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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems Funders
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260409T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260409T123000
DTSTAMP:20260306T154033Z
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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/
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260416T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260416T140000
DTSTAMP:20260408T004407Z
CREATED:20260311T145137Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260408T004407Z
UID:10000759-1776344400-1776348000@www.agandfoodfunders.org
SUMMARY:Gather Round on Membership Findings: Survey Insights For A Changing Time
DESCRIPTION:For this month’s Gather Round\, we explore what’s emerging across the SAFSF membership at this moment of rapid change. “Funder organizing” is often discussed—but what does it actually take to mobilize philanthropic and impact capital for real food systems transformation? Drawing on insights from SAFSF’s member surveys over the past two years\, we’ll share how funders are thinking about impact\, systems change\, and collaboration. This session is designed to spark reflection and dialogue—offering a window into what peers are prioritizing and how we can more effectively work together to meet the moment. \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. Email membership@safsf.org if you have any issues accessing the call.  \n\n\n\n \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
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260424T090000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260424T100000
DTSTAMP:20260424T172434Z
CREATED:20260403T192446Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260424T172434Z
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\n\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.
URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/voter-insights-special-battleground-report-on-food-and-health/
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260429T110000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260429T120000
DTSTAMP:20260522T195125Z
CREATED:20260403T193110Z
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SUMMARY:Part 1 — Unlocking Land\, Equity\, and Climate Opportunity: Lessons from the Mobile Basin Heirs’ Property Initiative
DESCRIPTION:This two-part webinar series\, featuring leaders at the Center for Heirs’ Property (CHP)\, Mississippi Center for Justice (MCJ)\, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF)\, 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\, including forests. 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 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 WWF\, founding funder Kimberly-Clark\, and International Paper—aligning CHP’s interest in testing model replication with WWF\, Kimberly-Clark’s\, and International Paper’s goals of supporting forests\, 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\n\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\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\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\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\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\nPart 1 Recording\n\n\n\nSummary Notes
URL:https://www.agandfoodfunders.org/event/part-1-unlocking-land-equity-and-climate-opportunity-lessons-from-the-mobile-heirs-property-support-initiative/
CATEGORIES:Webinars
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DTSTART;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260430T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Los_Angeles:20260430T110000
DTSTAMP:20260410T203343Z
CREATED:20251210T192729Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260410T203343Z
UID:10000726-1777543200-1777546800@www.agandfoodfunders.org
SUMMARY:Movement-Aligned Funding Learning Community - Shifting Organizational Practices
DESCRIPTION:In this quarter’s Movement Aligned Funding Learning Community\, we will explore how funders can navigate internal dynamics and shift organizational practices to be more responsive and accountable to grantees and community partners. Several SAFSF members will share ways they have re-examined funding approaches and implemented changes based on community feedback. Following the speakers’ shares\, we will break into small groups to discuss strategies for gathering feedback\, navigating internal barriers to change\, and implementing more movement-led funding approaches. \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nContext\n\n\n\nSystems 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
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