Liberated Capital - Food and Land Justice Fund - 2023

About

The Food and Land Justice Fund is excited to announce a $1 million funding opportunity for Black farmers in the Southeast region of the United States who are working toward food justice.

The Request for Proposals comes as Black farmers fight to reclaim land ownerships that have declined by over 16 million acres in the last century. Access to land and food has always been an important pillar of security and economic mobility for communities of color. However, today Black farmers make up only 1.34% of farmers in the U.S.

The grantee partners selected as part of the Food and Land Justice Fund are building on these efforts while addressing the disparities that their communities have faced for generations. They are employing a range of strategies, from intervening directly in local food production and expanding access to fresh food for Black communities, to providing technical assistance and capacity-building support to Black farmers, to engaging in local and national advocacy efforts for Black farmer debt relief.

On April 12, 2022, the Food and Land Justice Fund announced the redistribution of $1.04M+ to grantee partners from across the United States.  Read the Press Release here.

Project Leads & Advisory Committee

Project Leads:

Shirley Sherrod, Executive Director, Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc, Co-Founder, New Communities, Inc.

Konda Mason, Founder and  President, Jubilee Justice

Advisory Committee:

Jessica Norwood, Founder and CEO, RUNWAY

Amber Bell, Consultant, Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc.

Ife Kilimanjaro, Co-Executive Director / Managing Director, Soul Fire Farm

Mikhiela Sherrod, Program Director, Southwest Georgia Project for Community Education, Inc.

Eligibility

Grantee partners are organizations and/or coalitions led by Black farmers and communities in the Southeast region of the United States, which includes the states of Florida, Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana, South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, and West Virginia. Other requirements include:

  • Grant dollars must be paid to a U.S.-based 501c3 nonprofit organization or fiscal sponsors. Individuals are not eligible.
  • Coalitions and organizations working in the field of food and/or agriculture with a focus on Black  community food access, advocacy, regenerative farming practices, wellness, education, policy, and supporting Black  farmers.
  • Funding must be used for a charitable purpose (no direct lobbying).
  • Grant awards range: approximately $5,000 – $50,000.
  • Proposals will be evaluated by an advisory group of community leaders with expertise in the sector.

Key Dates

Deadline Date: 03/28/2023 08:00 PM, EST

Application

JustFund offers a common proposal model designed to save organizations time.

Current Grantee Partners

If your organization previously received a Food and Land Justice Fund grant and meets the 2023 grant cycle criteria listed in this RFP, visit JustFund to log in to the account you registered with last year. If you are having trouble accessing your account, reset your password or contact [email protected].

Follow the steps below to submit your proposal:

Step 1: Click the 'Apply' button at the bottom of the funding opportunity, and select one of the options listed below:

Step 2: Apply an Active Proposal: To apply an active JustFund proposal to this opportunity, select Option 2 in the pop-up screen. Select the proposal you previously submitted to The Food and Land Justice Fund, add the required attachments listed below, and submit.

Step 3: Copy Existing Proposal Content: If you would like to update the content previously submitted to The Indigenous Earth Fund, select Option 3 in the pop-up screen to copy existing proposal content as a basis of a new draft, edit as needed, add the required attachments listed below, and submit.

New Applicants

If your organization has never received a Food and Land Justice Fund grant, including organizations that may have applied but did not receive funding in 2021/2022, and you meet the 2023 criteria listed in this RFP, please follow these steps:

The Food and Land Justice Fund is accepting applications on JustFund:

Step 1: Visit www.justfund.us to log in or register for an account.

Please note that registrations require 48 business hours for approval. We encourage applicants to register as early as possible.

Step 2: After you've registered, go to the Food and Land Justice Fund 2023 RFP pageto view the proposal and apply. You may need to log in to JustFund again when you visit this link.

For questions about how to submit your proposal, please refer to JustFund’s How to Apply video, Knowledge Base or contact [email protected].

For questions about the proposal itself, email us at [email protected], contact Carlos Rojas Alvarez.

Proposal Content

Our proposal covers four general narrative questions:

  • Proposal Summary (max 140 characters): Think of this like a tweet. Please tell us about the mission of this proposal in a couple of sentences.
  • Proposal Description (recommended 2500 - 3500 characters): Tell us about your proposal.
  • Team Description (recommended 1250 - 2500 characters): Tell us about who comprises the team.
  • Financial Need (recommended 1250 - 2500 characters): Please describe what you will use the funding for.

Supplemental Questions

  • How is your work addressing past and present racial discrimination and injustice in the food and agricultural system?
  • What partners or coalitions are actively engaged in the work you describe in your proposal? If applicable, are there individuals or institutions that are barriers to your work or goals?
  • Is there any capacity-building or field-building support that would be useful to your work at this time? (.e.g, campaign or fundraising trainings, space to gather with other grantees, etc)

Requested Attachments

  • Project/Program Plans: Please attach any document that clearly outlines your project/program goals (if not included in the text above).
  • Budget: what is the budget for the project or program? What is your organization's budget size? What funding is secured or pending?
  • Leadership: Please share a list with information on the race/ethnicity and gender of your leadership (e.g. board/staff/community advisors).

FAQs

For Frequently Asked Questions about the 2023 Food and Land Justice Fund RFP, see our FAQs page.

Contact Information