Santa Ana, CA
Kansha Open History Project
With the support of a Capacity Grant to the Kansha Open History Project, trained volunteers will enter 7,800 War Relocation Authority farm transfer records into a searchable database that will, for the first time, collect how many farms and crops were seized during the unjust incarceration of Japanese American farmers during World War II, how many farmers were involved, how they farmed and lived, what they cultivated, and who took their crops, operations, and lands. Through this detailed research and data entry project, the documentation of individual and corporate injustices and alliances will be made public for the first time.
Utica, Mississippi
Sipp Culture DigiCulture Lab Expansion
The DigiCulture Lab is a space for centering inter-generational stories to uplift community engagement and reconnection to our most powerful natural ally - the land. A Capacity Grant will support consultation to support mapping, action plan development, and message development to expand the DigiCulture Lab and bring its work to new intergenerational levels, amplifying narratives that advance land stewardship, community agency and power, and local food production for community health and wellness.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
4daSoil Collective's All Power to All the People Admin Portal (AP3)
Many Philadelphia farms are in need of an efficient back-end infrastructure to perform operational tasks required for effective management; and many require 501c3 fiscal sponsorship in order to access critical resources to support their work. AP3 is a cooperative business made up of member-owners who have the technical business and financial skills that food and land justice organizations need to sustain their operations. A Capacity Grant will support 4daSoil in moving to the next phase of developing the AP3 portal, a resource hub that will provide business and organizing technical assistance and support the development of culturally relevant content that is accessible to communities.
Wallace, Louisiana
The Descendants Project
The Descendants Project is a community-based nonprofit fighting multiple industrial harms in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley. Drs. Joy and Jo Banner, the Project’s co-founders, are fighting the newest incarnation of plantation-style harm: a wealthy San Francisco investor and his Denver and New Orleans backers are attempting to build a giant grain export terminal mere yards from the Banners’ community. The terminal would also sit on the site of former sugar plantations where the community's formerly enslaved ancestors are buried. A Capacity Grant will support The Descendants Project work in partnership with Resource Media for a planned micro-campaign of targeted digital ads and media outreach to challenge the permits needed for this development, influence major investors to pull their support from the project, and educate the community around the potential pollution and worker abuses from a large grain terminal.
Buffalo, NY and Kentucky
Cross-Pollination of Kentucky and Buffalo Black Farmer Organizing
Buffalo, NY's and Kentucky's Black farming communities share two clear goals: developing new storytelling and narrative strategies to drive policy change and supporting Black farmers in growing and sustaining their businesses. After meeting and connecting at a Wildseeds Fund session at the Sustainable Agriculture and Food System Funders Forum, organizers from Buffalo's grassroots organization Food for the Spirit and organizers in Kentucky's Black farming communities collaborated to use a Capacity Grant to support cross-learning and skill-sharing between their communities. Kentucky organizers will present a workshop to the Buffalo team and offer follow-up support around communications strategy, farmer organizing, and policy advocacy. These efforts aim to help Buffalo organizers conceptualize their work in Buffalo and NY state and learn from Kentucky organizers the potential impact and possibilities for this work.
Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts
Amplifying Black Food Justice at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival
Four of FFCF's grantee partners Black Farmer Fund, Black Church Food Security Network, National Black Food and Justice Alliance, and Sweet Freedom Farm received a Capacity Grant to support their collaborative session and activation tent at the Martha's Vineyard African American Film Festival. The session centers on the legacy of Black farmers in agriculture, the impact of storytelling, and how we can build the health and wealth of our community together. The collaboration will help the organizations reach new audiences, highlight the comprehensive impact of their initiatives, and demonstrate the power of their collective voices in advancing food justice.