Innovative Financing to Promote Sustainable Fisheries

Overfishing, excessive bycatch and habitat degradation threaten the viability and future of fish populations, healthy fishing businesses and vibrant fishing communities. To help restore fish populations, government regulators have instituted a cap and trade policy, issuing a limited number of tradable permits that allow fishermen to catch a fixed quota of fish per year. Unfortunately, this new model does not include the goal of maintaining local economies. Join a discussion of how foundations can employ grants, program and mission related investments to support the viability and future of fish populations, healthy fishing businesses and vibrant fishing communities. Leaders from the sustainable fisheries movement will share their perspectives on how we can restore fish populations and while maintaining and growing local economies. We will also explore ways to employ capital in order to acquire fish permits and other assets on behalf of and in partnership with local communities Speakers: Chuck Cook, a 27 year veteran of the Nature Conservancy (TNC), and now Project Leader for The Sustainable Fisheries Group (SFG) Monica Jain, of Manta Consulting Inc. Paul Parker, founder and director of the Cape Cod Fisheries Trust in Massachusetts Moderator: Peter Berlinger, Managing Director of PRI Makers Network

BIOCHAR: Current thinking for agriculture and climate change mitigation

Join SAFSF for this introductory call on the basics of biochar production and applicability on a global scale. Learn about existing pilot projects and related work in the US and abroad. In addition we will discuss potential concerns such as land clearing for 'biochar crops', competition for biomass sources, and industry vs smallholder access to technology and benefits. Speakers: Debbie Read, International Biochar Initiative, Executive Director. IBI is a non-profit organization supporting researchers, commercial entities, policy makers, and others committed to supporting sustainable biochar production. IBI supports biochar production and utilization systems that reduce net greenhouse (GHG) emissions. Jamie Dean, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Agriculture Subprogram Stefan Jirka, Blue Mood Fund, Program Director Moderator: Cecily Kihn, Agua Fund, Program Director and member of SAFSF's Steering Committee

Toward a Regional Food Economy: The Role of Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems in Older Cit

This one day funder briefing is part of a larger multi-day event: Advancing Green and Prosperous Cities for All November 18-19: Lean, Green, Fighting Machine: Older Industrial Cities Transform Their Economies The Funders™ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, in partnership with Living Cities and the Ohio Grantmakers Forum, will sponsor a two-day meeting on November 18-19 for funders interested in advancing the prosperity and sustainability of cities. We will host a pre-event session on November 17 for funders specifically interested in urban agriculture. The meetings will be held in Cleveland, Ohio, an incredible hulk of a city that is on the leading edge of revitalizing its economy through sustainability planning and green business opportunities. For more information or to register, please contact Jennifer Cummings (jennifer@fundersnetwork.org).

Member only call with Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan

A special SAFSF member-only conversation with USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan

Beyond GE – Next Generation Technologies Promises, Panaceas, or Problems in the Making? - Funder Briefing and Luncheon in NYC
9 a.m. – 2 p.m.

The Graduate Center at the City University of New York
Skylight Room, 9th Floor
365 Fifth Ave, New York, NY

Nanotechnology, Synthetic Biology and Geoengineering—these are just some of the hot high-tech industries with billions of dollars at their disposal and virtually no oversight. Their proponents claim they hold the solutions for ending hunger, improving our minds, cleaning up water and the environment, defeating climate change, overcoming oil dependence, and curing disability and disease. But what if they don't?

As with previous technology revolutions (nuclear power, GMO crops, etc.) it is unlikely these new tech solutions will live up to all the hype and, in fact, may already be ushering in deeper problems.

So what does this mean for you? You may not fund science, or the tech world—but these technologies will likely impact everything from worker safety to climate to the food we eat. At the briefing we'll learn how these technologies work, what they're used for, as well as their health, social, environmental, economic, and ethical implications.

Moderator: Leslie Lowe, Program Director, Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility

Speakers:
Pat Mooney and Jim Thomas of the ETC Group;
Mike Wright of United Steelworkers;
Andrew Kimbrell and George Kimbrell of the Center for Food Safety.

CO-SPONSORS: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Funders (SAFSF); Grantmakers Without Borders (Gw/oB); The Funders Workgroup for Sustainable Production and Consumption; Environmental Grantmakers Association (EGA)

Download Briefing Papers [PDF]
This document includes three briefing papers on unfamiliar and complex emerging technologies: nanotechnology, synthetic biology, and geoengineering.

Beginning Farmers and Ranchers: Access to Credit - a funder-only learning call
11 a.m. Pacific/1 p.m. Central/2 p.m. Eastern

Moderator:  Dr. Suresh Sureshwaran, national program leader, Family and Small Farms, CSREES-USDA, Washington, DC

Speakers:
Dorothy Suput, founder and executive director, The Carrot Project, Somerville, MA.

Roger Allbee, secretary, Vermont State Agriculture, Food and Markets, Burlington, VT 

Deep Roots, 7th Annual Forum – Greensboro, N.C.

Final Program

Forum Resources:
Greensboro, N.C. Restaurant recommendations

Presentations and additional information and resources:

Plenaries:

• June 23: Sacred Cows, Illegal Aliens, and Conscientious Investors: Labor, Faith and Finance in the American Meat Industry
• June 24: It's all in the Mix: How Demographic Shifts are Redefining the Sense of Place in the New South – Dr. James Johnson
• June 26: A Rights Based Food System
• June 26: Food Fight: Reinventing the Common Good – Karl Stauber

Workshops:

• Youth as an Emerging Force in Food Systems Change
• Helping Farmers Thrive: Farmer Resource Network
• Economic Crisis or Opportunity? Philanthropic Investments
• Moving Beyond Barriers – Building New Partnerships
• The Future of Urban Agriculture
• Land Security and Access to Healthy Foods: Arresting Land Loss and Building Local Food Economies on a Foundation of Traditional Food Cultures

 

For Funders: Using Technology Tools

More details to follow - but save the date!

Investors' Circle Spring 2009 Conference & Venture Fair

Investors' Circle 2009 Spring Conference April 19-21, 2009 San Francisco, CA Social Enterprise: Seizing Emergent Opportunities The winds are changing. How will you shift with them? Growing consumer awareness and the new administration priorities of transparency, full stakeholder accountability and personal responsibility are shifting markets and could dramatically reshape the environment for social enterprise. The Investors’ Circle Conference will be exploring timely topics such as “Emerging Opportunities in Water” and “Non-Traditional Capital Sources.” Join us for three days of cutting-edge deals, thought-provoking panels, and innovative thought leadership. Take advantage of early bird rates and register today!

News from the Hill

Join SAFSF for the next in our 2009 learning call series: News from the Hill Friday, March 20, 2009 10 a.m. Pacific 12 noon Central 1 p.m Eastern The DC policy landscape has already evolved considerably in 2009, with more changes afoot in the coming months. Join us to talk about agency appointments, the stimulus package and what it might mean for food/ag, implementation of the Farm Bill, and other news from The Hill. This call will challenge two policy wonks (our speakers) to translate the happenings on the hill into language the rest of us can understand. Bring your questions and feel free let us know in advance if you have a specific topic you'd like to know more about. Speakers: John Ferrell, Senate Agriculture Committee Ferd Hoefner, Policy Director, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition Moderator: Greg Horner, Program Officer, Cedar Tree Foundation To receive call in information please RSVP no later than March 19 to: vclarke@safsf.org

A Call for For-Profit Social Ventures, January 15th

Present your deal to Investors’ Circle: the oldest and largest network of early-stage investors dedicated to funding mission driven companies. For more information please see our Call for Applicants

A Call for For-Profit Social Ventures, January 15th