About Us
Our mission is to nurture black community wealth & health by investing in black agricultural systems in the Northeast.
We believe Black farmers, business owners, and land stewards should benefit equitably from financing, intellectual capital, technical assistance, networking, and public policies.
Black farmers, vendors, food distributors, caterers, restaurant owners, & other food business OWNERs
We provide SUPPORTIVE capital that suits your needs and reality.
We provide an alternative to traditional financial services that can help your business grow and thrive. Not only do we provide 1:1 support through business coaching and technical assistance, but we also make sure that your loan terms are specific to your business.
social impact investors &
EVERY DAY FOLKS LOOKING TO INVEST
We provide a means for folks to strengthen the Black food business SYSTEM.
We are building a more equitable future. We are changing what investment looks like by centering relationships, decentralizing decision making and shifting power. We are striving to build community power and community wealth.
Our Story
The idea to create Black Farmer Fund came from two Black farmer-activists, Karen Washington and Olivia Watkins, meeting at a conference in 2017 and sharing frustrations about the lack of financial assistance available for Black farmers. They decided that there needed to be a means for community members to access capital that recognized the historical discrimination of lending and banking that informs the present reality of Black communities.
Our Goals
To function…
as an investment vehicle that provides capital built around individual needs to black food businesses in New York State
To center…
Black farmers, business owners, and land stewards in funding decisions, through practicing collective decision-making with our community-led investment committee
To serve…
as an investment vehicle that creates space for community members with varying levels of wealth to invest
To collaborate…
To provide other supports for black food businesses and land stewards
To increase…
the number of black business owners and create a strong network for these folks to collaborate across the food system
To understand…
and move away from historically ingrained attitudes of scarcity and adopt an abundance mindset.
Want to invite Black Farmer Fund to
speak at your next event?
Fill out our 2023 Booking Request Form. We are currently accepting requests for panels, workshops, live/virtual keynotes, podcasts, and more!