Seeding Power:
Leadership for Justice-Based Movements in Food and Farming
Tuesday December 4, 2018
3:30 – 5pm
Surdna Foundation
200 Madison Ave, 25th floor
NYC
Register Here by 12/3
This event will be livestreamed
Co-sponsored by Philanthropy New York and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders
Over the past two decades, food has emerged as a central strategy and focus of nonprofits worldwide concerned with environmentalism and climate change, public health and hunger, community and economic development, human rights, and racial and social justice. Despite gains on certain issues in some geographic areas, a coordinated and unified ‘food movement’ has yet to realize the true potential of the millions who care deeply about these causes. Now, the infrastructure is being put in place for that to change.
You’re invited on December 4th for a special discussion about three initiatives designed to bring together diverse leaders of this nascent movement, break down silos to encourage dialogue, and support them in reaching their fullest power. Two of these efforts are national:
- The HEAL School of Political Leadership supports 10 food and farm justice leaders with the tools, knowledge, and skills they need to run for office, work on campaigns, and drive political change.
- The Castanea Fellowship will provide a diverse cohort of leaders with the time, space, and resources they need to connect and innovate on long-term solutions that can foster vibrant communities and the creation of a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy food system.
The third initiative is the new Seeding Power Fellowship designed and administered by Community Food Funders. Set for launch in early 2019, the Seeding Power Fellowship is an innovative 18-month, cohort-based food justice fellowship program for experienced leaders working across sectors to build equitable food systems. In its inaugural year the fellowship will accept applications from leaders in New York City, the Hudson Valley, and Long Island. Seeding Power is unique in both the region it serves and the focus on movement building in food systems, as opposed to more traditional leadership programs that focus solely on individual skill-building. The program will place racial equity and social justice at the core of a curriculum customized to the specific needs and assets of each cohort. By providing peer learning space to develop a shared analysis of the issues plaguing our food system, the Seeding Power cohort will graduate with strengthened cross-sector relationships and skills to advance individual, organizational, and movement-related goals.
Join us to learn more about these opportunities, including how and why separate groups of funders came together to envision and support these similar initiatives and ultimately land on leadership development as a necessary tool, and of course how to get your grantees involved!
More about the opportunities
Seeding Power Fellowship
Seeding Power will impact transformation on three levels: the individual, the organization, and the movement. By investing in leaders and creating a shared analysis across the cohort, fellows can bring their organizations in closer alignment, thus seeding a more unified food movement. Seeding Power is designed to foster collaboration across sectors by providing opportunities to interact and align with each other’s work, while also building organizational capacity and individual leadership skills based on the specific needs and desires that arise from the fellowship cohort. Seeding Power will provide a space to have challenging conversations among organizations and sectors that are not always totally aligned, in order to find common ground and build consensus for a path forward. Applications will be accepted starting in January, 2019, and the first cohort will launch later in the spring.
Castanea Fellowship
The Castanea Fellowship is a multi-sector collaborative that creates opportunities for transformative leadership to thrive. The Castanea Fellowship is a new, two-year fellowship for diverse leaders working for a racially just food system in any of the areas of: health, environment, agriculture, regional economies, and community development. Castanea Fellows will build power to shift structures and culture towards the creation of a more equitable, sustainable, and healthy food system for children, families, and all communities. We give Castanea Fellows the time, space, and resources they need to connect and innovate on long-term solutions that can foster vibrant communities.
