural Beacon Initiative\, LLC.  Possessing over a decade of social justice organizing experience and deep academic training in the history\, science\, and law behind environmental and climate issues\, William is committed to connecting policymakers\, grassroots leaders\, faith leaders\, and corporations to ensure we are collaborating on climate solutions that are equitable for all. \n\n\n\nBarber’s background includes extensive experience as a social justice organizer and environmental justice advocate\, working with the North Carolina NAACP\, the Poor People’s Campaign\, the Climate Reality Project\, and numerous other organizations. Barber’s work focuses on increasing the self-determination of communities through responsible finance. With a bachelor’s in Environmental Physics from North Carolina Central University\, and a J.D. in Environmental Law and Policy from UNC School of Law\, Barber also sits on the board of the Croatan Institute.  \n\n\n\nAs CEO of Rural Beacon Initiative\, LLC\, Barber has collaborated with Croatan Institute to acquire a farm in the historic Free Black community of Piney Woods\, NC\, using innovative financing in partnership with Foodshed Capital.  \n\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSkya Ducheneaux\n\n\n\nExecutive Director\, Akiptan (CDFI)\nSkya Ducheneaux is the Executive Director of Akiptan and is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She spent her first 18 years of life on a cattle ranch on the CRST Reservation in South Dakota. She then pursued a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Business Administration while working at a county FSA office and buffalo meat processing plant. After returning home to work for the Intertribal Agriculture Council\, she was tasked with creating the first Native CDFI dedicated to serving Native Agriculture producers all across Indian Country. Akiptan began lending in January of 2019 and has grown rapidly over the years. \n\n\n\nIn addition to Akiptan\, Skya has served on many advisory committees and is currently the Board Chair of the Mountain Plains CDC. In her role as Executive Director\, she is a part of several CDFI coalitions\, advocates locally and federally and presents at conferences to share the mission of Akiptan.  \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nMichael Reily\n\n\n\nCo-founder\, Foodshed Capital\nMichael Reilly is co-founder of Foodshed Capital and oversees the day-to-day operations as Executive Director. Under his leadership\, the organization grew from a very small\, local Slow Money program into a systems-changing nonprofit serving hundreds of farms and food businesses up and down the East Coast. Michael also led Foodshed Capital toward certification as a Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) in 2020. Under Michael’s leadership\, Foodshed Capital has made more than 100 loans to regenerative farms and small food businesses\, totaling more than $2.5 million in capital. Most importantly\, Foodshed Capital has been a leader in pushing for more innovative and less-extractive forms of lending\, including 0% unsecured loans for Black-led farms. Foodshed Capital has also forged relationships with dozens of other organizations supporting the work of small-scale regenerative farmers.  \n\n\n\nMichael began his career in banking and later honed his financial skills as a 15-year executive in the broadcast television business. He has served on the board of several food and agriculture organizations\, including the Virginia Farmers Market Association\, the Virginia Association for Biological Farming\, and the Mid-Atlantic Food Resilience & Access Coalition (MAFRAC). Michael earned an undergraduate degree at Yale University and a graduate degree at Columbia University. He lives in Charlottesville\, VA. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nChristi Electris\n\n\n\nExecutive Director & Co-founder\, Croatan Institute \nChristi Electris is the Executive Director and co-founder of Croatan Institute\, a research and action institute working at the intersections of food\, fiber\, forestry\, and finance. She has done consulting and research on a variety of environmental and social issues\, including projects on energy\, climate\, agriculture\, well-being\, sustainability indicators\, and corporate redesign. A computer scientist and quantitative policy analyst by training\, she has designed policy scenario analyses with environmental and social impacts. While at Tellus Institute\, she analyzed company practices and policies in worker equity at large public and private food and agriculture companies\, helping develop a new framework for social and environmental impact investing across asset classes\, known as Total Portfolio Activation.  \n\n\n\nAt Croatan Institute\, she regularly contributes to the thematic application of the Total Portfolio Activation framework to the Institute’s work on sustainable food and regenerative agriculture. Christi is a trained Climate Reality Leader\, and also serves on the CDFA Food System Advisory Council. She is based in Brookline\, Massachusetts. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAbout the Films\n\n\n\nDigging In\nDigging In\, created by Nathan.works and co-produced by Sustainable Agriculture & Food System Funders with support from Vatheur Foundation\, focuses on the US agricultural system and who controls our food and farmers. The documentary focuses on the challenges presented by land access (and a lack thereof)\, industry consolidation\, and climate change. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSoil Wealth: Investing in Regenerative Agriculture\nSoil Wealth: Investing in Regenerative Agriculture\, produced with support from Patagonia and Waverley Street Foundation\, features farmers and capital providers Croatan Institute has partnered with over the years to demonstrate effective\, community-led solutions for funding the future of sustainable economies. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/from-the-ground-up-finance-and-the-future-of-regenerative-agriculture-film-screening-and-discussion/ CATEGORIES:Digging In Film ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/1.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260506T110000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260506T123000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260403T193154Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260403T202545Z UID:10000764-1778065200-1778070600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Part 2 — Unlocking Land\, Equity\, and Climate Opportunity: Lessons from the Mobile Heirs’ Property Support Initiative DESCRIPTION:This two-part webinar series\, featuring leaders at the Center for Heirs’ Property\, Mississippi for Justice\, and World Wildlife Fund\, will take a deep dive into the topic of heirs’ property as a land title issue and how addressing heirs’ property–through education\, technical assistance\, and legal support–unlocks opportunities for productive land use and opportunities for wealth creation. Heirs’ property is a widespread issue affecting family-owned land across the United States and represents a significant portion of land in the South. It disproportionately affects certain communities\, including low-income and Black communities\, due to historical barriers to clear title. Addressing heirs’ property is a critical step in strengthening land tenure\, enabling productive land use\, and supporting the goals of  Black Agrarianism. Part 1 covered the original model developed by the Center for Heirs’ Property and its pilot replication/adaptation. \n\n\n\nPart 2 will continue with a focus on how the Mobile Basin Heirs’ Property Support Initiative (MBHPSi) is being implemented on the ground through a network of legal and land-use partners in Mississippi and Alabama. Participants will share how they support landowners—addressing heirs’ property through legal support\, education\, and technical assistance\, while also advancing forestry and agricultural land use where appropriate. The session will highlight how organizations with distinct roles collaborate through a referral-based approach to deliver coordinated support. You are welcome to attend Part 2 even if you could not attend Part 1. \n\n\n\nSpeakers to be announced! \n\n\n\nThis webinar series is open to all. We especially encourage you to join if you are:  \n\n\n\n\nAttending the SAFSF Forum in Savannah\, Georgia. This series will provide critical regional context.  \n\n\n\nA  funder interested in land ownership\,  economic development\, and working lands.\n\n\n\nA policymaker focused on agriculture\, land use\, or property rights.\n\n\n\nA member of the public interested in learning more about heirs’ property.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \n \n Mobile Heirs’ Property Series Registration\n Please fill out this form once to register for Part 1 and Part 2 of the series. \n "*" indicates required fields \n \n CompanyThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.This field is hidden when viewing the formRegisterName*\n \n \n First\n \n \n \n \n Last\n \n \n \n Organization*Title*Email*\n \n Are you are funder?*\n \n Yes\, I am affiliated with a funding organization.\n \n \n No\, I am not affiliated with any funding organization.\n SAFSF defines funders as staff\, board members\, trustees\, donors\, program officers\, and other professionals from organizations using grantmaking or investments as a core strategy to fulfill their mission.\nThis field is hidden when viewing the formEvent Name\nIt may take longer than expected to process your submission\, please only click submit once. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/part-2-unlocking-land-equity-and-climate-opportunity-lessons-from-the-mobile-heirs-property-support-initiative/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Mississippi-Land-scaled.jpg END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260512T150000 DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260512T160000 DTSTAMP:20260404T013855 CREATED:20260225T195753Z LAST-MODIFIED:20260225T195755Z UID:10000750-1778598000-1778601600@www.agandfoodfunders.org SUMMARY:Maximize Your Membership DESCRIPTION:Maximize Your Membership is an orientation webinar for SAFSF members\, new and veteran! If you are new staff at a new or long-time SAFSF member organization\, have not engaged in SAFSF programming or member benefits yet yourself\, want a refresher on all that is available to you as a SAFSF member organization\, or just want to connect\, join us! \n\n\n\nThis quarterly membership call features our newest SAFSF members  – help us welcome them into this community. Join Clare Fox\, Executive Director\, and Holly Hanes\, Senior Membership Associate\, for a deep dive into all things SAFSF\, including: \n\n\n\n\nCelebrating & sharing your membership internally and externally;\n\n\n\nMember Perks – including the annual Forum\, exclusive offerings\, and Learning Communities; \n\n\n\nHow to access your SAFSF benefits; \n\n\n\nSAFSF Professional and Leadership Development Pathways; \n\n\n\nTools and resources available to you; \n\n\n\nEvent Preview \n\n\n\n\nThis energizing conversation will excite you for the quarter ahead and expose you to one (or many!) benefits of membership that you were not utilizing to help in maximizing your SAFSF experience. Meet other members\, learn the SAFSF processes\, and get engaged! This event is a free\, SAFSF member only event. Interested in SAFSF membership? Email us. \n\n\n\n\n\n\nTo register for this program\, you must be logged in and a member of SAFSF. \nPlease log in or register for an account. URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/maximize-your-membership-4/ CATEGORIES:Webinars ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/315796b3-2f37-e31b-b026-37d8c833ffa5-1-1.png END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR