Black Farmer Fund Announces Co-Executive Director Departure

Black Farmer Fund Board of Directors


 

Dear Black Farmer Fund community,


Over the last four years, our work has grown exponentially, along with the team at the helm of transforming the food system. Starting from a team of three to a team of fifteen, our work now focuses on raising and deploying capital into Black agricultural communities while building strong networks to support these businesses. Our Pilot Fund led us to BFF Fund 2.0, where we have invested $3.8M across 12 farms and food businesses, with many more to come. This growth and these achievements are a testament to our collective dedication and hard work, and we should all take pride in what we have accomplished.

Along with these progressive changes come leadership changes. Today, our Board of Directors is announcing the departure of our Co-Executive Director, Melanie Allen. Melanie has been a part of the BFF team since its inception, and she will be genuinely missed after her last day on September 23rd. We are deeply grateful for the foundation she has helped us build, allowing us to deepen our mission of shifting power and making capital accessible to Black farmers and food actors. Her contributions have been invaluable, and we will always be appreciative of her dedication and hard work. 

“I am so grateful for all of the learnings and the wide variety of experiences that I’ve been able to be involved with at BFF and for the open canvas that the board gave Olive and me back in 2020 with unwavering support to dream big, center an abundance mindset, and experiment with different ideas. I appreciate all of the relationships and community connections that I have made during my time at BFF. The past 4 years at BFF have transformed my career and, more importantly, my personal relationship and journey with food sovereignty, land stewardship, and healing.” – Melanie Allen

After her departure, Melanie will be joining LIFE as a Co-Director in the Fall of 2024. At LIFE, she will continue her work in mobilizing more resources for BIPOC food sovereignty-related work and funder organizing/investor education. She will be in coalition with many of our partner organizations, such as Soul Fire, NEFOC, NBFJA, and HEAL Alliance, and she will continue to be a part of the Black Farmer Fund community. 

In the interim, Black Farmer Fund will shift to an interim-ED structure with support from internal staff before transitioning into a permanent leadership structure. During this transition, we remain committed to deploying low-interest loans and gifts to Black food business owners and nourishing a robust food system for all. 

“It has been an amazing experience working alongside a colleague passionate about community power and food justice. Her significant contributions to prioritizing community needs and operationalizing our values at Black Farmer Fund have laid the groundwork for transforming the ways capital flows into black agricultural communities. Melanie will be missed, and we are happy to see her continue to grow and lead at other movement organizations in the food justice space.” – Olivia Watkins, Co-Executive Director.

“There are no words I can say that epitomizes the work ethic and commitment Melanie has given this organization. She came at a time when we were just dreaming; we had big ideas and laid them out for everyone to see. We have a Black-led organization doing what folks told us we could not do, and that was to financially support Black farmers and Black businesses when no one else cared or could. We saw the daunting numbers, the land loss, the wealth disparities, and fought degradation to come on top, cheering abundance. Melanie, we will never forget your heart or love for this organization.” – Karen Washington, Board Chair.

Melanie has led the teams that have facilitated community engagement initiatives, technical assistance, communications, and the Rapid Response Fund. With the support of her leadership, we have deployed over $138,660 through our Rapid Response Fund since 2022, provided $10,000 in community garden grants, and over 200 hours of technical assistance to our investees, in addition to her leadership of our programs. 

We envision a world where all can access healthy, local, culturally relevant, and affordable food. As we continue to grow, change, and strive for a just food system, we remain dedicated to our community of supporters without whom the work would not be possible. We thank you all for your continued support and are confident that together, we can accomplish it all. 

In unity,

Black Farmer Fund
Board of Directors

 


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