Grants

Flow Funding to Anchor Organizations - for the ongoing work of the six anchor organizations and to support the time and energy they invest in the Fund.
Community Revitalization - for initiatives that help attract and engage all community members, particularly young people, in creating thriving rural communities.
Food System Infrastructure - to support local and regional food supply chains owned by and serving Black communities.
Farmer Support - for growing the capacity and collective power-building of Black farmers.
Legacy Extension - for the continual renewal of Black Agrarianism by next generation farmers and youth.

Each of the six anchor organizations received the following awards: $100,000 (2020), $50,000 (2021), $50,000 (2022)

Alabama State Association of Cooperative provides outreach and assistance to farmers in retaining and expanding their landholdings, accessing and fully utilizing USDA programs and supporting cooperative development in the state..

Federation of Southern Cooperatives is a catalyst for the development of self-supporting communities through cooperative economic development, land retention, and advocacy.

Mississippi Association of Cooperatives serves farming families and communities by providing technical assistance and advocating for the needs of cooperatives, including networking, sustainable production, marketing, and community food security.

National Black Food and Justice Alliance is a coalition of Black-led organizations aimed at developing Black leadership, supporting Black communities, organizing for Black self-determination, and building institutions for Black food sovereignty & liberation.

Southeastern African American Farmers Organic Network is a network of Black farmers committed to advancing ecologically sustainable practices in the Southeastern U.S. and U.S. Virgin Islands, and cultivating liberatory approaches to land stewardship and agriculture by promoting the links between Black farming, Black history, and Black culture..

Southern Rural Black Women’s Initiative for Social and Economic Justice, is a collective of women leaders across Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia dedicated to lifting up Black women and families in rural, impoverished areas.

COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION $230,000

Gainesville Health and Wellness Center of West Alabama to combat obesity and chronic illness through community gardening and other strategies to alleviate food insecurity and by offering physical activities. Panola Land Buyers Association $75,000

Fox Fire Ranch Sustainability and Community Programming Initiative to develop an event space for local performers as a strategy for revitalizing the rural economy. The Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (AKA Sipp Culture) $55,000

Repurposing Clarksdale Hospital to reimagine and retrofit an abandoned, formerly whites-only, hospital in Clarksdale MS so it contributes to community well-being. Delta Commons $100,000

FOOD SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE $965,000

Crossroads Commercial Kitchen and Food Hub to facilitate value added production of local produce by farmers and other community members.
Mississippi Delta Council of Farmworker Organizations $100,000

Main Street Commercial Kitchen to develop a commercial kitchen and cultural center where fresh food can be processed, prepared and shared.
Fiscal sponsor – The Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (AKA Sipp Culture) $150,000

Smithfield Community Market to support planning for a multi-stakeholder cooperative grocery store, the Smithfield Community Market.
Fiscal sponsor – Alabama State Association of Cooperative $15,000

SoCo Packing Houses to develop aggregation and packing facilities serving Alabama-based farmers cooperatives to facilitate their access to markets within the region as well as urban centers in the north.
Federation of Southern Cooperatives $700,000

FARMER SUPPORT $400,000

Farmer Marketing Readiness Program to help farmers obtain certifications and engage in business planning. Alabama State Association $35,000

Mississippi Minority Cannabis Association to ensure that Black farmers are able to access new opportunities stemming from the State’s legalization of medical marijuana.
Mississippi Association of Cooperatives $50,000

Smithfield Community Market to support planning for a multi-stakeholder cooperative grocery store, the Smithfield Community Market. Alabama State Association $15,000

Southern Rural Black Women in Agriculture Cooperative to connect Black women growers in a five county region in the Mississippi Delta and assist them with training and resources.
SRBWI $100,000

Safe House for Black Farmers to provide stop gap financial support to Black farmers facing foreclosure or land loss to buy time to find long term solutions.
RSF Social Finance $140,000

LEGACY EXTENSION $155,000

Black Belt Green Jobs Program to provide stipends and immersive hands-on training to prospective young farmers. Alabama State Association $35,000

Learning Exchange between Sipp Culture and the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives to address food apartheid by reestablishing a thriving agricultural community. Mississippi Center for Cultural Production $15,000

Southern Agrarian Youth Network Coordinator to build a strong cadre of next generation farmers and Black Agrarian leadership by connecting them to each other and to the ecosystem of SBFCLF anchor organizations and partners. SAAFON $75,000

GRANTS MADE AS OF MAY 2023

1mil+

FLOW FUNDING
TO ANCHOR

900k+

FOOD SYSTEM
INFRASTRUCTURE

445k+

FARMER
SUPPORT

200k+

COMMUNITY
REVITALIZATION

The fund now welcomes funding from a broad array of donors to continue to support rural Black community self determination throughout the Black Belt region.